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Lesson Plan

Scopes Trial: 3 Day Lesson

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This Scopes Trial: 3 Day Lesson lesson plan also includes:

Was the Scopes trial more complicated than a simple debate between evolutionists and creationists? As part of a structured academic controversy (SAC) activity, pupils consider multiple perspectives of the Butler Act and engage in close reading of historical primary source documents in order to investigate why Americans supported banning the teaching of evolution in 1925.

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CCSS: Adaptable
Concepts
evolution, historical analysis, historical context, primary source analysis, primary sources, creationism, diverse perspectives, perspectives, the scopes trial, the american civil liberties union, clarence darrow, william jennings bryan
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Additional Tags
social studies
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Instructional Ideas
  • Spend some time providing general background information on the philosophy of creationism, as well as the demographics of Tennessee in the 1920s, prior to beginning this lesson
Classroom Considerations
  • In the left-hand corner of the screen, you'll find options for a similar assignment but with different durations (i.e. 1-day and 5-day) to meet the unique needs of your curriculum 
Pros
  • All primary source excerpts necessary for investigation
  • Includes brief video clip to introduce the historical context and the assignment
  • Well-organized website
Cons
  • None