Tea Party Debate

This worksheet supports students in Grades 5 and 6 as they develop opinion writing, argumentative structure, critical analysis, and historical reasoning through a guided debate about the Boston Tea Party. Using clear sentence starters, students form a claim about whether the colonists were right or wrong in their actions, support their position with historical evidence, and consider opposing viewpoints through counterarguments.

Learning Goals

• Opinion & Argument Writing (Grades 5-6) – Students state a clear claim and organize ideas logically.
• Using Evidence to Support Claims – Learners strengthen arguments by referencing historical facts and examples.
• Evaluating Colonial Actions – The activity encourages thoughtful examination of protest, resistance, and consequences.
• Debate & Counterargument Skills – Students practice acknowledging and responding to opposing viewpoints.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with upper-elementary ELA and social studies standards.
• Structured Sentence Starters – Scaffolding supports students in building strong, complete arguments.
• Promotes Civil Discussion – Encourages respectful reasoning and evidence-based debate.
• Flexible Classroom Use – Ideal for debate prep, writing workshops, assessments, or small-group discussion.
• Low-Prep Printable – Ready for classroom or homeschool use with minimal preparation.

This Tea Party Debate worksheet helps students move beyond simple opinions to well-supported arguments grounded in historical understanding. By forming claims, using evidence, and addressing counterarguments, learners strengthen persuasive writing, critical thinking, and comprehension of colonial protest and its role in American history.

This worksheet is part of our The Boston Tea Party Worksheets collection.