Lesson 17: A Raisin in the Sun, Debate, Part 1

Place students with a partner who can help them quickly revisit the conflict from Lesson 16.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: In the previous lesson, we discussed the complexity of the conflict between Mama and Walter. Today, we are taking that thinking into a structured debate about whether Mama had the right to buy the house in Clybourne Park without consulting Walter.

Ask: Based on what we know so far, why is Mama’s decision about the house bigger than just a family disagreement?

• Mama’s decision is bigger than a normal family disagreement because the house means space, dignity, and a chance to leave the crowded apartment. It also matters because Clybourne Park is a white neighborhood, so the move is shaped by segregation and danger, not just personal preference. Walter feels left out, but Mama is also trying to protect the family’s future.

Turn to your partner. Partner A, share one reason this conflict is about both family and systems of oppression. Then switch.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Students will now learn the exact debate structure they will use so their ideas stay organized and evidence-based.

Introduce the debate protocol before students return to the play so they know what to listen to and prepare for.

Structured Debate

Display page 91 and direct students to read the line: “She went out and she bought you a house!” from the scene where Mama reveals her choice.

Share with students that in this lesson, they will debate whether or not Mama had the right to buy the house without talking to Walter first. Explain that a debate is not just saying an opinion loudly. It is a structured way to present a claim, support it with evidence, answer the other side, and provide a clear closing.

Say these Directions: In this debate, each turn has four parts: claim, evidence, rebuttal, and closing.

1. A claim is the position you are arguing.

2. Evidence is the text detail that supports your position.

3. A rebuttal answers the other side’s actual point.

4. A closing gives your strongest takeaway in one sentence.

• Say: If I am modeling a debate on an unrelated topic, I might say, “My claim is that students should have a longer lunch because more time would help them reset and focus.” My evidence is that students often rush through eating and arrive back in class distracted. If the other side says a longer lunch would reduce learning time, my rebuttal is that focused learning matters more than a few rushed minutes. My closing is: “a better lunch schedule would support learning, not hurt it.”

Explain the discussion norms and sentence stems for today’s debate.

Discussion Norms for Today’s Debate

• Listen all the way through before responding.

• Rebut the idea, not the person.

• Use a connector or transition when you introduce evidence.

• Keep your language formal, respectful, and evidence-based even when you disagree.

Sentence Stems for the Protocol

• My claim is that Mama did / did not have the right to decide because . . .

• In the scene where . . . , the text shows . . .

• I hear your point; however . . .

• Although you argue . . . , this detail suggests . . .

• My closing point is . . .

• Ask: How is a rebuttal different from just repeating your claim?

  • A rebuttal answers what the other side said. If I only repeat my claim, I am not showing that I listened or responded to the other person’s evidence.

Turn to your partner and explain the difference between a claim and a rebuttal. Partner A begins. Then switch.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Students are ready to use the same debate structure with Hansberry’s scenes about Mama’s purchase and the Clybourne Park move.

Part A: Build Your Side (SL.7.4) (12 minutes)

Assign half the class to argue for the statement and half to argue against it. Place students in pairs with a partner who is arguing the same side as them.

Structured Debate

Say these Directions: Your debate topic is:

• Mama had the right to buy the house in Clybourne Park without consulting Walter.

You and your same-side partner will prepare one clear claim, at least two text-based pieces of evidence from pp. 66–75 and pp. 88–95, one rebuttal, and one closing sentence. Use direct quotes from the text, not just page numbers, so your listener knows exactly where your evidence comes from.

Make a 4-column Debate Evidence Chart in your notes with the column headings “Position,” My claim is,” “My evidence shows” and “To rebut the other side, I could argue.” Use this chart to organize your claim, evidence, and potential rebuttals.

• Say: If I am preparing the “Mama had the right” side, I start with the family’s need and Mama’s responsibility. In the scene where she reveals the purchase, Mama explains that she wanted the family to have a house, which shows she is acting for the whole family’s future. Then I add the moment when Ruth reacts with joy because that detail shows how urgent the housing need is. For my rebuttal, I prepare for Walter’s side by explaining that being left out mattered, but Mama had already seen that his liquor-store plan was risky.

  • For the statement: My claim is that Mama had the right to buy the house because she was using the money to meet the family’s most urgent need. In the scene where she announces the house, Ruth’s excited reaction shows that the apartment conditions had become unbearable. To rebut the other side, I’d argue that Walter deserved respect, but Mama also had a duty to protect the family from a risky business plan.

  • Against the statement: My claim is that Mama should have consulted Walter first because the decision affected the whole family, especially his sense of responsibility. In the scene after she reveals the purchase, Walter reacts with shock and anger, which shows he feels pushed aside from a major family decision. To rebut the other side, I’d argue that even if the house was a good choice, making it without consulting him deepened the conflict.

Display the following completed model if needed for support and guidance:

Part B: Timed Partner Debates (SL.7.1.c, SL.7.6) (18 minutes)

Combine one pair from each side into a group of four. Round 1: Speaker A from each side debates. Round 2: Speaker B from each side debates. Keep turns short and timed so every student speaks.

Structured Debate

Say these Directions: In your debate group, each speaker will have four short turns: 30 seconds for the claim, 30 seconds for evidence, 30 seconds for rebuttal, and 15 seconds for the closing. Listen closely during your opponent’s turn because your rebuttal has to answer what they actually said. Between rounds, partners may whisper one coaching note to each other.

• Say: In a formal academic debate, the way we speak affects how credible and convincing we sound. Use complete sentences, precise evidence-based language, and respectful disagreement.

• Say: During the debate try to:

  • introduce evidence with attribution, such as “According to A Raisin in the Sun...”

  • use specific vocabulary from the play, such as Mama, Walter, and Clybourne Park

  • avoid slang, fillers, and overly casual language, and avoid contractions when appropriate.

• Say: Formal debate language means adapting your speech to match the audience, purpose, and task.

• Say: Strong debaters do not plan only their own voice; they also listen to the other side’s exact reasoning. If I hear “Walter should have been consulted because this affected his future,” I should address that point directly rather than jumping back to my opening line. A good rebuttal sounds connected, not separate. That is what makes a debate feel like a real exchange of ideas.

• Ask: After Round 1, what was the main point from the other side that you needed to answer in your rebuttal?

  • The main point I needed to answer was that Walter felt shut out of a family decision that affected his future. I had to respond to that by explaining why Mama still believed the house was the safer and more responsible choice.

• Say: Begin Round 1 now. Speaker A from each side starts with the claim. When I signal, move to evidence, then rebuttal, then closing.

• Say: Now switch to Speaker B and repeat the same structure. Use any coaching notes you got from your partner to make your rebuttal sharper.

Have students reflect on which part of argumentation was most challenging and why, using a specific example.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Today, you practiced the same moves strong argument writers use: claim, evidence, rebuttal, and closing. In your performance task, you will need to make a claim about a system, support it with evidence, and address a counterclaim. This debate helped you prepare for that writing. Write a quick response to the questions below.

• Ask: Which part of the debate was hardest for you, and why?

  • The rebuttal was hardest for me because I had to listen carefully and answer the other side instead of just repeating my own position. When the other side argued that Walter deserved a voice in the decision because the money affected him too, I knew my claim, but it took me longer to explain why Mama still acted out of responsibility for the whole family.

• Ask: Which sentence stem or debate move helped you most today?

  • The stem “Although you argue . . . , this detail suggests . . .” helped me most because it forced me to respond to the other side before giving my own reasoning.

Instruct students to reread the scene in which Mama reveals the house and the family learns it is in Clybourne Park.

In your Journal, record one line that supports Mama’s decision and one line that supports Walter’s frustration. Be ready to explain which line seems stronger and why in Lesson 18.