Key Moments From the Walz-Vance Debate
Ask students: Who are the two vice presidential candidates? What do you know about their backgrounds? What were some of the issues highlighted in these clips?
With just more than a month to go before Election Day, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance and Democrat vice presidential nominee Tim Walz met for their first and only debate on Oct. 1, hosted by CBS in New York. In the 90 minute debate, the two addressed issues ranging from climate change to gun violence, abortion and immigration.
Read the article 9 takeaways from the Vance-Walz VP debate to learn more.
Discussion Questions
- Who are the two vice presidential candidates? What do you know about their backgrounds?
- What were some of the issues highlighted in these clips?
- Why do you think certain issues were brought up by the candidates or the moderators in the debate?
- When is the 2024 presidential election?
- How did the candidates explain differences in their platforms on major topics such as the economy?
Focus Questions
- Who do you think did a stronger job in the debate based on the clips you watched? Explain. Why might it be important to watch the full debate instead of just highlight clips?
- How important do you think vice presidential debates are in voters' minds?
- Media literacy: Why is it important to make up your own mind as to how the candidates performed rather than listen to political pundits and commentators afterward?
Extension Activity
You may want to check out one of the key moments in the debate, including:
2024 Election Lesson Plans and Resources
Explore our election resources to engage your students in learning about the election process and its significance at every level. Discover lessons on election fundamentals, laws, security, current events, youth involvement, and historic U.S. elections.
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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