Introduction: Withoutadoubt,thequestion,“wheredohumanscomefrom?”wasaskedlongbeforeCharlesDarwinpublishedOriginofSpeciesin1859.Yetthroughoutthetwentiethcenturyandintothetwenty‐irstcentury,thedebateamongstmembersofthescienti icandreligiouscommunitieshascontinuedtobeadivisiveandwidelydebatedtopic.TheScopes“Monkey”Trialisperhapsoneofthecriticaleventsofthiscontroversyandoneofthelandmarklegaldecisionsofthetwentiethcentury.

GuidingQuestions: Whowerethemajor iguresoftheScopesTrial?

WhatwerethemainargumentsonbothsidesoftheScopesTrial?

WhatwastheoutcomeandthelegacyoftheScopesTrial?

LearningObjectives: ThestudentswillwritealettertotheeditoroftheChattanoogaDailyTimesbasedonthearticle,Plan

AssaultonStateLawonEvolution. ThestudentswillmakepredictionsontheoutcomeoftheACLUwantingtotesttheanti‐evolution

legislationinTennesseein1925. ThestudentswillresearchandcreatemockinterviewsofparticipantsintheScopesTrialtobeper‐

formedinfrontoftheclass. ThestudentswilltellthestoryoftheScopesMonkeyTrialthroughtheuseofprimarysources. Thestudentswillbeassessedthroughanessaytestconsistingofthethreeguidingquestionsdirectly

linkedtotheTennesseestandardUS.38.

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ScopesTrialLessonplansforprimarysourcesattheTennesseeStateLibrary&Archives

Author:KristySproles,SullivanCentralHighSchool

GradeLevel:HighSchool

DateCreated:May2015

Visitwww.tn.gov/tsla/educationoutreachforadditionallessonplans.

CurriculumStandards:US.38DescribetheScopesTrialof1925,includingthemajor igures,thetwosidesofthecontroversy,itsoutcome,anditslegacy.(C,P,H,TN)

CommonCoreGrade11‐12ELAStandards: Readcloselytodeterminewhatthetextsaysexplicitlyandtomakelogicalinferencesfromit;

citespeci ictextualevidencewhenwritingorspeakingtosupportconclusionsdrawnfromthetext.

Integrateandevaluatecontentpresentedindiverseformatsandmedia,includingvisuallyandquantitatively,aswellasinwords.

Conductshortaswellasmoresustainedresearchprojectsbasedonfocusedquestions,demonstratingunderstandingofthesubjectunderinvestigation.

Drawevidencefromliteraryorinformationaltextstosupportanalysis,re lection,andre‐search.

MaterialsNeeded: AccesstoTSLAwebsiteandTheScopes'Monkey'TrialCollection CopiesoftheMay4,1925,ChattanoogaDailyTimesarticle,PlanAssaultonStateLawonEvo-

lution(foundattheendofthislessonplan) Copiesoftheletters,photographs,andanynecessarydocumentsfromthecollectiontobe

usedinthetimelineactivity AccesstotheinterviewswithSueK.HicksontheTSLAwebsite

CopiesoraccesstothebackgroundinformationonTheScopes'Monkey'Trial

Background:“TheScopesTrial” Author:GeorgeE.WebbSourceLocation:TennesseeEncyclopediaofHistory&Culture“JohnWashingtonButler” Author:GeorgeE.WebbSourceLocation:TennesseeEncyclopediaofHistory&Culture

LessonActivities:IntroductoryActivity

Withnointroductionorbackgroundinformation,studentswillreadthearticleintheMay4,1925,ChattanoogaDailyTimes'article,PlanAssaultonStateLawonEvolution.Studentswillwritealet‐tertotheeditorwiththeiropiniononthenewspaperarticle.Studentswillsharetheselettersinsmallgroupsorinalargegroupdiscussion.TheteachershouldthenaskstudentswhattheythinkwillhappeninTennesseewiththeACLUtestcase.Willateacherbechargedwithacrimeforteachingevolution?Ifyes,willheorshebefoundguilty?BeforemovingontotheInstructionandClassActivity,havethestu‐dentsreadtheintroductionfromtheTSLATheScopes'Monkey'Trialcollection.

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LessonActivitiesContinued:

InstructionandClassActivity: StudentsmustreadtheintroductiontoTheScopes'Monkey'TrialcollectionontheTSLAwebsiteandtheteachermustprovidethebackgroundinformationconcerningtheScopesTrial.Theteachershoulddisplaythephotograph, DaytonLeadersinRobinson'sDrugstore,andexplainhowtheleadersofDayton,Tennessee,wantedtobringattentiontotheirsmalltownsothey"selected"JohnScopestoviolatetheButlerAct.Theteachermaychooseoneorbothofthefollowingclassactivities:Activity1ThestudentswilllistentotheinterviewclipsA‐DwithSueHicks,alawyerfromDayton,TN.Theteachershoulddiscusstheimportanceofinterviewsasaprimarysourcebutalsomentionthatthisinterviewwasconducted iftyyearsaftertheScopesTrial.Studentsshouldbeallowedtoaskquestionsanddiscusstheinterviewsaftereachone. InterviewA:studentslookattheHunterCivicBiologytextbook InterviewB:studentslookatthephotographofWilliamJenningsBryanarrivinginDayton

InterviewC:studentsviewthephotographofClarenceDarrow

InterviewD:studentsviewthephotographofWilliamJenningsBryanandClarenceDarrow

TheteacherwilldividetheclassintopairsandassigneachpairapersoninvolvedintheScopesTri‐altoresearch.Thelistcanincludethefollowing:JohnT.Scopes,WilliamJenningsBryan,ClarenceDarrow,GovernorAustinPeay,acitizenofDaytonin1925,aTennesseeSupremeCourtjudge,CharlesDarwin,Sun‐daySchoolteacher,JohnW.Butler,JudgeJohnT.Raulston,WilliamJenningsBryanJr.,anACLUmember,alocalpreacher,JoeMendi(ifhecouldspeak),etc.Thestudentswillcon‐ductresearchonthepersonassignedtothem.Thestudentsmustcreate10interviewquestionswiththeanswersbasedononeprimarysourcefromTSLAandotherresearch.Thestudentswillperform/conductthein‐terviewinfrontoftheclasswithonepersonbeingtheinterviewerandtheotherstudentbeingthepersonfromtheScopesTrial.Theinterviewwilllasttwominutes,theprimarysourcemustbepresentedasevidence,andthepairmustanswerthe3guidingquestionsintheirinterview/presentation.Theclasswillthenbegiven1minutetoaskquestionsandthestudentsmustanswerastheythinkthatthepersonwouldin1925.

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LessonActivitiesContinued:

Activity2

TheteacherwillsupplyeachstudentwithadifferentprimarysourcefromTSLA'sTheScopes'Monkey'TrialCollectionsuchasaphotograph,letter,Bryan'sdeathcerti icate,textbook,cartoon,etc.EachstudentistoresearchtheirsourceandthenwriteabriefsummaryexplainingtheimportanceoftheirsourcetotheScopesTrial.Asawholeclass,thestudentsaretoputtheirsourcesinchronologicalorderbyliningupintheclassroomorinahallwayifnecessary.Beginningwiththe irstsource,studentsexplaintheimportanceofthesourceandcontinueuntilallsourceshavebeendescribed.Byexplainingthesources,thestudentswilltellthestoryoftheScopesMonkeyTrialthroughtheuseofprimarysources. Afteroneorbothoftheactivitieshavebeencompleted,studentswillviewtheinterviewwithSueK.Hicks,partsE,F,andG.Studentswillwritedown2possibleeffects(shorttermand/orlongrange)oftheScopesTrial.ThestudentsarethentoturntoaneighborandaddanothereffectoftheScopesTrialtohisorherlist.Eventually,studentsshouldmeetwithalloftheirclassmatesandcompilealistoftheeffectsandbeabletodescribethelegacyoftheScopesTrial.

Assessment: Studentswillcompleteanessaytest/quizinwhichtheywillanswerthethreeguidingquestions:

(1)Whowerethemajor iguresoftheScopesTrial?(2)WhatwerethemainargumentsonbothsidesoftheScopesTrial?(3)WhatwastheoutcomeandthelegacyoftheScopesTrial?

Ifstudentscansuccessfullyanswerthethreequestions,thenthestudentswillhavemasteredTennesseestandardUS.38. Page4of7

 

 

 

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