Programs
Fall Club
The Institute
This fall, we're starting a weekend club for students to gain further exposure to debate through practice debates, discussions on theory, and exercises to advance argument comprehension. This club will be run online, and there are no expectations for students to do homework outside of class. The program is designed for middle school students with a summer or more's worth of debate experience, but we can make case-by-case exceptions.
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The program will run on Sundays from 4-6pm Eastern. On every fourth Sunday (the last Sunday of each month), we will meet from 2-6pm to hold a mock tournament. Note: if we have excess demand, we may offer a session from 2-4pm on Sundays. If this time is better for you, please say so on the form.
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Students can sign up for individual months (September, October, November) or for all three months for a 33% discount.
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Update: Our 2020 summer programming is now full. Sign up for our mailing list to receive updates about 2020-2021 opportunities.
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Our two week program runs from July 6 - 17, July 20 - 31, and August 3 - 14 on weekdays, 9am - 4pm. Learn from successful college students how to debate, working on argument structure, research skills, and presentation. Engage in interactive lectures and discussions and apply what you've learned in practice activities. Show off your skills in a tournament at the end of the Institute.
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Our one week program runs from July 6 - 10, July 20 - 24, and August 3 - 7. This shortened program emphasizes argumentative reasoning and presentation skills. Students will participate in four full-length debates, as well as interactive discussions and a suite of fun exercises to practice and hone skills.
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Coronavirus Update: Due to the current pace of the outbreak, we have made the decision to transition our summer programming online. We are confident that our online program will be rewarding for students, and are working around the clock to adjust our curriculum to an online environment. We will conduct extra training with our instructors, and are in conversation with leading high school and college summer programs to adopt best practices as we move online.
Although we will work hard to maintain the same high-quality instruction that has introduced hundreds of students to debate over the last three years, we recognize we can no longer provide the same in-person childcare service. To that end, we are lowering rates for both one-week and two-week sessions, in the hopes it will help defray costs for parents operating on a tight budget.
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Please email us with any questions at lexdebateinstitute@gmail.com.
sample daily Schedule
9:00 - 9:30
9:30 - 10:00
10:00 - 10:30
10:30 - 11:00
11:00 - 12:00
12:00 - 1:00
1:00 - 2:00
2:00 - 3:00
3:00 - 4:00
Introduction to Topic of the Day: Standardized Testing - Good or Bad?
Interactive Discussion on Standardized Testing's Pros and Cons
Tag Team Mini-Debates on Standardized Testing
Mini-Debates Debrief
Evidence Comparison: What Makes a Good, Trustworthy Source?
Lunch
Evidence Analysis and Debate Preparation
Practice Debate - full-length debate on standardized testing with individualized feedback
Workshop - specialized programming to build argument structure and presentation skills
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Information Sessions
Though we heartily recommend our Institute, we understand the gravity of the decision for how your child spends their summer. That's why we'll be hosting multiple information sessions in the coming months, so you and your child have a chance to see what the Institute would be like, and make sure it is the right choice for you. We won't be able to get into the depth of instruction that we'll guarantee over the summer, but hopefully it will help you and your child get an idea of what we aim to achieve by the end of the Institute.
Dates, Times, locations
Tuesday, January 21, 7:00-8:00pm - LHS Room 184 (the Debate Room)
Thursday, March 19, 7:00-8:00pm - Zoom Call
Tuesday, March 31, 7:00-8:00pm - Zoom Call
Wednesday, April 15, 7:00-8:00pm - Zoom Call
Tuesday, April 28, 7:00-8:00pm - Zoom Call
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Check back soon for additional dates/times! Or sign up to receive notification of times as they are announced:​
Lexington Debate Clinic
Due to the current outbreak, we are moving our Clinic online. Because we no longer can provide dinner, we are shifting the hours of the Clinic to 4pm - 6:30pm. Parents are more than welcome to join, particularly after 5:15pm. At 5:15pm, we will begin a demonstration debate from staff. At 6:00pm, we will invite parents and children to ask questions about the program. If you sign up below, we will email you a Zoom link for the event.
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The Lexington Debate Clinic offers a low-commitment opportunity to learn and practice the basics of debate, including persuasion, argument structure, and critical reasoning. We will also walk through a demonstration debate from successful high school and college debaters.
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We will be hosting the clinic online on Friday, April 3, from 4pm - 6:30pm. Sign up below to register!