Should Children Be Taken to Art Galleries?

🔥 Warm-up Debate about “Should Children Be Taken to Art Galleries?”

🎯 Objectives

• Dvelop collaborative writing and structured speaking (C1)
• Build and evaluate arguments before reading
• Prepare students to recognise viewpoints and author stance

1. Set-up (2–3 mins)

Write the motion:

“Children should NOT be taken to art galleries.”

Divide class into:

• Team A (Traditionalists) → Agree
• Team B (Progressives) → Disagree

❗ Do NOT assign a mediator yet.

2. ✍️ Shared File Brainstorm (10–12 mins)

🖥️ Teacher Preparation

Create one shared document with two sections:

• Team A – Traditionalists
• Team B – Progressives

Students collaborate live in their section.

🧾 Student Task (Written Collaboration)

Each team must complete:

📋 Structure (visible in the file)

Position:

1. Main Arguments (min. 3)

→ Fully developed (not single words)

2. Supporting Examples

→ Real or hypothetical situations

3. Predicted Counterarguments

→ What will the other team say?

4. Rebuttals

→ Direct responses

🧠 Language Requirement (C1)

Students must include:

• Hedging (It could be argued that…)
• Contrast (However, this overlooks…)
• Evaluation (This is particularly significant because…)

👀 Teacher Role

• Monitor the document live
• Push for depth and clarity
• Highlight strong language

3. 🧑‍⚖️ Mediator Selection (AFTER brainstorming) (2 mins)

Now choose (or ask for a volunteer):

• Mediator

🎤 Brief the Mediator:

They must:

• Read both teams’ written arguments in the shared file
• Identify:
  • Strongest points
  • Weak/unclear ideas
• Lead the debate neutrally
• Refer back to the written brainstorm during the discussion

👉 This ensures the mediator engages critically with both perspectives.

4. Structured Debate (12–15 mins)

Students now use the shared file as support.

🗣 Debate Format

1. Opening Statements
   • Based on strongest written arguments
2. Expansion Round
   • Add depth / examples
3. Rebuttal Round
   • Must respond to ideas already written in the shared file
4. Optional Open Floor
   • Mediator selects speakers

5. 🧑‍⚖️ Mediator Summary (3–4 mins)

Mediator:

• Refers explicitly to the shared document
• Compares:
  • Which team had stronger reasoning
  • Which rebuttals were most effective
• Gives a justified conclusion

6. Reflection + Transition (5 mins)

Ask:

• Did writing first improve your speaking?
• Which arguments from the document were strongest?
• Has your opinion changed?

🔁 Transition to Reading

“Now read the article and compare your arguments with the writer’s. Which ideas are similar? Which are challenged?”

Reading Exercise on pages on pages 92 and 93

📝 Post-Reading Team Writing: Collective Opinion

“Should Children Be Taken to Art Galleries?”

(Based on the article on pp. 92–93 )

🎯 Objectives

• Consolidate understanding of the text
• Express a group opinion in response to the writer’s ideas
• Use clear, formal, collective language (C1 level)

1. Quick Recall (3–5 mins)

Before writing, ask:

• What is the writer’s final opinion?
• Do they fully agree with “traditionalists” or “progressives”?

👉 Elicit:

• The writer supports children visiting galleries but with guidance and rules

2. Form Small Teams (3 mins)

Students choose their position after reading:

• 👍 Agree with the writer
• 👎 Disagree (fully or partially)

👉 Teams of 3–4 students

3. 🖥️ Create Team Documents

Each team creates its own document:

Title:
Team X – Our Opinion

4. ✍️ Writing Task (12–15 mins)

🧾 Task:

Write a collective opinion text (100–120 words) answering:

Do you agree with the writer’s view on children in art galleries? Why / Why not?

📋 Required Structure

1. Introduction (respond to the writer)

👉 In our view, we agree / disagree with the writer’s opinion that…

2. Main Body (2–3 reasons)

• Refer to ideas from the text
• Add your own evaluation

👉 One reason we agree is that…
👉 However, we believe the writer overlooks…

3. Closure

👉 For these reasons, we strongly believe that…

🧠 Language Requirements (C1)

Each team must include:

• 2 collective opinion phrases:
  • In our view…
  • We strongly believe that…
• 1 reference to the text:
  • The writer suggests that…
• 1 contrast:
  • However, although…

⏱️ Word Limit

• 100–120 words ONLY

⚠️ Focus Reminder

This is NOT a general opinion anymore.

👉 Students must:

• React to the writer’s argument
• Show agreement / disagreement + evaluation

5. 🔄 Peer Review (5–7 mins)

Teams exchange documents and check:

• Does the text clearly respond to the writer?
• Are ideas from the article used correctly?
• Is the opinion consistent and clear?

👉 Add 1 short written comment

6. 🗣 Whole-Class Feedback (5 mins)

Ask:

• Which team engaged best with the writer’s ideas?
• Who gave the strongest argument (agreeing or disagreeing)?
• Did reading the text change your opinion?

💡 Why this works as a post-reading task

• Forces students to process and evaluate the writer’s viewpoint
• Moves beyond comprehension → critical response
• Reinforces key exam skills:
  • identifying opinion
  • evaluating arguments
• Maintains a clear focus on collective opinion writing