Middle School Speech Challenge Topics 2021

Middle School Pro Con Challenge

Students will write a 3-5 minute affirmative case and a 3-5 minute negative case on the National Tournament topic for LD, PF, or CX. They will read both of those speeches within a time limit of 10 minutes and submit it through the recording process.

• LD Topic – Resolved: A public health emergency justifies limiting civil liberties.
• PF Topic – Resolved: In the United States, social media is beneficial for democratic values.
• CX Topic – Resolved: The United States federal government should enact substantial criminal justice reform in the United States in one or more of the following: forensic science, policing, sentencing.

Middle School Congressional Debate Authorship Challenge

Competitors will select two pieces of legislation from the High School National Congressional Debate Docket and construct two authorship speeches 3-5 minutes in length. They will read both of those speeches within a time limit of 10 minutes and submit it through the recording process.

Middle School Prepared Mixed Extemporaneous Speaking

In Prepared Mixed Extemporaneous Speaking, students select one question from the list below, prepare a 7-minute speech, and submit it through the recording process.

• What must the Indian National Congress do in order to win India’s next national election?
• Why has Syria’s civil war proved so intractable?
• Why has Europe’s vaccine rollout lagged?
• How will Ecuador’s politics change following their latest presidential elections?
• What does Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s appointment to Director-General of the World Trade Organization mean for women in Africa?
• Will new sanctions effectively deter Russian hacking attacks on the United States?
• Is Joe Biden living up to his promise of creating more humane immigration policy?
• How serious a threat does inflation pose to the United States economy?
• Should the federal government forgive $50,000 of student debt per borrower?
• How will concerns over the Johnson & Johnson vaccine affect our ability to significantly curtail the transmission of COVID-19?

Middle School Prepared Prompt Speaking

In Prepared Prompt Speaking, students select one question from the list below, prepare a 5-minute speech, and submit it through the recording process.

• “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.”
  – John C. Maxwell
• “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”
  – B.B. King
• “The future belongs to those that believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
  – Eleanor Roosevelt
• “Knowing what must be done does away with fear.”
  – Rosa Parks
• “Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.”
  – Winston Churchill
• “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t
  practice any other virtue consistently.”
  – Maya Angelou
• “Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you’ve
  got to make yourself.”
  – Alice Walker
• “Words have incredible power. They can make people’s hearts soar, or they can make
  people’s hearts sore.”
  – Dr. Mardy Grothe
• “There is only one way to go now: forward, into the unknown”
  – Christina Moracho
• “Success is a collection of problems solved.”
  – I. M. Pei

Middle School Storytelling

Students competing in Storytelling may use any theme/topic area.