Time Required

This lesson is designed to last a minimum of two days, one day for guided practice and one day after the actual debate.  Obviously this lesson could be expanded and used after every political debate if the teacher so wishes.

Materials

Initial Motivation

Obtain a copy of the first debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960.  Physically divide the class in two groups.  This could be difficult logistically, depending on how your classroom is set up, location of your school library, relationship with neighbor teachers, etc.  Show the video to the first group with no sound.  For the second group, turn the TV around so they can listen to the debates, but not see the accompanying picture.  Engage the class in a discussion about their feelings concerning who won the debate and why.  Point out the differences in answers between the students who saw the debate and those who heard the debate.  Finish your discussion by telling the students that after this debate aired, Gallup conducted a public opinion poll and found that over 85% of Americans who saw the debate on TV (still a relatively new medium) felt Kennedy had won the debate and approximately 83% of Americans who heard the debate on radio felt that Nixon had won the debate.  Remind students of the importance of being an active listener and viewer when watching anything on television, but especially a political debate.

Procedures

1.  Start this lesson a day or two before a presidential debate.  If possible, during the primary season, have the students watch two debates--one for the Republican candidates and one for the Democratic candidates.  You may want to have students read the newspaper and bring in articles about the debate and/or the candidates.  In the class sessions before the debate, engage the students in a discussion of the presidential race.  The discussion should focus on three areas:

1. Who are the candidates participating in the debate?  Ask the class to share what they know about each candidate.  Students can comment on the candidate's background and/or stands on the issues.
2. Determine what the major issues are in this presidential race.  Encourage students to formulate opinions on the major issues in the race, such as: abortion, gun control, relations with China, education, and social security.  Using the newspaper and class discussions, have the students create a chart or grid of the top eight campaign issues, listing them in order of importance to them personally.  Then on the other side of the grid, have them list the candidates and research what each candidate has said in the past regarding these issues.  Students should identify the candidate(s) that closely agree with the student's positions and those candidates that remain true to what they have said in the past regarding these issues.
3. Campaign developments.  From newspaper articles, students should determine which candidate(s) is the frontrunner and which is the underdog(s).  The students should keep the candidates' position in the polls in mind while watching the debate.  Frontrunners tend to be more cautious with their responses to questions so they do not turn off any supporters.  Frontrunners that are too cautious however, can seem bland or too weak to be an effective leader.  Underdogs try to be more aggressive during debates in order to position themselves as a viable alternative to the frontrunner.  However, overly aggressive underdogs can seem mean or disrespectful.

2.  Have the students watch the upcoming debate between presidential candidates, take notes during the debate, and write a paper on which candidate in the debate they believe would make the best president and why.  (Teacher's Note:  You can ask the students to watch the debate at home, or, if you have the resources, videotape the debate and show it during class.  Debates usually last one to one and one -half hour, so it may take more than one class session to show the entire debate.  Another option would be to obtain a transcript of the debate and have the students read the debate.  Transcripts are often made available by the network showing the debate or the organization sponsoring the debate.)

3.  Have the students judge the candidates based on the following questions:

1. Based on your overall impression, which candidate would make the best president?
2. Which candidate comes closest to your viewpoint on the issues that are most important to you?
3. Did the candidate seem to relate every response to a certain theme or issue?  Do you agree with his/her message?
4. Which candidate seemed to have the best understanding of the issues?  Which communicated complex ideas the best?
5. Which candidate seemed to be the most honest?  Why?
6. Did the candidate answer the question directly or did he/she give vague answers or stray on to other topics?
7. What candidate distinguished himself/herself from the rest of the group?  In what ways?
8. Was the candidate more articulate or charismatic than you expected?  Did his or her stance on the issues differ from what you expected?

4.  For extra credit, pick a candidate whom you think did not do well, and write a paragraph on how his or her media advisors could "spin" his or her performance for the media.

Assessment

Student evaluations should be based on their strengths in the following areas:

• Explanation of their choice of the candidate they would vote for after watching the debate
• Knowledge of issues involved in campaigning
• Evaluation of candidate's debate performance