Middle School Varsity Public Forum Debate

14-Week Course for Middle School Students

Course Overview

This course is built for experienced middle school debaters who are ready to compete and think strategically in Public Forum. Over 14 weeks, students will move beyond skill-building and into active competition preparation, developing the strategic mindset and adaptability needed to perform at a high level in tournament settings.

What Students Will Learn

Students will focus on the strategic dimensions of Public Forum — learning how to read a round, adapt to different judging paradigms, and make real-time decisions about argument selection and emphasis. The course covers advanced case construction, rebuttal strategy, and how to collapse effectively in summary and final focus to tell a winning story.

Skills Developed

This course sharpens the competitive edge. Students will refine their flowing, strengthen their ability to weigh and frame arguments persuasively, and develop the partner communication skills that distinguish top-performing teams. Through regular practice rounds and post-round analysis, debaters will learn how to identify weaknesses in their own performance and adjust their approach from round to round.

Course Outcome

By the end of the course, students will be actively competing in Public Forum tournaments with a clear strategic identity. They will be prepared to advance into the CDA Development Team and National Debate Club, equipped with the skills to prepare independently for new topics, adapt under pressure, and thrive at the next level of competitive debate.