Flowing the News

Have students take notes on the evening news (television or radio) just as they would flow a debate. Each story is noted as a new numbered argument. The student tries to write down:

1. a title for the story (U.S.A. finally pays its UN dues)

2. Some salient facts about the story ($6.5 billion was owed) and

3. Any people who were quoted in the story (Madeline Albright).

This simple exercise provide very realistic practice on a daily basis, and the current events which the student learns will be quite useful in debates as well.