What’s at stake in a presidential debate?

Debates are one of the most anticipated events in the lead up to a presidential election. Each candidate carefully plans their strategies to persuade the American public that they are the one to vote for in November.

In this learning resource, learners will examine historical examples of presidential debates to analyze the purpose and structures of debates and the differing types of strategies that have been employed, and will assess whether they think presidential debates are effective. You will also customize your own viewing scorecard for watching modern presidential debates. 

Learning is centered on the driving question, What’s at stake in a presidential debate?  The following supporting questions are included to guide your inquiry.

• What is a debate? What is the purpose of a presidential debate?
• What strategies do presidential candidates use to pursue their debate goals?
• Are presidential debates effective?

#VoteHistory

Start by clicking on the first tile in the upper left-hand corner. Then move through the playlist by clicking on the ">" symbol at the bottom of the page. Look for the information and paperclip icons to provide more information about selected resources. As learners progress through the collection, educators and caregivers are encouraged to support student learning by reading the text and participating in the tasks together. There are 54 tiles in this collection.