The Man In The Black Suit

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Debate”

In this activity, students will debate whether Gary should still fear the Devil.

Gary is now in his 90s, and as he sits in his nursing home, he contemplates death and wonders if he will see the Devil again. Should he still fear the Devil? Prepare to debate this question with your classmates.

Part A: Assemble Evidence

• Team 1 will argue the claim “Gary should fear the Devil.” Team 2 will argue the claim “Gary should not fear the Devil.” Each team should do the following:

o Brainstorm at least three reasons that support your claim. Find at least five quotes that support your reasons.

o Prepare counterarguments! Find at least five quotes that support the other team’s claim. As you consider what they might argue, establish an argument against these points. How can you acknowledge their claim and then respond to it with your stronger claim?

o Divide roles among your team. Everyone needs to speak at least once during the debate. Refer to the debate outline below.

Part B: Debate

• Outline of debate:

○ Team 1 will present their claim.

○ Team 2 will present their claim.

○ Team 1 will present Supporting Reason #1.

○ Team 2 will respond to Supporting Reason #1.

○ Team 2 will present Supporting Reason #1.

○ Team 1 will respond to Supporting Reason #1.

○ Team 1 will present Supporting Reason #2.

○ Team 2 will respond to Supporting Reason #2.

○ Team 2 will present Supporting Reason #2.

○ Team 1 will respond to Supporting Reason #2.

○ Team 1 will present Supporting Reason #3.

○ Team 2 will respond to Supporting Reason #3.

○ Team 2 will present Supporting Reason #3.

○ Team 1 will respond to Supporting Reason #3.

○ Teams will confer for five minutes to brainstorm their concluding statement.

○ Team 1 will present their concluding statement.

○ Team 2 will present their concluding statement.

Part C: Vote

• Which team do you think offered the most convincing argument? You will be asked to vote on either Team 1 or Team 2.

Part D: Individual response (journal entry)

• Write at least one paragraph that justifies your voting choice. Answer the following questions in your response:

○ Why were you effectively persuaded by the team that you voted for?

○ How did this team command evidence effectively?

○ Which counterargument did you find most compelling?

○ Nominate one person whom you believe demonstrated exemplary textual analysis.

Teaching Suggestions: If you are familiar with this group of students and have an idea of how everyone will perform (i.e., who will eagerly assume a leadership position and who will not), consider setting up the groups beforehand so that each team has at least one person who will take charge. If you are not familiar with this group of students, divide them randomly into two teams.

Depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the group, you may find it helpful to implement a time limit for each part of the debate (i.e., each speaker gets no more than two minutes to present their point). During the debate, make sure that the outline is clearly visible and accessible to all students. This will help keep them on track.

If the debate is conducted in person, separate the students into different rooms or different sections of the room as they brainstorm for Part A. If the debate is conducted online, separate them into two breakout rooms. Emphasize that everyone needs to speak at least once. If the number of students is greater than 16, consider increasing the number of required supporting reasons.