The format
Groups are assigned an energy source — nuclear, hydro, wind, solar, or natural gas — and argue for it as Ontario’s primary source for the next thirty years.
You do not choose your source. Arguing well for a position you did not pick is the point.
Prepare four things
- Your best case. Three strongest arguments, each backed by a number.
- Your honest weaknesses. Two, named before anyone else names them.
- Your rebuttals. The strongest objection from each other group, and your answer.
- Your sources. Listed, with dates.
What makes a case strong
The debate itself is not marked. Nobody’s mark turns on winning an argument, and no classmate’s judgement of your case goes anywhere near it — see How Marks Work. What the day is for is the thinking underneath, which is the same thinking your Design Challenge log asks for.
| Weak | Strong | |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence | ”It’s clean" | "Life-cycle emissions of about 12 g CO₂e/kWh, from [source]“ |
| Weakness | Denied or ignored | Named, quantified, and addressed |
| Rebuttal | Attacks the group | Engages the strongest version of their claim |
Steelman, do not strawman
Argue against the best version of the other side’s case, not the weakest. If you find yourself thinking “they’d never think of that”, assume they would.
Afterwards
Write a paragraph: having heard everyone, what would you actually choose, and what changed your mind? You may absolutely disagree with the side you argued.
Then go one step further, on one page:
- Name one change to how electricity is produced or used that you would actually push for — in this school, this town, or the province.
- Say who would have to act, by name where you can: a principal, a board, a municipal council, a ministry.
- Cost it, roughly. What would it take, and what would it save? A rough number you can source beats a confident number you cannot.
- Say how you would know it worked. One measurement, taken before and after.
That page is a plan of action, and it is the difference between having an opinion about energy and being able to do something about it.
Background: Where Our Electricity Comes From
Curriculum connection
D1.1
assess social, environmental, and economic benefits and challenges resulting from the production of electrical energy from various sources
Link to original
D1.2
evaluate how electrical energy production and consumption impact various communities locally or globally, and describe ways to achieve sustainable practices
Link to original
D1.4
analyse social, environmental, and economic impacts of emerging technologies related to electrical energy production, consumption, storage, and conservation
Link to original
A2.4
apply scientific literacy skills when investigating social and environmental issues that have personal, local, and/or global impacts
Link to original
D1.3
develop a plan of action to address a local or global electrical energy production or consumption issue, including strategies for energy conservation
Link to original