Goals and Objectives:
Goal: Students will understand the arguments of Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan during the Scopes Trial.
Objective: Students will simulate a courtroom discussion between Darrow and Bryan in groups in order to evaluate their arguments for and against the teaching of evolution.
Objective: Students will simulate a courtroom discussion between Darrow and Bryan in groups in order to evaluate their arguments for and against the teaching of evolution.
California State Content Standards:
11.5.2- Analyze the international and domestic events, interests, and philosophies that prompted attacks on civil liberties, including the Palmer Raids, Marcus Garvey’s “back-to-Africa” movement, the Ku Klux Klan, and immigration quotas and the responses of organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Anti-Defamation League to those attacks.
Common Core Literacy Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.9
Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.1.b
Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form that anticipates the audience's knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.1.b
Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form that anticipates the audience's knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
Click the box to access the political cartoon journal assignment, the court transcript, and the supplementary graphic organizer.
Lesson Introduction:
Students will examine a political cartoon from the time of the Scopes “Monkey” Trial. They will then answer three questions related to the illustration. The teacher will use equity cards to call on students for individual responses.
Key Vocabulary:
Key vocabulary will be written on the board in advance and incorporated throughout the lesson. Prior to the beginning the simulation, the teacher will briefly go over the definitions and reinforce them during lecture.
· The Butler Act
· John Scopes
· Clarence Darrow
· William Jennings Bryan
· The Butler Act
· John Scopes
· Clarence Darrow
· William Jennings Bryan
Content Delivery (Lecture):
Students will start by watching a short introductory clip. The instructor will then provide additional context to the Scopes Trial, discussing the Butler Act, the ACLU’s promise to support anyone willing to challenge it, the social implications of the trial, and the Dayton community’s response to the media circus it caused. Background knowledge of the case will allow students to know more about the role they are assigned in order to fully comprehend their arguments for and against the teaching of evolution.
Student Engagement:
The instructor will place students into predetermined groups of four before giving each student a copy of the court transcript and a graphic organizer. Students will then be given preassigned roles (Ex. Student 1 will be William Jennings Bryan) which they must read aloud whenever their assigned role spoke during the trial. As students go through the transcript, they will pause intermittently to identify specific arguments presented by Bryan and Darrow, filling in each side of the graphic organizer. Once students have finished reading through the transcript, they will answer the four questions at the bottom of the graphic organizer individually. The instructor will circulate to answer questions and ensure students remain on task.
Lesson Closure:
Using equity cards, students will be called upon to share their responses to the four questions at the bottom of the graphic organizer. Graphic organizers will be collected at the door as an exit card which will be checked for content and completion.
Assessments:
Formative (Informal): Students will read aloud for their assigned role during the Scopes “Monkey” Trial. Teacher will informally assess student’s reading and speaking abilities while also ensuring the whole group is actively engaged and participating.
Formative (Formal): Students will complete a graphic organizer which separates the arguments presented by William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow in the excerpt from the court transcripts. Once the graphic organizer is finished, students will answer four questions about the Scopes Trial and the evolution controversy before turning in the assignment as an exit card. It will be checked for both content and completion, but not assigned a grade.
Formative (Formal): Students will complete a graphic organizer which separates the arguments presented by William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow in the excerpt from the court transcripts. Once the graphic organizer is finished, students will answer four questions about the Scopes Trial and the evolution controversy before turning in the assignment as an exit card. It will be checked for both content and completion, but not assigned a grade.
Accommodations:
English Learners: Certain roles require much more speaking than others. For EL students, they could be given a smaller role in order to make it easier for them while still giving them opportunities to read and speak in English. As well, students must follow along in order to know when it is their turn to read, which will encourage students to pay attention to the reading and listen to how their peer’s use of English. Groups will also be pre-determined in order to ensure each group has members who are able to support each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Striving Readers: The assignment provides plenty of reading to allow striving readers a chance to practice these skills. The transcript also varies between the use of interpersonal English and academic (legal) terms, making it a good opportunity to incorporate words students are familiar with and new words they may not know, giving them a chance to figure out their meaning and make connections to them.
Special Needs: For this assignment, students will be allowed to stand, move around, and use basic props in order to simulate the Dayton courtroom, overly hyper students a chance to expend some of their energy. Audio copies or enlarged font versions of the court transcript could also be provided if necessary. As well, pre-determined groups provide an opportunity for SN students to engage with their peers in an academic context.
Striving Readers: The assignment provides plenty of reading to allow striving readers a chance to practice these skills. The transcript also varies between the use of interpersonal English and academic (legal) terms, making it a good opportunity to incorporate words students are familiar with and new words they may not know, giving them a chance to figure out their meaning and make connections to them.
Special Needs: For this assignment, students will be allowed to stand, move around, and use basic props in order to simulate the Dayton courtroom, overly hyper students a chance to expend some of their energy. Audio copies or enlarged font versions of the court transcript could also be provided if necessary. As well, pre-determined groups provide an opportunity for SN students to engage with their peers in an academic context.