Article
Carolyn Ridsdale
Debate Essay Kit,

Can Fame and Fortune Make You Happy?

Being a celebrity may seem like a dream come true, but does fame really make people happy? 

By Mackenzie Carro
From the November 2016 Issue

Learning Objective: to identify and evaluate key points on both sides of a debate; to write an argument essay

Complexity Factors
  • Purpose
    The debate has a clear purpose: to discuss whether fame and fortune can lead to happiness.
  • Structure
    The text includes cause-and-effect and compare-and-contrast structures.
  • Language Conventionality and Clarity
    Vocabulary: some challenging academic vocabulary (e.g., prestigious, fleeting, specializes, derives) Figurative language: rhetorical questions
  • Knowledge Demands
    The text makes a number of cultural references (e.g., Jennifer Lawrence, Justin Bieber, Instagram, and Vanity Fair).
Lexile: 1000L
Featured Skill: Argument Writing,
Other Key Skills: central ideas and detail
Topics: SEL,
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    R.1, R.2, R.6, R.8. W.1, W.4, W.5, W.7, SL.1, L.4, L.6
  • Grade 6
    RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.6, RI.6.8, W.6.1, W.6.5, SL.6.1, L.6.4, L.6.6
  • Grade 7
    RI.7.1, RI.7.2, RI.7.6, RI.7.8, W.7.1, W.7.5, SL.7.1, L.7.4, L.7.5
  • Grade 8
    RI.8.1, RI.8.2, RI.8.6, RI.8.8, W.8.1, W.8.5, SL.8.1, L.8.4, L.8.6
TEKS Standards
  • Grade 6
    6.1; 6.2e; 6.11; 6.14; 6.18; 6.19; 6.26, 6.27
  • Grade 7
    7.1, 7.2e, 7.11; 7.14; 7.18a,b,c; 7.19; 7.26, 7.27
  • Grade 8
    8.1, 8.2e, 8.11; 8.14; 8.18a,b,c; 8.19; 8.26, 8.27

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Answer Key (1)
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Dig Deeper With These Texts
Additional Texts for “Yes”
 

Guiding Question: How could this information be used to strengthen the argument that fame and fortune CAN lead to happiness?

Additional Text for “No”
 

Guiding Question: How could this information be used to strengthen the argument that fame and fortune CAN’T lead to happiness?  
 

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

1. PREPARING TO READ

Project the Words and Definitions handout and preview the vocabulary. 

2. READING AND TEXT MARKING

  • Read the article once as a class. 
  • On your whiteboard, model text marking as students mark their magazines: Use a red-colored pencil to underline details that support the “Yes” side of the debate. 
  • Have students work in groups to underline details that support the “No” side of the debate, this time with a blue-colored pencil.

3. DISCUSSING AUTHOR BIAS

Have students discuss the following in their groups: Does the writer show bias—that is, a preference for one side of the debate or the other? How do you know?

4. DOING THE ACTIVITY

Have students fill in the “Yes/No” chart in their magazines using the strongest details that they underlined in the text.

5. DEBATING

Invite students to debate the topic at hand. Encourage them to use text evidence to support their opinions.

6. WRITING

Text-to-Speech