The Claim-Reason-Evidence Drill

The single most common mistake at this level is stating an opinion with nothing behind it: "Homework is bad." This drill builds the habit of never leaving a claim unsupported.

The drill

Set a timer for 60 seconds per round. For each prompt below, say all three parts out loud, in order, before the timer runs out:

1. 1.Claim: one sentence stating your position.
2. 2.Reason: one sentence explaining why the claim is true.
3. 3.Evidence: one specific example, statistic, or piece of real-world proof for the reason. If you do not know a real statistic, use a specific, believable example instead, but never skip this step.

Practice prompts

• Should students get a say in their school's dress code?
• Is it better to work in groups or alone on school projects?
• Should grades be replaced with pass/fail marks?
• Is a longer school day better or worse for learning?
• Should students be required to learn a musical instrument?
• Is it fair for teachers to give pop quizzes?
• Should recess be extended for middle schoolers?
• Is it better to read a whole book or several short articles?

Leveling it up

Once claim-reason-evidence feels automatic (you should be able to do it in under 30 seconds without pausing), add a fourth step: impact, one sentence on why that evidence actually matters to the judge's decision. That fourth step is the seed of what becomes a full value/criterion framework at Level 2.