NOTICE: ALL OMSSDL ACTIVITIES WILL BE CONDUCTED VIRTUALLY DUE TO COVID-19.
OMSSDL is dedicated to providing free high-quality speech and debate opportunities for middle school students in Oregon
OMSSDL is dedicated to providing free high-quality speech and debate opportunities for middle school students in Oregon
We are a non-profit organization that strives to develop and elevate public speaking, critical thinking, and leadership skills in middle school students through speech and debate clubs, workshops, and competitive events.
We're excited to announce that we're planning to hold two free Speech and Debate Workshops this summer for 5th-8th graders! These workshops are slated to run from 6/21 - 7/12 and 7/26 - 8/16 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00pm - 4:30pm on Zoom.
SIGN UP LINK: https://forms.gle/BZG2PrmnbSAwxAK17
Please reach out to us at OMSSSL2017@gmail.com if you have any questions
Our workshops teach students widely applicable public speaking techniques, as well as basic debate strategies. All workshops are under the guidance of experienced high school debaters, which gives our students a head start in entering the competitive high school circuit. Don't hesitate to reach out to us by email if you have any additional questions!
Where: Tabroom
When: April 30th
Winners: winner slide show at the link below! https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Aq5xnoBkRdCkBJZlBRWhU9PY_DkXz9m0wQfnlYcDzwA/edit?usp=sharing
The goal of our tournaments are to give middle school students the opportunity to compete and connect with one another in a welcoming and educational environment. Each student can enter one debate format and one individual event (IE). If you have students who are only participating in IEs, they can enter both IE events. The events are loosely based on high school events. The times are reduced from the high school criteria, and students may present from note cards, papers, or electronic notes. Students will not be able to access the Internet during a round. Thanks to all the volunteers who made the tournament happen, there is no fee associated with this event. However, if you’d like to donate to help cover tournament costs, judging costs, or the cost of awards, it would be much appreciated. All proceeds will be used to support the tournament. This will be a fun event with an emphasis on positive recognition and encouragement for all participants. We hope you can join us.
9:30 - 9:50 Check in Competitor Lounge (Zoom link, Coaches take roll and report attendance)
9:30 - 9:50 Judge Orientation Judge Lounge (Zoom link, Mandatory for all judges)
10:00 -10:50 Round 1 Debate
10:50 -11:30 Round 1 Individual Events
11:30 -12:20 Round 2 Debate
12:20 - 1:00 Round 2 Individual Events
1:00 - 1:30 Lunch Break
1:30 - 2:20 Final Round of Debate
2:20 - 3:00 Final Round of Individual Events
3:00 - 3:30 Award Ceremony
Impromptu: Students are given 3 words and they must choose one to prepare a 1-3 minute speech about. They have 1 minute to prepare their speech after they choose their word.
Radio Commentary: Students must choose a current event to prepare and deliver a roughly 3 minute long speech about. The speech is expected to be told in the style of a radio report, featuring an introduction including a station name. When the speech is being delivered, judges should not be able to see the student speaking in order to emulate a real radio report.
Public Forum Debate: Teams of 2 students should prepare original cases on a given topic. Students must prepare evidence for both sides of the debate, as sides will be assigned in the round. For our tournaments, we will follow these speech times (in minutes): 3-3-2-3-3-2-2-2-3-2-2. Students are also given the option of 2-minute running prep during the round.
Topic: STEM education should be prioritized over liberal arts education
Parliamentary Debate: Teams of 2 students are assigned a side (Prop/Aff or Opp/Neg). The judge then reveals 3 common-knowledge topics to both teams. The two teams must then each decide to scratch off 2 topics and debate the remaining one. The teams are given 10 minutes to prepare their cases using only pen, paper, and a dictionary. For our tournaments, we will follow these speech times (in minutes): 3-4-4-4-2-3. During speeches, students may stand to ask questions, but only after the first 30 seconds and before the last 30 seconds. No questioning or new arguments may be done in the rebuttals.
Each student can enter one debate format and one individual event (IE). If you have students who are only participating in IEs, they can enter two IE events.
For questions and comments, please email OMSSSL2017@gmail.com
Come attend our workshops!
Practice and show off your skills at our speech and debate tournaments!
Watch your hard work pay off!