Article
ILLUSTRATION BY TOM GARRETT; SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (ALL IMAGES)
Debate,

Should You Invite Everyone to Your Birthday Party?

Sofia says no, but her mom disagrees. Whose side makes more sense to you? 

From the May/June 2020 Issue
Lexiles: 500L-600L, 600L-700L
Featured Skill: Supporting an Argument,
Common Core Standards
  • R.1, R.2, R.6, R.8, W.1, W.4, W.10, SL.1, SL.3
TEKS Standards
  • Grades 2-3
    1a, 1c, 1d, 5a, 6b, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 9e, 11a, 11b, 11c, 12b

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Dear Mom,

ILLUSTRATION BY TOM GARRETT; SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (ALL IMAGES)

 I can’t wait for my birthday party next month! To make things easy for you, I already have everything planned out. The food: pizza. The music: Ariana Grande. The activity: ice–skating. The rink can hold only 12 kids, so I’ll invite all the girls in my class except for Chloe, Izzy, and Alisha. 

I know you’re going to say that I have to invite everyone. But I never hang out with those girls at recess or after school. They’ll understand why they’re not invited—just like I understood when Chloe didn’t invite me to her sleepover birthday. They probably wouldn’t even want to go to a party for someone they don’t really know. 

You keep saying that I’m old enough to start making my own decisions. And this is my big day. Shouldn’t I get to choose who I spend it with? 

Plus, having fewer guests will make the party cheaper for you and Dad. And everyone will get a bigger slice of your famous double–chocolate cake! So let’s keep the party “friends only.” Please, Mom! 

Love,

Sofia

I can’t wait for my birthday party next month! I want to make things easy for you. I already have everything planned out. The food: pizza. The music: Ariana Grande. The activity: ice–skating. The rink can hold only 12 kids. I’ll invite all the girls in my class except for Chloe, Izzy, and Alisha.

You’re going to say that I have to invite everyone. But I never hang out with those girls. They’ll understand why they’re not invited—just like I understood when Chloe didn’t invite me to her sleepover birthday. They probably wouldn’t want to go to a party for someone they don’t know well.

You keep saying that I’m old enough to start making my own decisions. And this is my big day. Shouldn’t I get to choose who I spend it with?

Plus, having fewer guests will make the party cheaper for you and Dad. And everyone will get a bigger slice of your famous double–chocolate cake! So let’s keep the party “friends only.” Please, Mom!


Love,

Sofia

Dear Sofia,

ILLUSTRATION BY TOM GARRETT; SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (ALL IMAGES)

I appreciate your help with the party planning! But I don’t think you can invite all the girls in your class except for three.

Even if you’re not friends with Chloe, Izzy, and Alisha, they’re going to feel left out when all the other girls are talking about your party. Chloe’s sleepover was different—she invited only a couple of close friends. If you have your heart set on skating, you can cut down your list to a few girls too.

Otherwise, we should do the party somewhere else, like a make–your–own–pizza place. And while it’s thoughtful of you to consider cost, Dad and I would rather make sure everyone’s included. Maybe you’ll even get to know Chloe, Izzy, and Alisha better at the party!

Don’t worry: I’ll make an extra–big double– chocolate cake this year. But nothing will be sweeter than knowing that you’ve done the right thing.

Love,

Mom

I appreciate your help with the party planning! But I don’t think you can invite all the girls in your class except for three.

Chloe, Izzy, and Alisha are going to feel left out when all the other girls are talking about your party. Chloe’s sleepover was different. She invited only a couple of close friends. If you have your heart set on skating, you can cut down your list to a few girls too.

Otherwise, we should do the party somewhere else. We could try a make–your–own–pizza place. It’s thoughtful of you to consider cost. But Dad and I would rather make sure everyone’s included. Maybe you’ll even get to know Chloe, Izzy, and Alisha better at the party!

Don’t worry: I’ll make an extra–big double–chocolate cake this year. But nothing will be sweeter than knowing that you’ve done the right thing.


Love,

Mom

  • Think and Write: Should everyone in the class be invited to parties? Go back to the letters and find reasons to support each side of the argument. Write down the info, then study the points on both sides. State your opinion in one sentence, which can be the introduction to an opinion paragraph.  


  • Plan a virtual birthday party for a friend who can’t celebrate his or her birthday with friends in person. What else could you do to make the day special? 
  • Think and Write: Should everyone in the class be invited to parties? Go back to the letters and find reasons to support each side of the argument. Write down the info, then study the points on both sides. State your opinion in one sentence, which can be the introduction to an opinion paragraph.  


  • Plan a virtual birthday party for a friend who can’t celebrate his or her birthday with friends in person. What else could you do to make the day special? 
  • Think and Write: Should everyone in the class be invited to parties? Go back to the letters and find reasons to support each side of the argument. Write down the info, then study the points on both sides. State your opinion in one sentence, which can be the introduction to an opinion paragraph.  


  • Plan a virtual birthday party for a friend who can’t celebrate his or her birthday with friends in person. What else could you do to make the day special? 
  • Think and Write: Should everyone in the class be invited to parties? Go back to the letters and find reasons to support each side of the argument. Write down the info, then study the points on both sides. State your opinion in one sentence, which can be the introduction to an opinion paragraph.  


  • Plan a virtual birthday party for a friend who can’t celebrate his or her birthday with friends in person. What else could you do to make the day special? 
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Answer Key (1)
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Can't Miss Teaching Extras
Teach This

Figuring out which friends to invite to a birthday can be tricky, but it’s important for students to learn how to be inclusive. These classroom activities from Teaching Tolerance will help your students understand what cliques are and how to avoid making others feel left out.

Discuss This

How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed your students’ perspectives? Ask your students if being unable to attend school with their classmates because of the pandemic has had an effect on how they would answer the debate question. Are they more or less likely to agree with Sofia now than they would have been at the beginning of the school year?

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

1. PREPARING TO READ

Have students preview the text features. Ask:

    What is the topic of the debate? (Prompt students to use the debate title and the     heading on the chart as clues.) 

    What are the two opinions people might have about this topic?

2. READING THE DEBATE

Depending on the reading level of your students, read the debate as a class or break the class into groups.

Have students read the debate a second time. Prompt them to highlight evidence supporting each side as they come across it. Using two different colors of highlighters would be useful here.

3. DISCUSSING

As a class or in groups, have students discuss:

Which opinion has the best evidence to support it?

Is one side stronger than the other? Why?

What is your opinion? What evidence helped you form your opinion?

For more advanced readers: Do you think the author has an opinion on this issue? What is your evidence?

4. WRITING

Have students complete the chart in the magazine or our full-page printable chart.

Guide students to write an essay on the debate topic, using the chart they filled out.

5. CHECK COMPREHENSION

Have students complete our comprehension quiz.

Text-to-Speech