Hit the Gavel: Mock Trial and Debate

What Will You Do?

• Examine hypothetical legal cases and discuss the ethical questions they raise

• Take on courtroom roles, including attorney, witness, judge, and juror

• Prepare opening statements and witness testimony for a mock trial

• Practice examinations, cross-examinations, objections, and closing arguments

• Build prosecution and defense arguments using evidence from Holes

• Present a final mock trial and consider the jury’s and judge’s decisions

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Explain how different courtroom roles contribute to a trial

• Construct an argument using relevant facts and legal reasoning

• Ask and respond to questions while presenting a case clearly

You’ll leave with your prepared case materials and mock trial experience, with new ways to explore debate, storytelling, and questions of fairness.

Why Legal Reasoning Skills Matter

Preparing a case requires students to choose evidence that supports a claim and notice facts that could challenge it. Arguing both sides makes the task more demanding: a persuasive explanation has to account for another person’s reasoning, not simply repeat a position more loudly.

Courtroom exercises also connect speaking with listening. A useful follow-up question depends on the answer a witness actually gave. Students practice organizing their thoughts, asking precise questions, and adjusting an argument when new information appears. These habits can help with classroom discussions, written assignments, collaborative decisions, and disagreements where fairness matters.

Who Should Attend?

For students who have completed 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade.

This course is a good fit if you’re curious about law, enjoy discussing different viewpoints, or want to see how a story becomes a legal case. You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room. Careful reading, research, preparation, and active listening all matter. Students should be willing to try different roles, speak with classmates, and revise an argument. Bring a laptop or tablet compatible with the course software, its charger, and headphones.

Institute for the Gifted eligibility requirements apply; see the program FAQ. A completed program application is required.

Based on students surveyed in Summer Discovery’s 2026 Cornell program.

Cornell’s Ithaca setting gives elementary and middle school students an adventurous first experience of campus life, surrounded by Finger Lakes gorges, waterfalls, and a landscape shaped by research, agriculture, and invention. The setting makes learning feel different from an ordinary school day and gives students plenty to notice and explore.

The program combines active academics with friendships, campus activities, clear routines, and support as students become more comfortable in a new environment. Students can try challenging ideas, share interests with peers, and enjoy the fun of living and learning on a university campus. For families, Cornell offers a structured middle-school experience that balances learning and discovery with community, support, and growing independence.

A courtroom brings together people with different responsibilities. Attorneys organize a case, witnesses describe what they know, and judges and jurors weigh the arguments within the rules of a trial. Each role requires attention to the difference between a fact, an interpretation, and a persuasive claim.

Related skills appear outside courtrooms too. A debate team has to anticipate an opposing argument. A student council must listen to several perspectives before making a decision. Investigating a fictional case gives students a structured way to try those responsibilities and discover which parts of research, questioning, or public speaking interest them.