access to student material to be used during the course including:
- DPI publications and posters. See Brochures, booklets and posters.
- the Internet (see Links)
English in Years 1–10 Queensland syllabus materials A Guide to Genres in English–Department of Education, Qld, pp. 27(30)
Debate Adjudication Sheet ( Teacher resource c.7 - The great pest fish debate: adjudication sheet )

Listed below are examples of possible topics.

Tilapia should be seen as a resource not a pest.
We should concentrate on long-term, high-tech eradication options instead of short-term sustained control techniques.
We should spend money on eradicating pest fish from areas where they are already present, not concentrate on stopping them getting to new areas.
The penalties in place for possessing noxious fish are reasonable.
Goldfish should be declared a noxious species.
People should not be allowed to keep non-native fish in their aquariums.

Teaching strategies

(U: examining and evaluating, C: arguing a position, responding and debating, clarifying ideas and concepts)

One option is to use a ‘directed discussion’ that will engage more students in preparation and delivery of arguments than a formal debate.

Procedure for directed discussion:

Divide the class into two groups Group A takes Position 1 and Group B takes Position 2.
Both groups are given thirty minutes to prepare arguments and need to select five speakers to present the group point of view.
Arguments are presented as follows: Group A Speaker 1, Group B Speaker 1, Group A Speaker 2, Group B Speaker 2 and so on, until five speakers have delivered their arguments.
Speakers from Groups A and B are invited to add more arguments and/or refute the other group’s arguments. These speakers should not be any of the previous five speakers of both groups. Points may be scored, as for a debate.

The debate may take the form of a formal debate follow normal procedures as stated in Queensland syllabus (A Guide to Genres in English).

The great pest fish debate