Spanish IV Students Develop, Participate in Mock Presidential Debate
In October, our College-in-High School Spanish IV students represented Trump and Biden in a mock presidential debate as part of a unit on presidential elections. In preparation for the debate, the students conducted research to prepare their arguments using the candidates’ Spanish websites and other Spanish sources. They also watched parts of the recent Trump/Biden debates in Spanish as well as the 2019 Argentine presidential debates.
Each class wrote the questions that teacher Senora Proano used to moderate the mock debate and identified the topics, including the environment, the economy, COVID-19, racial and social justice, youth, international relations and education. Students selected which candidate they would represent during the debate and were encouraged to consider representing a candidate with whom they did not share their views. During the debate, students took notes on the points made and voted for the candidate who won each debate topic.
Some students participated live in class while other students participated by Zoom and were heard on the class speaker located on the middle desk in the picture. The students did an excellent job in conducting research, preparing their points and communicating them in a comprehensible and compelling manner in Spanish. They ended the unit by writing a letter in Spanish to their preferred presidential candidate and by comparing and contrasting the U.S. and Argentine presidential elections.
A few of the students in class are looking forward to voting for the first time in this presidential election!
~ Contributed by Mrs. Laura Proano
Thank you!