With this format, you are asking the students to put something on trial – a theory, an idea, an actor, a country etc.

1. Split the class into two groups
2. One group are the prosecutors and the other group are the defendants
3. One group has to build a case to defend the theory/idea/actor against a certain claim
4. The other group has to build a case to prosecute it against the claim eg. for not being relevant to explain a certain issue, event, process; for not fulfilling its role; for being responsible for something
5. A couple of students or the teacher should be assigned as the judge.
6. The prosecutors begin followed by the defendants. Both teams also get a chance to respond to ideas from the other side.