Impeachment Hearings: Interactive Activities for Students

Impeachment Hearings: A Hands-on Activity for Students

On Friday, Nov. 15, Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, is scheduled to testify in a public hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry against Trump. The hearing comes the same week that two other diplomats– George Kent and William Taylor, testified that they believed Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, tried to dig up dirt on former vice president and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. Kent testified that Giuliani also orchestrated a smear campaign against Yovanovitch to force her out. Read the summary, watch the video and answer the discussion questions. You can turn on the “CC” (closed-captions) function and read along with the transcript here. For impeachment hearings, have your students answer the open-ended questions below. They can be applied to any lawmaker, Democrat or Republican. In the second section, respond to questions about the witness.

The impeachment probe has entered a new, public phase and centers on Trump’s dealings with Ukraine—particularly a July phone call in which he asked Ukraine’s president to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden. Check in with PBS NewsHour Extra and watch live testimony here.

If time is short, check out these pieces:

• 6 moments in the first day of hearings
• 6 key moments to watch from Day 2 of the hearings

Impeachment Hearings: Activity

Ask your students to fill out one or both sections as they watch the impeachment hearings.

Committee Representative

• Name of representative:
• Political party:
• Questions asked that intrigued you the most:
• Tone of representative:
• Preparedness:
• Something you learned that you didn't know before:
• Something you heard that you had further questions about:
• Additional thoughts:

Witness

• Name of representative:
• Responses that intrigued you the most:
• Tone of witness:
• Preparedness:
• Something you learned that you didn't know before:
• Something you heard that you ahd further questions about:
• Additonal thoughts:

This activity was originally published by PBS NewsHour Extra and can be found here.