A boy laughs and points at a TikTok video of himself. A girl gives the thumbs down to a cat video
Illustrations: Tom Garrett; Shutterstock.com
Debate Scavenger Hunt,

Does TikTok Belong in School?

Two students at Elmwood Middle School face off in their school newspaper. Who makes the stronger argument?

From the February 2020 Issue

Learning Objective: to analyze and evaluate two opposing argument essays  

Complexity Factors
  • Purpose
    This debate has a clear purpose: to present arguments for and against the use of TikTok in school.
  • Structure
    The debate consists of two short editorials: one explains how TikTok can be a learning tool and why it should be allowed in school, and the other explains why TikTok should not be used in schools.
  • Language Conventionality and Clarity
    Vocabulary: some challenging academic vocabulary (e.g., associate, excessive, prohibit) Figurative language: rhetorical questions
  • Knowledge Demands
    Familiarity with TikTok and what it is will aid in comprehension.
Featured Skill: Argument Writing,
Other Key Skills: : central ideas and details
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.6.4, W.6.5, SL.6.1, L.6.4, L.6.6
  • Grade 7
    RI.7.1, RI.7.2, RI.7.4, W.7.2, W,7.4, W.7.5, SL.7.1, SL.7.2, L.7.4, L.7.6
  • Grade 8
    RI.8.1, RI.8.2, RI.8.6, RI.8.8, W.8.1, W.8.4, W.8.5, SL.8.1, L.8.4, L.8.6
TEKS Standards
  • Grade 6
    1a, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 5b, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j, 8d, 8e, 8f, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 9g, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 11c, 11d, 12d, 12f, 12g, 12h, 12i, 12j
  • Grade 7
    1a, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 5b, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j, 8d, 8e, 8f, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 9g, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 11c, 11d, 12d, 12f, 12g, 12h, 12i, 12j
  • Grade 8
    1a, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 5b, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j, 8d, 8e, 8f, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 9g, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 11c, 11d, 12d, 12f, 12g, 12h, 12i, 12j

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YES

TikTok is a powerful learning tool.

By Michael Johnson

Illustrations: Tom Garrett; Shutterstock.com

On the surface, TikTok may seem frivolous. Scroll through your feed and you’ll see a slew of silly videos: a hamster eating a pancake, a cat falling into a bathtub, your friends lip-syncing to the latest Shawn Mendes song. But keep scrolling and you’ll realize that TikTok is about more than silly videos. It is brimming with beautiful voices, epic dance moves, and impressive science experiments. It’s a creative space where kids share their talents without judgment.

In fact, TikTok is a powerful learning tool. That’s why it should have a place at Elmwood—just as it does at dozens of other schools around the country. Some teachers are making TikTok videos to explain complex topics. Other teachers are letting students submit TikTok videos for extra credit. A few schools even have TikTok clubs, where students work together to produce videos. This is a great way for students to develop important skills like collaboration and creativity. 

Shutterstock.com    

Just imagine what TikTok could do for Elmwood. With the app’s easy-to-use editing tools, the drama club could film skits and share them with the rest of the school. Student council members could make campaign videos during election season. The possibilities are endless.

Yes, there may be challenges. Some of the content is inappropriate and user comments can get mean and ugly. But according to a poll I conducted of 75 Elmwood students, TikTok feels a lot kinder than other social media. “You don’t have to pretend you’re something you’re not,” eighth-grader Sam Regan said. “You can just be yourself !”

Besides, the app’s community guidelines prohibit any content that could be harmful, dangerous, or lead to bullying. Elmwood could also come up with its own rules for using the app at school, such as requiring that accounts be private or that the comments feature be turned off.

So let’s follow the example of the 1 billion people who have downloaded TikTok and start making use of this powerful learning tool at our school. 

NO

TikTok should stay at home.

By Genevieve Walsh

Illustrations: Tom Garrett; Shutterstock.com    

TikTok is an amazing video-making app. Last year, it was the third-most-downloaded app in the world. And it has a reputation for being less competitive and stressful than other types of social media, such as YouTube and Instagram.

But does any of this mean that TikTok belongs at our school?

No. And here’s why: For all its benefits, TikTok will create many problems for Elmwood students.

First of all, TikTok is addicting—so addicting, in fact, that anti-addiction measures had to be added to the app in China, where TikTok was created, because kids were spending so much time on it. (These measures have not been added to the U.S. version.) If we had TikTok at Elmwood, students could easily spend a whole class period scrolling through their #foryou pages instead of doing their actual work. What’s more, countless studies have shown that excessive time on social media can be harmful, leading to anxiety and depression.

Why would we want to bring that into our school day?

Shutterstock.com    

It’s true that TikTok has a less judgmental vibe than other social media, but bullying still goes on. What happens if a student posts a video that they made in school and gets bullied for it?

Another concern? TikTok says the app is best-suited for teenagers and adults. In a high school, this would not be an issue, but Elmwood has many students younger than 13.

But the biggest concern, in my opinion? The app is currently under investigation by the U.S. government. They are looking into how TikTok collects and stores our personal data. We should wait to see what the investigation reveals before our school starts using it.

Finally, consider this: Do we even want to associate TikTok with school?

Right now, TikTok is a fun, carefree playground where we can unwind and express ourselves. If it’s part of our school day, will it lose its specialness?

In my opinion, the answer is yes.

So let’s leave TikTok at home, where it belongs. 

Scavenger Hunt

Directions: Hunt through each letter for the following elements.

    1. The central idea, or central claim.

    2. Two pieces of supporting evidence.

    3. The counterargument.

    4. Put a double star next to the writer’s rebuttal.

YOU decide: Who makes the stronger argument?

This article was originally published in the February 2020 issue.

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Activities (7)
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Skill-Building Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
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Activities (7) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Reference
Skill-Building Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

Download the Lesson Plan

1. PREPARING TO READ

  • Give students a minute or so to preview the text features—the headline, illustrations or photos, any charts or graphs, etc. Ask them what they think the article is going to be about.
  • Project the list of Vocabulary Definitions for students to refer to as they read. The reinforcement activity may be completed after reading or assigned as homework.

2. READING AND TEXT MARKING

  • Read both texts as a class. 
  • Ask: “No matter what you personally think about this issue, which author do you think makes the better argument?” Take a poll and tally the results on the board. 
  • Project the first text. Complete the Scavenger Hunt, modeling text marking on your whiteboard while students mark their magazines. Or, print the Scavenger Hunt activity sheet and distribute it. 

3. DISCUSSION

Discuss the following as a class.

  • What do the authors agree about? What do they disagree about?
  • Which images support each author’s argument? How?
  • What is each author’s tone? Explain your answer. 

4. DEBATE

  • Divide students into groups according to which author they believe makes the stronger argument. Have the groups stand on opposite sides of the room. Students can then debate: One student offers a reason (support) for his or her opinion; a student from the other group responds. Students should quietly walk to the other side of the room if at any point during the debate they change their minds; be sure to ask any student who does this why he or she did so.
  • At the end of the debate, compare the number of students who support each author with the number who supported each author before the debate

5. WRITING

  • Optionally, have students complete the Essay Kit guided-writing activity to write an argument essay supporting their own point of view on the issue. Students can use the Argument Essay Checklist to evaluate and edit their essays.
  • If they are provided, use the extension resources provided in the “Resource” tab that bring in other articles to deepen the conversation. NOTE: Extra resources are not provided with every debate.  
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