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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whose "Truth" Is Out There?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read article It's a Fact: Faith and Theory Collide Over Evolution, and examine different ways people arrive at what 'the truth' is, focusing on the evolution vs creationism debate that has been a hot topic throughout the 20th...
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Activity
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Teacher Serve: 20th Century: Religion in American History: The Scopes Trial

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Humanities Center offers an overview of the events surrounding the Scopes trial. The authors encourage an understanding of the sources of the conflict and its long-range effects.
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Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: America in Class: America in the 1920s: Religion & Science

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Humanities Center presents collections of primary resources compatible with the Common Core State Standards - historical documents, literary texts, and works of art - thematically organized with notes and discussion...
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Website
Ohio State University

Ehistory: Clash of Cultures in the 1910s and 1920s: The Scopes Trial

For Students 9th - 10th
Find the index to a larger site about the Scopes trial which has photographs pertinent to the trial, cartoons and diagrams, and essays and excerpts from magazines about the trial. Great primary source material.
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Website
Other

Earliest Voices: William Jennings Bryan

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource features historic voice recordings of William Jennings Bryan. There are recordings of many famous orations by him on various political topics, the most famous being his "Cross of Gold" speech. A biography and downloadable...
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Unit Plan
Other

Historical Thinking Matters: The Scopes Trial

For Students 9th - 10th
This award-winning site has everything you need for online lessons or independent study about the Scopes Trial. Uses an inquiry based approach with lots of primary sources, and the material can be used in conjunction with almost any...
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Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Constitutional Rights Foundation: The Scopes Trial: Who Decides What Gets Taught in the Classroom?

For Students 9th - 10th
Acitivity in which students examine the controversy surrounding John Scopes resulting in the 1920s Scopes Monkey Trial. Using guidelines provided, students write an essay on a topic of their choice explaining how it relates to change and...
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Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Sheg: Document Based History: Reading Like a Historian: Scopes Trial

For Teachers 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] In 1925, Tennessee lawmakers passed the Butler Act, explaining that teachers were not to discount Creationism in the classroom. Through documents and discussion provided with this lesson, explore how...
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Website
Digital History

Digital History: Scopes Trial

For Students 9th - 10th
A fascinating look at the Scopes Trial in Tennessee where a science teacher was accused of violating a state law which prohibited the teacing of evolution. Perhaps the most interesting part of this article is the discussion of the...
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Activity
University of Missouri

Famous Trials: Tennessee vs. John Scopes, the "Monkey Trial"

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the University of Missouri-Kansas City provides excellent coverage of this famous trial includes trial transcripts, pictures, biographies, evolution controversy, and two short video clips of the actual trial.
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Website
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Monkey Trial

For Students 9th - 10th
A companion site to the PBS documentary on the John T. Scopes trial, recounting the battle between creationism and evolution.
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Article
Scientific American

Scientific American: 50 Years Ago: A Witness at the Scopes Trial

For Students 9th - 10th
A lengthy article from Scientific American recounting the expert testimony of Fay-Cole Cooper, a professor at the University of Chicago, who supported the idea of evolution in the Scopes Monkey Trial.
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Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Outlines: Clash of Cultures

For Students 9th - 10th
Although brief, this discussion of the clash of cultures in the 1920s covers all the reasons for cultural discordance.
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Article
A&E Television

History.com: What Was the Scopes Trial Really About?

For Students 9th - 10th
The Scopes Trial, also known as the Scopes Monkey Trial, was the 1925 prosecution of science teacher John Scopes for teaching evolution in a Tennessee public school, which a recent bill had made illegal. The trial featured two of the...
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Article
University of Houston

University of Houston: Engines of Our Ingenuity: No. 824: Scopes Trial

For Students 9th - 10th
In this transcript of a radio broadcast, we learn about the Scopes Trial of 1925, which pitted creationists against evolutionists.
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Activity
Other

Rhea County: Scopes Evolution Trial Information

For Students 9th - 10th
An article about the Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tennessee. It briefly recounts the substance of the trial and the participants. Find out what happened to William Jennings Bryan, Clarence Darrow, and John Scopes.