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Debate kit Grade 6 Social Studies & Civics

Should Fendalton Put a Meter on Every Home?

A grade 6 debate kit on whether a fictional town should switch from a flat water fee to metered billing, with two-sided evidence on fairness, cost, and conservation.

Objectives

  1. Students will build an argument for or against water metering using evidence from both sides of the file.
  2. Students will deliver a rebuttal that answers a specific point made by the other team.

Vocabulary

Water meter
A device that measures how much water a home or business uses so the utility can bill fairly. Reading the meter can also reveal hidden leaks.

Also: flat fee, metered bill, conservation, budget

Teacher overview

This is a two-team debate for a 60-minute block, with prep in a second session if needed. Teams argue for or against putting a water meter on every home in a fictional town. The question is genuinely open. Metering can be fairer and can save water, yet it also costs money to set up and can raise bills for large families. Both sides have real points, so a thoughtful class can land on either.

Should Fendalton Put a Meter on Every Home? — Grade 6 Social Studies & Civics
Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Resolution & Background

Resolution: The town of Fendalton should put a water meter on every home and charge each household for the water it actually uses, instead of charging one flat fee for all.

Background: Right now, every home in the fictional town of Fendalton pays the same flat fee each month. It does not matter whether a home uses a little water or a lot. A water meter measures how much water a single home uses. With meters, the town could bill each home for its own use.

Homes are not all the same. The average household in the country uses about 300 gallons a day, and about 70 percent of that is used indoors. But a large family uses far more than a single person. A home with a big garden uses more in summer. A flat fee treats all these homes alike. A metered bill would not.

Meters also cost money. The town would have to buy a meter for every home and pay workers to install them. After that, the town would read the meters and send bills based on use.

Roles: Form two teams. One team argues for meters. One team argues for the flat fee. Pick one speaker to open, two to give evidence, and one to give the rebuttal. A small group of students can act as the town council and vote at the end.

Evidence File

Case for putting meters on every home:

  1. A flat fee is not fair to light users. A single person pays the same as a home that uses far more water. Meters make each home pay for what it uses. (Source: common utility rate-design principles.)
  2. When people pay by use, they tend to use less and to fix leaks sooner. This helps the town save water in a dry year. (Source: EPA WaterSense conservation guidance.)
  3. Homes vary a lot. The average home uses about 300 gallons a day, but many use much more or much less. Meters can measure that difference, while a flat fee hides it. (Source: EPA WaterSense.)
  4. Meters give the town better information. The town can see where a lot of water is used and plan repairs. (Illustrative point created for this debate.)

Case for keeping the flat fee:

  1. Buying and installing a meter for every home costs the town a large amount up front. That money could go to fixing old pipes instead. (Illustrative point created for this debate.)
  2. A flat fee is the same every month. Families can plan their budget around it. A metered bill can jump in the summer. (General reasoning.)
  3. A large family needs more water for basic needs, like cooking and washing. A use-based bill could hit that family harder, even when no one is wasteful. (General reasoning.)
  4. A fictional residents' group, the Maple Row Neighbors, argues that some people do not want the town tracking exactly how much water each home uses. (Illustrative testimony created for this debate.)

From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.

Rubric
Criterion Emerging Developing Proficient Advanced
Evidence use Repeats a claim with no evidence from the file Uses one piece of evidence but does not explain it Uses at least two pieces of evidence and explains how each supports the team Uses several pieces of evidence, explains each, and connects them to the other side's likely points
Rebuttal quality Does not answer the other team Mentions the other team's point but gives no answer Answers one specific point using evidence from the file Answers more than one point and explains why the team's evidence is stronger
Organization and delivery Hard to follow, with no clear order Has an order, but the parts are unclear Follows a clear claim, evidence, and conclusion order Clear, well-ordered, and delivered with confidence and eye contact

Differentiation

Support

Give these students one evidence card for their side with the single strongest point highlighted. Provide a rebuttal sentence frame: "The other team says ___, but our evidence shows ___." Let them read the rebuttal from their notes.

Extension

Ask students to design a middle-ground plan for Fendalton, such as a small flat fee plus a metered charge only for heavy use, and to defend it against one point from each side of the file.

ELL supports

Pre-teach "meter," "flat fee," "metered bill," and "budget" with pictures of a meter dial and two sample bills. Provide sentence frames for opening claims: "Fendalton should ___ because ___." Allow students to give their part from written notes.