Student+Congress

=2012-13 Congress Plans=

The workshop at Truman HS on October 24, 2012 will be a chance to finalize plans for this year's Congress legislation. Every squad with Congress experience should bring a bill or resolution, and every other squad should develop at least one idea of a legislative issue that could be turned into debatable legislation.

SemiFinals Docket, 2014

Congress Docket #2, 2013-14

Fall_2013_Congress_Packet

Congress_Finals_2013

Winter_2013_Congress_Packet

Fall_2012_Congress_Packet

Fall_2011_Congress_Packet

2010_Congress_Packet

2010_Congress_Procedures

50th Anniversary Congress Resolutions

Student Congress Resources
 * Writing Legislation
 * Four Arguments For Any Legislation


 * Information from Mr. Gary Heidt, Perkiomen Valley:**

"As always, the first place to start is the website of the National Forensic League, www.nflonline.org. The website is packed with information for coaches, but here's a good place to start for some quick info: []

Scroll down a bit and you'll see a video introduction to student congress. "That's probably a good start. If you're still looking for help, consider this: Student Congress is like "extemp lite". Two reasons: 1) Students know the legislation/topic ahead of time, so they can prepare in far more than 30 minutes; 2) Students need to speak for only 3 minutes. So how is it similar to extemp? You need to teach your students the same format for speaking as they use in extemp--it's simple three-point analysis.

"So it'll go something like this:

1) get a group of your kids together. 2) show them the legislation 3) have them divvy up the legislation between them so each is responsible for researching 2 or 3 pieces of legislation 4) research ought to be done on both sides of each piece of legislation (affirming and negating). 5) Share the research with each other and then determine which pieces of legislation each congress person will write his her speeches on (they should write speeches both affirming and negating the legislation, simply because it will assure them the best chance of having the most speeches. 6) Students should write as many speeches as they can, and its ok if they write speeches on the same piece of legislation. 7) When writing, remember, 3 minutes! So, start with a very short introduction that presents some salient and interesting fact about the topic. Never argue in the introduction! Only the "hook" of the fact (or whatever method for catching the audience's attention they find most applicable) and then have them move to the "thesis statement", something like, "... and so my fellow Senators, I ask that we affirm this legislation to prevent human trafficking for three key reasons--[see, that's the "three-point analysis" I'm speaking of. Not much different than a stripped-down five paragraph persuasive essay]: first, we are morally obligated to do so, second our history compels us, and third it will help us rebuild our image on the world stage. Now, let's take a look at my first point...."

The body of the speech then goes on to take of the three points mentioned in the introduction (these are called your "claims") and build individual arguments around each claim. those arguments generally follow a restatement of the claim, providing evidence for the claim and a warrant (a specific statement that analyses or "makes sense" of the evidence and that ties the evidence back to the claim and the position you're speaking on (affirming or negating)).

Three minutes!!! So keep the intro short, no more than 35 secs or so. Each body paragraph is important (the last one should be your strongest claim), but don't worry if you only have two main points (only one is probably not good, unless its really substantiated). The body should take the better part of 2 minutes, the conclusion only 15 secs or so. That leaves just enough time to field a question.

Good luck.