About This Lesson
Subjects History, U.S. Government, Civics
Estimated Time Three 50-minute class periods
Grade Level 7-12
Objective To analyze campaign issues and to practice formal debate procedures and elements of logic. Extension activities address the history of presidential election debates and the importance of rhetoric and word choice in debates.
Overview The class learns, studies and replicates logical fallacies and techniques of persuasion. Examples are drawn from actual debate statements by John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Mitt Romney. Students then watch the satirical We The Voters film, which presents two Senators discussing global warming and committing constant logical errors, pausing to discuss each logical fallacy.