Students hold a mock trial of a historical figure or event, with one group prosecuting, one defending, and the class as jury.
Tap a step to mark it as done.
Teach: prosecution, defence, verdict, evidence, judgement, legacy, argue. Sentence frames: 'The evidence shows...' and 'We argue that... because...'
Provide some evidence points for each side rather than requiring students to generate all their own arguments.
Are students using historical evidence to support their arguments or relying on opinion alone? Does the jury verdict include reference to specific evidence?
No materials needed. The debate structure itself is the resource. Works in any space with enough room for groups to confer separately.
Students think historical judgement means finding a definitive right answer. Teach that historians reach reasoned judgements that others can challenge — the quality of reasoning matters most.
Mock trials develop argumentation, evidence use, and historical judgement simultaneously. They are highly engaging and produce some of the deepest historical thinking students do.
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