Science+in+the+Courts

Teacher's wiki


 * TASK**:

=Day 1= Day 1 link = Day 1 Objectives: = 1. Define Evolution in their own words 2. Evaluate social, cultural, and political events of the early 1900s
 * Students will work in small groups to produce a collaborative wiki space that illustrate an understanding of topics discussed in the unit, how to research court cases, and explain how science applies to the American justice system in the past and present. The wiki space should incorporate the use of at least three technology strategies that you have learned during the technology program. **
 * // Students will be Able to //** :

Objective of the Opener Video: The objective of the video is to portray darwinsm because it shows how organisms changed and developed. there are scenes depicting survival of the fittest - when Homer eats the fly like bug and when Mr. Burns tries to eat Homer. the video shows the theory of evolution becuase it shows how man came to be. The video is also an introduction to the Simpsons cartoon/comedy series so it is humorous and ends with the simpsons watching tv - as all episodes start. Questions: how did organisms survive the blasts that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs? how did first organisms appear? Wordle on Evoltuion Evolution is all about survival of the fittest and to survive, an organism must change and adapt to its surroundings. Change is the only way to defeat predators and to better catch prey. even though the theory of evolution is the most accepted idea of how man was created, it is still a theory and many religious people still believe that God created man. Three Most Important Words: adapting charles darwin- the english scientist who studied in gapagoes island to study finches. from his studies, he developed the theory of evolution. complexity Three Minute Pause on Evolution 1.Evolution must occur genetically from generation to generation - the most suitable genes get passed down because it helps the organism to survive in its set environment. 2. Darwin studied in the Galapagos islands to observe the different adaptions of finches. He found that the finches on the different islands have developed different adaptions to better help them to survive. He applied the theory of evolution to man and offended many religious personnel due to the fact that his theory directly contradicts the Bible which states that God created man. 3. What happened to the issue about excluding the theory of evolution in the elementary cirriculum? At one point in time, i heard that the text books in texas were going to the altered to exclude the theory of evolution. and due to the fact that the state of texas

Group Wordle: The theory of evolution is not a fact and is not accepted by everyone. Evolution describes the process of genetic changes over time in the generations of a speceis. in a world where the fit (better adapted) survive, the "new" physical traits better help the organism to survive and therefore helps the organism to pass down its genes to the next generation. the major idea associated with the evolution is improvement - improvement from one generation to the next. this type of improvement has to be based on genetics therefore "improvement" and "genetics" are the most prominent words on the wordle.

I believe that scientific research would have conflicted with the values and ideals of the 1920's because in 1925 the Scopes Trial was brought to court. this was an indication that scientific research did conflict with the values of religious individuals. Now that we have investigated evolution and highlighted some of the events, opinions and trends of the 1920s**:**
 * Do you think that scientific research and discovery might be in conflict with some values and ideals of the 1920's? Why or why not? Provide evidence from today's activities to support your response.**
 * evidence and analysis**


 * 1. Identify parallels between this topic and conflicts/events that are going on today.**
 * The idea of teaching evolution is still a conflict today. the KKK is still an organization that follows its values, just that they are not active. ford invented the assembly line in 1913 and transformed the industrial world. now the computer has completely transformed the technological world by acting as an information magnet.**
 * 2. Make an argument for or against the theory of Evolution supporting your argument.**
 * The theory of evolution is the most accepted theory of how todays organisms came to be. although it is still labeled as a theory, there are much evidence that supports this theory.**

= = =Day 2= = Day 2 Objectives: = // Students will be Able to //** : **
 * 1. Explain the controversy of teaching evolution in schools **
 * 2. Identify the different views about teaching evolution in schools **
 * 3. Evaluate the impact of the Scopes trial in America **


 * Political Cartoon:**

The political cartoon depicts how man are acting similar to savages and that even monkeys, animals, have more of a conscience. The cartoon is mocking the human race and how cruel and violent they can become. Since the cartoon shows the scene of a lynching, the cartoon is also making a statement that the acts are inhumane and that those responsible should be brought to justice.
 * Summary on Political Cartoon:**

Answer the following questions on the clip from the Simpson episode entitled, "//Monkey Suit//," in your notebook after watching the video:

The purpose of the clip was to introduce the controversy behind the teaching of evolution and creationism. The creators of the clip is in favor of teaching evolution because the clip portrays the teaching of creationism to be a somewhat unintelligent science. Lisa S. is always seen as representing the intelligence and logic of man and in the clip she is against creationism. Moreover, the clip pokes fun at the situation since the characters are so easily persuaded to support creationism. i believe that a certain school could ban the teaching of evolution is some legislation is passed which requires it but not quite so dramatically like in the cartoon. The characters of authority was too easily persuaded into accepting creationsm and therefore making the outcome of the clip highly unlikely. in the real world, this type of decision would likely evoke much debate and trials throughout the nation and it would take years to either approve or ban the legislation.
 * 1. What was the message of this cartoon clip?**
 * 2. Do you think something like this could actually happen?**


 * Butler Act Markup:**


 * PiratePad Comments on the Butler Act**



PiratePad for William Bryan []

__William Jennings Bryan__ William Jennings Bryan was a highly influential national figure. He was elected in the House of Representatives and ran for president three times. He was a major player in the creation of the Butler act, and when the Scopes trial came up, he was placed as prosecutor despite that not being his job. Bryan was also a devoted Christian, famous for his defense of creationsm and attack on the theory of evolution. During the trial, Bryan was even called onto the stand as an expert on the Bible and was questioned by Darrow - the debate between science and religion became very heated and almost errupted into violence.


 * __ Classmates research: __**

__Clarence Darrow__ Clarence Darrow : -Born to atheist father. Followed his footsteps - delivers an impassioned speech against "religious bigotry and hate." He hopes to convince Judge Raulston to declare the Butler Law unconstitutional. -Was the lawyer in the case, defending Scopes. - hated William Jennings Bryan for his religious ideas -Wanted to use the trial as a setup to have a contest with Bryan and a public debate over religion vs science-On the 7th day of the Scopes trial, Darrow enacted his plan. He called out Bryan to speak as an expert about religion and tried to trap him into admitting that the Genesis is a load of bullcrap. It ended up turning into a furious, almost violent, debate -Scopes was found guilty, but Darrow later appealed the case to the Tennesee supreme court. Scopes was released on a technicality but the Butler Act remained.-

__American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU__) [] ACLU=American Civil Liberties Union They offered to defend scopes accussed of teaching the theory of evolution. They planned for John Scopes to break the law. [] the ACLU agreed in late April 1925 to guarantee legal and financial assistance to any teacher who would test the law. The //ACLU//, which had been following the progress of such legislation across the nation, decided to see if the __Butler Act__ could be a test case and published a statement in the Tennessee papers on //May 4, 1925// offering to defend any teacher prosecuted under the Act. __Butler Act__ could be a test case and published a statement in the Tennessee papers on //May 4, 1925// offering to defend any teacher prosecuted under the Act.

The ACLU is organization in which they defend anyone being accused of teaching evolution. In Tennessee V Scopes the ACLU defended John Scopes for he had been accused of teaching evolution. The ACLU told John Scopes to teach evolution on purpose;then the organization would defend scopes and become nationally recognized. John Scopes was found guilty of teaching evolution but he made a point the law was pointless.

__John Scopes__ 1900-1970 He was a biology teacher, and was asked by businessmen to be indicted teaching evolution. At 24, he was a defendant and he claimed he was innocent because he did nothing wrong. Basically, he didn't teach evolution, he was just there to be used.

__Judge John T. Raulston__ John T. Raulston, the judge in the Scopes trial, was "a popular local attorney of no special competence." Although his rulings more often favored the prosecution and his deference to Bryan was especially obvious, Raulston was credited with "acting according to his lights as well as his prejudices." The attention that came with John T. Raulston was the Judge of the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. His decision on the trial was to deem John Scopes guilty of all charges. He ruled in favor of creationism. According to his decision and his religious personality, I would think that Judge Raulston's view on the theory of evolution is negative and false. He was almost if not completely against it. he seemed to have a near obsession with having his picture taken. Raulston was a deeply religious man. During the trial he quoted scripture. It was also his practice to open proceedings with a prayer whenever a clergyman was present. John T. Raulston was the Judge of the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. His decision on the trial was to deem John Scopes guilty of all charges. He ruled in favor of creationism. According to his decision and his religious personality, I would think that Judge Raulston's view on the theory of evolution is negative and false. He was almost if not completely against it. the Scopes trial pleased Raulston, and he seemed to have a near obsession with having his picture taken. Raulston was a deeply religious man. During the trial he quoted scripture. It was also his practice to open proceedings with a prayer whenever a clergyman was present.

**Summarizing the trial:** You may complete this activity in a word document or on Sticky notes  What importance did each person/organization play in the case  Evaluate the perspective each person/organization had on the teaching of evolution in public schools  Do you agree with the outcome of the trial? Why or why not?

Darrow and Bryan were the two big names of the trial - Darrow, a famous defense attornery, wanted to use the trial to attack Bryan, the prosecution attorney, for his religious ideology. during the trial, Darrow even called Bryan on the stand as an expert on the Bible and caused a much heated debate. John Scopes, a physical education teacher, was substituting for a biology class and was accused of violating the Bulter Act by teaching evolution to his teachers. Scopes was merely being used to initiate the debate over science and religion.The ACLU, the organization that fought for people's civil liberties, was the group that organized the trial in the first place. In order to prove that the Butler act was unconstitutional and violated teachers' civil liberties, it has to go to trial first and scopes agreed to it. John Raulston, the judge for the trial, opposed evolution and had already found scopes guilty even before the trial. Dayton, Tennesee was under economic troubles at the time and need the publicity to help them gain some revenue. The outcome of the trial was unfair and unjust since judge raulston was bias and really didn't need a trial to find scopes guilt. it's no wonder why the trial was named the monkey trial since everything was planned beforehand - the fact that scopes was going to violate the law and the fact that he was to be found guilty. Moreover, the trial was all just entertainment for the people or dayton and a money making sceme.

=Scopes Trial Glog= [] The major people/organization that were involved with the Scopes Trial were John Scopes, Darrow, Bryan, the ACLU, and judge Raulston. They each deserve their own description on the role they played in the trial. The two big lawyers of the case wanted to have a formal debate on religion and science. Scopes was a tool the ACLU used to gain recognition. Judge raulston didn't even need a trial to find scopes guilty since he had already sided with bryan even before the trial. in the end, the trial was a 'monkey trail' since everyone had their own desires and used the trial as a tool to accomplished what they wanted.
 * Glog Reflection:**


 * Day 3**

Day 3: Objectives
//Students will be able to:// Explain how their Glog/Slide represents the signifcance of events that occurred during the Scopes Trial Identify and explain the connection between science and the justice system in today's world

Opener:
- tool used to help many different people accomplish their goals.
 * In **10** words or less summarize the Scopes Trial
 * Find/Create a visual that best symbolizes the trial