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Inherit the Wind
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FK Lane High School,
Brooklyn, NY
P. Maslow

Lesson 1- How was the teaching of evolution banned in 1925?  How was the law challenged?
A. In Tennessee, in  March 1925, state legislators passed a law banning the teaching of evolution.  After reading the 1925 Tennessee Law, answer the following questions:
       1. What types of schools were prohibited from teaching the subject matter in question?

       2. How did the state of Tennessee "define" evolution?

       3. If convicted, what was the penalty for breaking this law?

       4. Scroll further down the page for an additional document.  Describe this document and its contents.
 

B.  After reading about the Mr. Rappalyea, who was one person who helped set up the challange to the law, explain why and how he arranged this challange.

C. Read the NY Times article,from May 25, 1925, "Scopes is Indicted in Tennessee For Teaching Evolution."   Answer these questions:
                     1. What do the headline and subheadlines tell us about this event in history?
                     2. What were the charges of the indictment?
                     3. What was believed as "truth" regarding the creation of man at this time, as presented in this article?
                     4. Why, according to Judge Raulston, was it "not within their province to inquire into the policy or the wisdom of the legislation"?
                     5. What adjectives are used in the article to describe Scopes' teaching practices?
                     6. Analyze this quotation from the trial: "The school room is not only a place to develop the power of thought, but also a place to develop discipline, power of restraint and character. If a teacher openly and flagrantly violates the law of the land in the exercise of his profession, this example cannot be wholesome upon the undeveloped mind and naturally tends to create and breed a spirit of disregard for good order and a want of respect for necessary discipline and restraint in our body politic." Do you agree or disagree with this statement? What other examples can you think of in which a teacher might "openly and flagrantly violate the law of the land in the exercise of his profession"?
                     7. Why does the judge suggest to the jurors that they "should not be concerned as to the attitude of the accused as to whether or not he is willing or unwilling to be indicted"?
                     8. Do you think that it could be possible "to investigate this alleged offense without prejudice or bias and with open minds" in a case in which religious belief is being challenged by science? Why or why not? (Questions are from the NY Times learning site.)

D. Write an essay for homework using your answers to today's questions : How was the teaching of evolution banned and how was the law challenged?
 

Lesson 2- What was the outcome of the "Scopes" trial?
Read the NY Times article from July 21, 1925, "Scopes Guilty. . . ."   Take notes as you read in order to answer this question in an essay:  What was the outcome of the "Scopes Trial?"
Write your essay in several paragraphs tonight as homework if you don't finish it in class.  One of the most important paragraphs in this essay will be your first paragraph where you state your main idea or present your thesis statement.
 

Lesson 3- How  and why has the teaching of evolution been "banned" in Kansas in August 1999?
    Read the NY Times article from August 12, 1999, "Kansas votes to Delete Evolution From State's Science Curriculum,"Take notes as you read in order to answer this question in an essay:  How and why has the teaching of evolution been "banned" in Kansas in August 1999?
    Write your essay in several paragraphs tonight as homework if you don't finish it in class.  One of the most important paragraphs in this essay will be your first paragraph where you state your main idea or present your thesis statement.

Lesson 4- What are some reasons why evolution should be taught in high school and not banned?
    Read the NY Times article from August 16, 1999, "It's a fact: Faith and Theory Collide over Evolution."   Take notes as you read in order to answer this question in an essay:  What are some reasons why evolution should be taught in high schools and not banned?
    Write your essay in several paragraphs tonight as homework if you don't finish it in class.  One of the most important paragraphs in this essay will be your first paragraph where you state your main idea or present your thesis statement.  Also you must discus the chart that appears in the article in your essay.
 
 

CONTINUE:  http://teachersnetwork.org/teachnet-lab/fklane/pmaslow/inherit2.html