Once a year, millions of children around the world eagerly wait for a plump, bearded man dressed in red and white to bring them presents. Known as Santa Claus, his origins are mysterious and his very existence has been disputed. Some people believe that he lives and works in the North Pole, employs a group of elves to manufacture toys, distributes the gifts annually with the aid of flying reindeer, and regularly utters “ho ho ho” in a commanding voice. But is Santa Claus a man or a myth?

Santa believers argue that he is commonly sighted at shopping malls, that the disappearance of milk and cookies left for him is evidence of his existence, and that, after all, those Christmas gifts have to come from somewhere. Santa skeptics argue that no one man could deliver presents to millions of households in one night, that his toy factory has never been located in the vicinity of the North Pole, and that Christmas presents are really purchased in secret by parents.

1. Your case must comprise the complete 9-part Aristotelian argument and all of Townsel’s required writing elements.
2. You’ll also need to include specific evidence from at least 15 separate, credible sources —  all of which must be cited by you and your team members as you deliver your primary case as well as included in a formal, MLA 8 “Works Cited” page. To help you in this effort, Ms. Ivanskaya will join us in class on Tuesday, 12.1 (juniors) and Friday, December 4 (sophomores) to kick-start your research efforts.
3. If you’re Team Yes, you’ll need to establish a clear definition of what Santa is as the core of your case — and you’ll need to share that definition with your Team No opponents. And if you’re Team No, you’ll need to be ready to adjust your case — even if it means conducting additional research — to effectively respond to your Team Yes opponents.
4. You’ll need work as a team to create an attractive Google Docs slide presentation to screen share as you present your case, with your “Works Cited” page provided in
5. You’ll PRESENT your case, not read it verbatim. This means without a doubt that every member of your team will need to practice your delivery BEFORE debate day.
6. Everyone on each team must have a significant role in the debate — everyone must research, write, and deliver your primary and/or participate in cross-examination. In the end, you’ll be creating for a grade an individual FlipGrid sharing your specific role in brainstorming, creating, research, delivering and defending your primary case.
7. Your debate needs to fill  your 10-minute primary case allotment, and we’ll be observing extended Pumpkin Debate rules: 10-minute primary cases, three-minute cross-examination allotments, and two-minute summations and rebuttals. TIME YOUR WORK. This time, going short or long will have an impact on your team’s score.
8. As your last step, you’ll write an essay (minimum of 750 words) arguing for the OTHER side of the debate — so, if you’re a Team Yes debater, you’ll write a Team No essay. You’ll need to include six credible sources in your essay, employ MLA 8 for your internal citations, and include a proper MLA 8 Works Cited page in your paper.

Santa Debate/Essay Rubrics:

“Other Side” Essay: 100 points possible

• Writing is effective and persuasive: 30 points
• Argument is well-supported, with a CLEAR line of reasoning: 20 points possible
• All parts of the Aristotelian argument represented: 10 points possible
• All required writing elements included: 10 points
• At least five sources included and used well: 10 points possible
• Paper is properly typed and formatted: 10 points possible
• References page is properly formatted and citations are properly formatted: 10 points possible

Class Debate: 100 points possible

• Debate is PRESENTED and not simply read: 20 points possible
• All nine parts of the Aristotelian argument present and effective in both the charted argument AND the debate as delivered: 30 points possible
• All three Aristotelian argumentative appeals — ethos, logos and pathos — are in clear evidence: 10  points possible
• Argument is supported with at least 15 credible sources: 15 points possible
• Primary case makes effective use of the allotted time: 10 points possible
• Cross-examination makes effective use of the allotted time: 5 points possible
• All members of the team participate well: 10 points possible

Key Debate Project Dates:

• 11.30 (juniors), 12.3 (sophomores) — Swift Presentations, Project Kick-Off, Team Assignments (during scheduled Zoom class) — and blog comment accepting project is due, below
• 12.1 (juniors) 12.4 (sophomores) — Research Day with Ms. Ivanskaya (during scheduled Zoom class)
• 12.6, 10 p.m. (all students) — Project Check-In Self-Report Form
• 12.7 (juniors), 12.10 (sophomores) — Logical Fallacies Overview (during scheduled Zoom class) and Day 2 fallacy assignment
• 12.8 (juniors), 12.11 (sophomores) — Logical Fallacies Day 2 (presented during scheduled Zoom class, turned in during this week’s Google self-reflection form)
• 12.13, 10 p.m. (all students) — Weekly Self-Reflection Form, with Logical Fallacy Assignment Turn-In)
• 12.14 & 12.15, 12.17 & 12.18 — Debate Days (during scheduled Zoom classes), Google Team Reflection Report and Slide Presentations (due immediately after your team debates)
• 12.20, 10 p.m. (all students) — You’ll turn in a FlipGrid reflection here, and hand in “The Other Side” essay here

And with that, let the holiday games begin!