Crime and Punishment Debate

This worksheet is designed for students in Grades 10, 11, and 12 to engage deeply with an excerpt from Crime and Punishment through structured debate and close textual analysis. Focusing on Raskolnikov’s theory of extraordinary individuals, students examine moral reasoning, ethical boundaries, psychological consequences, and philosophical argumentation while building and defending a clear position supported by evidence.

Instructional Objectives

• Argumentation & Debate Skills (Grades 10-12) – Develop and defend a clear affirmative or negative position using logical reasoning.
• Textual Evidence for Claims – Support arguments with specific details and quotations from the excerpt.
• Philosophical & Ethical Analysis – Examine ideas related to morality, justice, utilitarian logic, and moral responsibility.
• Theme & Character Analysis – Analyze how Raskolnikov’s beliefs reflect broader themes and internal conflict.

Educational Value

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with upper secondary ELA standards.
• Structured Debate Format – Guides students step by step in forming claims, evidence, and reasoning.
• Close Reading Focus – Encourages careful examination of complex language and philosophical ideas.
• Critical Reflection Questions – Push students to consider psychological impact, moral limits, and ethical consequences.
• Flexible Implementation – Suitable for class debates, small groups, independent analysis, or advanced literature study.

This Crime and Punishment debate worksheet strengthens students’ critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and evidence-based argumentation skills. By grappling with Dostoevsky’s challenging ideas about morality and human justification, learners gain a deeper understanding of philosophical literature and complex character motivation. It’s a rigorous, discussion-driven resource that supports advanced literary analysis in both classroom and homeschool settings.

English Language Arts – Close Reading of Complex Texts

This worksheet is part of our Classic Literature Worksheets collection.