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An interdisciplinary unit on Inherit The Wind
Inherit the Wind: Debating the Teaching of Evolution in the Classroom
Summary of play:
Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, was first performed in 1955. The story is very loosely based on the Scopes Monkey Trial, which took place in 1925, but the authors take care to point out that it is a work of fiction. The play opens on the eve of the trial of a young schoolteacher who has broken the law by teaching about evolution. Matthew Harrison Brady, a famous lawyer and religious conservative, has come to town to help with the prosecution. His character is based on William Jennings Bryan. Henry Drummond, another famous lawyer best known for defending unpopular clients, comes to town to help with the defense. His character is based on Clarence Darrow. Sparks fly when the two face each other in the courtroom. At stake is everyone's right to think for himself or herself. The play was written during the McCarthy era, and according to Professor Marvin Olasky (Monkey Business, 2005, pp.133-4), Lawrence and Lee subsequently acknowledged that the play is primarily concerned with the excesses of McCarthyism than with the Scopes trial as such. The play is often performed during times of anti-intellectualism and paranoia in the United States.
Unit Background:
This is a series of lessons that allow middle school or high school students to explore the question of whether and how evolution should be taught in the public schools. Most of these lessons would take more than one period to complete, as they involve research by the students. This unit will accompany the teaching of genetics and evolution in Science class. I have not included those lesson plans here because it is such an extensive topic that goes far beyond the material in the play. The lesson plans described below are to be taught in Social Studies and Communication Arts classes. A nice way to end the unit would be to show the 1960 film Inherit the Wind, starring Spencer Tracy and Gene Kelly, though it should be borne in mind that the film script strays even further from the events of 1925 than does the play..
Lesson 1: The Scopes Trial: Social Studies
This lesson may take 2-3 periods to complete.
Mini-Lesson
The teacher will provide an overview of the Scopes Trial, including when & where it took place, the law that was broken, and the outcome of the trial.
First source of background information for this lesson.
Second source of background information for this lesson.
Guided Practice
Each group of students will be responsible for completing research on one aspect of the trial. One group can research the biography of each of the important figures involved, including Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan, John Scopes, and H.L. Mencken. Another group can research the key arguments of the defense, and another group can research the key arguments of the prosecution. Each group will create a fact sheet summarizing their research. These can be compiled into a packet to be given out to all the students in the class.
Share
Each group of students will report to the class the most important facts they learned in their research. Their research will also be shared in fact sheets, as described above.
Lesson 2: The Legal System: Social Studies
This lesson may take 2-3 periods to complete.
Mini-Lesson
The teacher will provide an overview of how our legal system works, including trial courts, appellate courts, and the Supreme Court. The teacher will explain how lawyers use test cases to try to get laws declared unconstitutional. Also, the concept of precedent will be discussed. Such cases as Brown v. Board of Education can be used to illustrate ways that test cases have been used.
Guided Practice
The students, working in groups, will research and create timelines presenting the history of the evolution debate, beginning with Darwin's research and eventual publication of The Origin of Species, and continuing through the present. The teacher will provide background materials, including websites, books, and copies of newspaper articles showing that the debate continues today.
Share
Each group of students will briefly present the highlights of their timeline. Then the finished projects will be posted in the classroom.
Lesson 3: Inherit the Wind: Communication Arts
This lesson may take 2-3 periods to complete.
Mini-lesson
Each period, the teacher will present background information on the play. The first day, the teacher will hand out the book and guide the students through the introductory information: the author, publication date, first performance, and the disclaimer at the start of the play (which reminds the reader that the play is a work of fiction, loosely based on the Scopes Trial). The teacher will also quickly go over the format of a play, such as setting information, stage directions, etc. The second day, the teacher will discuss with the students ways in which the characters in the play differ from the people involved in the trial of 1925, and why the changes serve the dramatic purposes of the play. The third day, the teacher will discuss with the students similarities and differences between events in the play and the Scopes trial.
Guided Practice
The students will read the play. This can be done in at least two different ways. The teacher can assign roles and have the students read the play as a class, or the teacher can divide the students into groups to read the play, so that every student gets a part to read. A combination of these approaches might be used. The teacher will help the students understand what they are reading, by asking questions as the students read and through assignments such as character charts.
Share
The teacher will ask a few students to summarize the events of the play or their insights into the characters, or their predictions about what will happen next.
Lesson 4: Persuasive Essay: Communication Arts
This lesson may take 5 or more periods to complete.
Mini-Lesson
The teacher will use a model essay to review the persuasive essay genre with the students, pointing out the introduction, arguments, and conclusion, and the style of writing that is used.
Guided Practice
The students will plan, draft, and revise essays taking a side on the issue of whether and how evolution and creationism should be taught in the schools. The teacher should emphasize the fact that students can take either side as long as they can use effective arguments in support of their opinion. This fairness is particularly important given that Inherit the Wind is so clearly in support of teaching evolution, and given that the students' own science teachers are teaching evolution concurrent with this unit!
Share
Students will read selected portions of their essays each day throughout the writing process. During the planning stages, students can share their ideas for good arguments on either side of the issue.
