Students are terrific and energetic arguers. Even the non-confrontational ones tend to pick a side of an argument and latch on to it with complete conviction and excitement. Units like debate and mock trial feed a teenager’s argumentative side, and students often thrive in these environments.

Not too long ago, a few students of mine were creating a sports podcast as part of a choice project. The first segment of their podcast was to highlight and discuss who each boy believed was the best quarterback of all time. One chose Tom Brady, and the other chose Peyton Manning. As they were researching (and boy did they research!), the boys became fixed on a particular fact that they found. They found a good, citable point, and I saw an opportunity to practice creating counterarguments as a class.