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Mock Debate 2012

Jinnie Spiegler

Students discuss the most important issues for them in the presidential election and research these issues as homework. Then they stage a mock debate with teams playing the roles of the candidates, the moderators, fact-checkers, reporters and audience.   

Current Issues

 

To the teacher:

The weeks before the November 6, 2012, general election are one long teachable moment. It's a great time to engage students in the issues, the candidates, and the political process, warts and all.

 The presidential and vice presidential debates can help focus discussion on where the contenders stand on issues.  (See below for a calendar and description of the major debates.)  One way to use the debates as a teachable moment is to engage students in a mock debate.
 
In the activity below, students discuss and decide on the most important issues for them in the presidential election, then research these issues as homework. They then stage a mock debate with teams playing the roles of Democrat Barack Obama, Republican Mitt Romney, Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, the moderators, fact-checkers, reporters and audience.   
 

 

Mock Debate, 2012

 

DAY ONE

 
Tell students that today, you'll be exploring issues in the 2012 presidential election campaign, and prepare for a mock debate about these issues tomorrow.
 
Ask students:
 

  • What issues are most important to you in this election? To young people in general?
  • How closely have you been following the presidential campaign?  How do you get your news about the campaign?
  • Do you think there are major differences between the candidates?
  • What are some of the major issues that divide the two major party candidates, President Obama and former governor Mitt Romney?
  • Have you heard about any of the third party candidates (for instance Greens and Libertarians)? If so, what?  
  • Have you seen a presidential debate? If so, did you think it was a good way for voters to find out about the candidates?

 
Work with the class to come up with a list of the issues that are most important to them in this election.  If there isn't a clear consensus on the top three issues, select them from among the issues students have discussed. They'll be researching these issues for the mock debate.  (Issues might include improving the economy, student debt, other education issues, abortion, birth control, immigration, climate change, the war in Afghanistan, the budget deficit, military spending, taxes...)
 
Explain that in the mock debate the following day, some students will take on the roles of  2012 presidential contenders (including not only Obama and Romney, but the Green and Libertarian candidates). In the debate, these students will argue for their candidate's positions on the three issues you've selected. Two students will play the moderators, posing questions that each "candidate" will have a minute to respond to. After each question, each candidate will be given an additional time to respond. After the candidates have responded to all three questions, the moderators will conduct a Q&A between the audience and candidates for fifteen minutes. After the debate, the fact checkers will check the accuracy of the candidates' statements and write up their findings. Reporters will write a story about the debate. And the rest of the class will write about the experience of playing their role.
 
Assign students the following roles:
 

  • Republican candidate Mitt Romney: 3 students will take turns representing Romney's positions on the three issues.
  • Democratic candidate Barack Obama: 3 students will take turns representing Obama's positions on the three issues.
  • Green Party candidate Jill Stein: 3 students will take turns representing Stein's positions on the three issues.
  • Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson: 3 students will take turns representing Johnson's positions on the three issues.
  • Moderators: 2 students will take turns being the moderator for the debate.
  • Reporters: 2 students will serve as news reporters. They will take notes during the whole debate on what candidates say, the tone and tenor of the debate, the audience reaction, etc., and prepare a news story on the debate.
  • Fact Checkers: 4 students will take notes during the debate and conduct research after the debate to find out if what the candidates said was factual, and report on their findings.
  • Audience: The rest of the class will ask questions during the Q&A phase of the debate.  (If you stage more than one mock debate, give these students to play a more active role next time.) 

 

Homework:

 Assign all students to research all the candidates' positions on the three issues.  In addition:

  • Tell the students playing candidates that they should especially familiarize themselves with their own candidate's positions so that they can represent them later in class.
  • Ask the moderators to come up with wording for their questions on the three issues.
  • Instruct audience members to think of the questions they want the candidates to answer related to the three topics the class has selected. 

One good place to begin researching the candidates and their positions is the nonpartisan website www.procon.org.  The New York Times website and New York Times Learning Network also have helpful material. 
 
 

 

DAY TWO

 The following day, have students conduct the debate, using the information they have gleaned in their research.
 
Give the candidate teams and moderators a few minutes to coordinate their roles. (Students playing candidates should each respond to one question if possible; moderators need to divide up responsibility for asking questions and conducting the Q&A.)
 
Introduce your candidates and moderators, and explain that you will be acting as timekeeper for the debate.  Ask moderators to make sure that during the three-minute response period after each question, every candidate has a chance to say something if they want to.
 
Time will be allocated as follows:
 

Debate (12-15 minutes)

Question one:
1 minute for each of the four candidates to respond without interruption.
3 minutes for candidates to respond to what others have said.
 
Question two:
1 minute for each of the four candidates to respond without interruption.
3 minutes for candidates to respond to what others have said.
 
Question three:
1 minute for each of the four candidates to respond without interruption.
3 minutes for candidates to respond to what others have said.

 

Q&A with Audience (15 minutes)

 Allow the candidates no more than 2 minutes per response.
 

Discussion and assignments (10 minutes)

After the debate, ask students:

  • What was it like to play your?  Do you feel that you learned more or less about the issues and the candidates by stepping into the role? 
  • Has your point of view about any issue or candidate changed as a result of doing the mock debate, and if so, how?

 
For either in class or for homework, assign students the following tasks:

  • Reporters: Write several vivid paragraphs in which you describe a high point of the debate, summarize the content of the debate, and describe the debate's tone and audience reaction.
  • Fact Checkers: Research several of the comments made by the candidates (aim to check at least one statement by each).Was the statement accurate? Record your findings.
  • Candidates, moderators, and audience: Write several paragraphs reflecting on your role in the debate. Did anything surprise you about the experience? Will it change the way you view political debates in the future?

 

 

About the debates

 
Wednesday, October 3
First presidential debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney. The debate focused on domestic issues.  (See a video of the debate: http://www.2012presidentialelectionnews.com/2012/10/video-watch-the-first-presidential-debate-from-the-university-of-denver/)
 
Thursday, October 11
First vice-presidential debate, Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Topic: domestic and foreign policy. Format: The debate will be divided into nine time segments of about 10 minutes each. The moderator will ask an opening question, then each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the question.  Moderator: Martha Raddatz, ABC News Chief Foreign Correspondent)
 
Tuesday, October 16
Second presidential debate, Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Topic: domestic and foreign policy. Format: Citizens will ask questions of the candidates on foreign and domestic issues. Candidates each will have two minutes to respond, the moderator will have an additional minute to facilitate a discussion. The town meeting participants will be undecided voters selected by the Gallup Organization. Moderator: Candy Crowley, CNN Chief Political Correspondent
 
Monday, October 22
Third presidential debate, Lynn University, Boca Raton, Florida. Topic: foreign policy. Format: The debate will focus on domestic policy and be divided into six time segments of approximately 15 minutes each on topics to be selected by the moderator and announced several weeks before the debate. The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the topic. Moderator: Bob Schieffer, Host of Face the Nation on CBS
 
Tuesday, October 23
Third party candidates debate, University Club of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.  The debate will be livestreamed on the web: http://freeandequal.org/live. Participants: Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Constitution Party candidate Virgil Goode, and Justice Party candidate Rocky Anderson. Topic: foreign and domestic policy.
 
 
For more information on the debates, see the website of the Commission on Presidential Debates: http://www.debates.org/  and http://freeandequal.org/ (which will sponsor a debate of third-party candidates).