ScopesTrial
LessonplansforprimarysourcesattheTennesseeStateLibrary&Archives
Author:KristySproles,SullivanCentralHighSchool
GradeLevel:HighSchool
DateCreated:May2015
Visithttp://sos.tn.gov/tsla/educationforadditionallessonplans.
Introduction:
Withoutadoubt,thequestion,“wheredohumanscomefrom?”wasaskedlongbeforeCharles
DarwinpublishedOriginofSpeciesin1859.Yetthroughoutthetwentiethcenturyandintothetwenty‐
irstcentury,thedebateamongstmembersofthescienti icandreligiouscommunitieshascontinuedto
beadivisiveandwidelydebatedtopic.TheScopes“Monkey”Trialisperhapsoneofthecriticaleventsof
thiscontroversyandoneofthelandmarklegaldecisionsofthetwentiethcentury.
GuidingQuestions:

Whowerethemajor iguresoftheScopesTrial?

WhatwerethemainargumentsonbothsidesoftheScopesTrial?

WhatwastheoutcomeandthelegacyoftheScopesTrial?
LearningObjectives:





ThestudentswillwritealettertotheeditoroftheChattanoogaDailyTimesbasedonthearticle,Plan
AssaultonStateLawonEvolution.
ThestudentswillmakepredictionsontheoutcomeoftheACLUwantingtotesttheanti‐evolution
legislationinTennesseein1925.
ThestudentswillresearchandcreatemockinterviewsofparticipantsintheScopesTrialtobeper‐
formedinfrontoftheclass.
ThestudentswilltellthestoryoftheScopesMonkeyTrialthroughtheuseofprimarysources.
Thestudentswillbeassessedthroughanessaytestconsistingofthethreeguidingquestionsdirectly
linkedtotheTennesseestandardUS.38.
Page1of7
CurriculumStandards:
US.38DescribetheScopesTrialof1925,includingthemajor igures,thetwosidesofthecontroversy,its
outcome,anditslegacy.(C,P,H,TN)
CommonCoreGrade11‐12ELAStandards:
 Readcloselytodeterminewhatthetextsaysexplicitlyandtomakelogicalinferencesfromit;
citespeci ictextualevidencewhenwritingorspeakingtosupportconclusionsdrawnfrom
thetext.
 Integrateandevaluatecontentpresentedindiverseformatsandmedia,includingvisually
andquantitatively,aswellasinwords.
 Conductshortaswellasmoresustainedresearchprojectsbasedonfocusedquestions,
demonstratingunderstandingofthesubjectunderinvestigation.
 Drawevidencefromliteraryorinformationaltextstosupportanalysis,re lection,andre‐
search.
MaterialsNeeded:
AccesstoTSLAwebsiteandTheScopes'Monkey'TrialCollection
 CopiesoftheMay4,1925,ChattanoogaDailyTimesarticle,PlanAssaultonStateLawonEvolution(foundattheendofthislessonplan)
 Copiesoftheletters,photographs,andanynecessarydocumentsfromthecollectiontobe
usedinthetimelineactivity
 AccesstotheinterviewswithSueK.HicksontheTSLAwebsite
CopiesoraccesstothebackgroundinformationonTheScopes'Monkey'Trial

Background:
“TheScopesTrial”
Author:GeorgeE.Webb
SourceLocation:TennesseeEncyclopediaofHistory&Culture
“JohnWashingtonButler”
Author:GeorgeE.Webb
SourceLocation:TennesseeEncyclopediaofHistory&Culture
LessonActivities:IntroductoryActivity
Withnointroductionorbackgroundinformation,studentswillreadthearticleintheMay4,
1925,ChattanoogaDailyTimes'article,PlanAssaultonStateLawonEvolution.Studentswillwritealet‐
tertotheeditorwiththeiropiniononthenewspaperarticle.Studentswillsharetheselettersinsmall
groupsorinalargegroupdiscussion.Theteachershouldthenaskstudentswhattheythinkwillhappen
inTennesseewiththeACLUtestcase.Willateacherbechargedwithacrimeforteachingevolution?If
yes,willheorshebefoundguilty?BeforemovingontotheInstructionandClassActivity,havethestu‐
dentsreadtheintroductionfromtheTSLATheScopes'Monkey'Trialcollection.
Page2of7
LessonActivitiesContinued:
InstructionandClassActivity:
StudentsmustreadtheintroductiontoTheScopes'Monkey'TrialcollectionontheTSLAwebsite
andtheteachermustprovidethebackgroundinformationconcerningtheScopesTrial.Theteachershould
displaythephotograph, DaytonLeadersinRobinson'sDrugstore,andexplainhowtheleadersofDayton,
Tennessee,wantedtobringattentiontotheirsmalltownsothey"selected"
JohnScopestoviolatetheButlerAct.Theteachermaychooseoneorbothof
thefollowingclassactivities:
Activity1
ThestudentswilllistentotheinterviewclipsA‐DwithSueHicks,alawyer
fromDayton,TN.Theteachershoulddiscusstheimportanceofinterviewsas
aprimarysourcebutalsomentionthatthisinterviewwasconducted ifty
yearsaftertheScopesTrial.Studentsshouldbeallowedtoaskquestionsand
discusstheinterviewsaftereachone.
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,a
localpreacher,JoeMendi(ifhecouldspeak),etc.Thestudentswillcon‐
ductresearchonthepersonassignedtothem.Thestudentsmustcreate
10interviewquestionswiththeanswersbasedononeprimarysource
fromTSLAandotherresearch.Thestudentswillperform/conductthein‐
terviewinfrontoftheclasswithonepersonbeingtheinterviewerandthe
otherstudentbeingthepersonfromtheScopesTrial.Theinterviewwill
lasttwominutes,theprimarysourcemustbepresentedasevidence,and
thepairmustanswerthe3guidingquestionsintheirinterview/
presentation.Theclasswillthenbegiven1minutetoaskquestionsand
thestudentsmustanswerastheythinkthatthepersonwouldin1925.
Page3of7
LessonActivitiesContinued:
Activity2
TheteacherwillsupplyeachstudentwithadifferentprimarysourcefromTSLA'sTheScopes
'Monkey'TrialCollectionsuchasaphotograph,letter,Bryan'sdeathcerti icate,textbook,cartoon,etc.
Eachstudentistoresearchtheirsourceandthenwriteabriefsummaryexplainingtheimportanceoftheir
sourcetotheScopesTrial.Asawholeclass,thestudentsaretoputtheirsourcesinchronologicalorderby
liningupintheclassroomorinahallwayifnecessary.Beginningwiththe irstsource,studentsexplainthe
importanceofthesourceandcontinueuntilallsourceshavebeendescribed.Byexplainingthesources,the
studentswilltellthestoryoftheScopesMonkeyTrialthroughtheuseofprimarysources.
Afteroneorbothoftheactivitieshavebeencompleted,studentswillviewtheinterviewwithSueK.
Hicks,partsE,F,andG.Studentswillwritedown2possibleeffects(shorttermand/orlongrange)ofthe
ScopesTrial.ThestudentsarethentoturntoaneighborandaddanothereffectoftheScopesTrialtohis
orherlist.Eventually,studentsshouldmeetwithalloftheirclassmatesandcompilealistoftheeffectsand
beabletodescribethelegacyoftheScopesTrial.
Assessment:
Studentswillcompleteanessaytest/quizinwhichtheywillanswerthethreeguidingquestions:
(1)Whowerethemajor iguresoftheScopesTrial?
(2)WhatwerethemainargumentsonbothsidesoftheScopesTrial?
(3)WhatwastheoutcomeandthelegacyoftheScopesTrial?
Ifstudentscansuccessfullyanswerthethreequestions,thenthestudentswillhavemasteredTennessee
standardUS.38.
Page4of7
Page 5 of 7 Page 6 of 7 Page 7 of 7