Question

This is a prompt for a high school social studies class.

There are not many laws regulating social media in the US today. In fact, social media companies cannot be held legally responsible for content posted by their users. Draft a speech to answer these questions for the class: Do you think there should be more laws to control social media? Why or why not?

Which method is best for organizing ideas for this prompt?

a time line showing important events
a list of companies that produce social media
a Venn diagram that includes comparisons and contrasts
an outline that includes claims, reasons, and evidence

Answer 1

Best choice: an outline that includes claims, reasons, and evidence.

Why: This prompt asks you to take a position and support it with reasons and facts — exactly what an outline with claims, reasons, and evidence helps you organize. A good outline makes your speech logical, easy to follow, and persuasive. Other methods (timeline, company list, Venn diagram) don’t help you build and support an argument as effectively.

Suggested short outline you can use for the speech
- Introduction
- Hook (short story, striking fact, or question)
- Brief background (current legal situation; e.g., Section 230 shields platforms)
- Thesis (your position: should or should not be more laws)
- Body — Reason 1
- Claim (e.g., more laws are needed to reduce harms like misinformation and harassment)
- Evidence (statistics, news examples, studies)
- Explanation (how the evidence supports the claim)
- Body — Reason 2
- Claim (e.g., laws could protect privacy and limit data misuse)
- Evidence (examples such as Cambridge Analytica, privacy studies)
- Explanation
- Body — Reason 3 (optional)
- Claim (e.g., laws could increase transparency and platform accountability)
- Evidence and explanation
- Counterargument and rebuttal
- Present main opposing view (e.g., free speech and innovation concerns)
- Respond with a reasoned rebuttal (e.g., targeted regulations, due process safeguards)
- Conclusion
- Restate thesis
- Summarize main reasons
- Closing thought or call to action

Tips:
- Use one or two strong pieces of evidence per reason.
- Keep each section short and practice transitions so the speech flows.
- Cite sources for any statistics or studies you mention.

If you want, I can draft a full short speech using this outline for either side of the question. Which position would you like to take?