Language and Logic printable kit

The Evidence Auction Challenge

Reusable 30-minute argument game for buying, defending, rejecting, and repairing evidence.

Audience

Grades 7-9, teams of 3-5

Format

Token auction plus argument repair

Demo claim

School uniforms make everyone feel equal.

Goal

Build the strongest repaired argument with the fewest weak cards.

Part 1

How the Game Works

1. Reveal the claim

Teams hear one debatable claim and predict what strong evidence would need to prove.

2. Preview the cards

Teams read all cards before bidding. Some cards are related but still weak.

3. Spend tokens

Each team has 10 tokens. They place tokens only on cards they can defend.

4. Repair the argument

Teams use their best evidence to rewrite the claim with stronger support.

Score

Move	Points
Strong evidence card defended clearly	+2
Partial card explained honestly	+1
Tempting weak card rejected with a reason	+1
Repaired argument uses evidence and reasoning	+2
Irrelevant or emotional card treated as proof	-1

Part 2

Facilitator Guide

Opening script

Today the room becomes an evidence auction. Your team has only 10 tokens. You will see evidence cards for one claim. Some cards are strong, some are only partly useful, and some are attractive traps. Spend carefully. At the end, you must defend one card you bought and reject one card you did not trust.

Time	Activity	Facilitator move
0-3 min	Claim reveal	Read the claim and explain token budget.
3-8 min	Evidence preview	Teams skim cards without bidding yet.
8-16 min	Auction	Teams place tokens and record one reason per bid.
16-22 min	Defend and reject	Each team names one strong card and one trap card.
22-28 min	Repair argument	Teams write a better claim-reason-evidence line.
28-30 min	Debrief	Name the strongest evidence and the most tempting weak card.

Part 3

Auction Tokens

Print one set per team. Teams may spend all 10 tokens, but do not have to.

Part 4

Evidence Cards

Claim: School uniforms make everyone feel equal.

Card A

Uniforms can reduce visible clothing-brand differences during the school day.

Card B

A student survey says some students feel less pressure about outfits on uniform days.

Card C

Uniforms look neat in school photos.

Card D

Some students still compare shoes, backpacks, phones, and hair accessories.

Card E

Uniforms are boring and nobody likes them.

Card F

One student said uniforms made mornings easier because there were fewer choices.

Card G

Many schools around the world use uniforms.

Card H

If a uniform is expensive, it may create a different kind of pressure for families.

Part 5

Team Bid Sheet

Card	Tokens spent	Why this evidence helps or hurts

Repair the argument

Our repaired claim is: ________________________________

The strongest evidence is: ________________________________

One weak or misleading card is: ________________________________

Part 6

Answer Key and Debrief

Evidence	Suggested reading
A, B	Strongest support for the equality claim.
D, H	Useful counter-evidence that complicates the claim.
F	Related, but supports convenience more than equality.
C, G	Related to uniforms, weak as proof of equality.
E	Emotional claim, not evidence.

Debrief line

The best evidence is not always the loudest or most interesting card. It is the card that actually does the job the argument needs.