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Agricultural Revolution Debate:

A Positive or Negative Event?

Work with your debate team to research and prepare a debate position on whether the Neolithic, or Agricultural, Revolution was a positive or negative event for humankind.

As you conduct your research, consider how the Neolithic Revolution affected:

  • People’s standard of living
  • Roles of men and women; family dynamics
  • The environment
  • Comfort and safety
  • Health

You will need to collect enough research to adequately defend YOUR position, and pose counterarguments to your opponent in the debate. Be sure to think about what arguments the other side will try to make!

How the debate will be formatted:

Opening Statements—Introduce your team’s position, with a general overview of your main ideas. Do not present all of your supporting facts yet!

The order in which you will speak:

  • Agricultural Revolution – Positive
  • Agricultural Revolution – Negative

Presentation of Evidence—Make your case! Persuasively present your facts/research to prove your position. (Take notes while your opponent presents, so that you can respond to their arguments in the rebuttal.)

  • Agricultural Revolution – Negative
  • Agricultural Revolution – Positive

Rebuttals—Respond to the arguments your opponent made. Why do you disagree with their position? Why is their thinking/research inadequate or invalid?

  • Agricultural Revolution – Positive
  • Agricultural Revolution – Negative

Closing Statements—Sum up your strongest arguments, make final points and comments, and restate your team’s position.

  • Agricultural Revolution – Negative
  • Agricultural Revolution – Positive

Recommended Resources

Your textbook (World History: The Human Journey)

History Alive! textbook

Neolithic Agricultural Revolution: Causes and Implications

Video segment about agriculture and urban revolutions

A collection of links about the Neolithic Revolution

The Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies (10,000 BCE - 600 BCE)

This page discusses the Neolithic Revolution and the resulting changes from hunter-gatherer to agrarian societies that profoundly altered patterns ofhuman civilization.

Exceeds Standards / Meets Standards / Below Standards / Points Possible
Quality of Research and Resources / Research was accurate, covered a variety of topics, and was specific and detailed. Complete list of high-quality resources submitted. / Research was accurate and covered several topics. Complete list of resources submitted, though some are of questionable quality. / Research was inaccurate or lacked adequate detail. List of resources incomplete or mostly of low-quality. / 5
Presentation of Debate Position and
Response to Opponent (Rebuttal) / Position stated clearly and persuasively and supported with a variety of specific, relevant facts and details.
Rebuttals were specific to opposing arguments, expressed with clarity, and showed evidence of good listening skills. / Position stated clearly and supported with several important facts and details.
Rebuttal statements effectively addressed the statements of the opposing team. / Position unclear or not supported with very strong evidence or facts.
Rebuttal does not effectively respond to the opposing team’s arguments. / 5
Debate Performance / The speakers addressed the opposing team and the audience, made appropriate eye contact, and spoke with appropriate volume and inflection. / The speakers addressed the opposing team, made appropriate eye contact, and spoke with appropriate volume. / Speakers lacked eye contact and/or were difficult to understand. / 5
TOTAL / ____ / 15