First Emperor Qin Jigsaw Debate

This activity combines the traditional jigsaw strategy with a class debate and is one of my favorite activities. Every kid is held accountable for preparing for and participating in the debate, and they are highly motivated because of the competitive nature of the activity. In this lesson, students hold debates in groups of three arguing for or against Emperor Qin winning the "Historical Leadership Award". The Committee Member in each group will make the final decision based on the arguments presented.

Students are divided into three "teams" -

- Committee members for the Historical Leadership Award

- Debaters that support Qin winning the award

- Debaters against Qin winning the award

In these teams, they work together to become experts in their roles. The committee members team analyzes what characteristics make a good leader and the two debate teams prepare arguments for their side. They also predict what arguments the other side will give and prepare rebuttals to those arguments.

Students are then put into groups of three consisting of one person from each of the expert teams. They hold mini-debates with the committee member running the debate, taking notes, and then making the final decision about whether or not Emperor Qin should win the Historical Leadership Award.

This product consists of the teacher guide and the research/notes sheets for each role in the debate. It can be used as an assessment for students to show what they have learned about Emperor Qin.

Check out Harper's History for more great activities.