Challenge: Secondary District Databases: Evolution Vs. Intelligent Design

So, I set out to start creating a lesson based on our super awesome district databases that I feel we don't use nearly enough. There is so much available through these sources and I wanted to highlight them. I applied both Gale Science in Context and Gale Opposing Viewpoints for this lesson.

My learning targets are as follows:

• Students will be able to debate the pros and cons of teaching evolution vs intelligent design/creationism.
• Students will be able to explain their personal stance on evolution vs intelligent design through a five paragraph essay.
• Students will be able to refute other students’ stances on the evolution vs intelligent design through writing rebuttal paragraphs.

My skeleton outline for this lesson goes like so (please note, this is going to be probably about two weeks worth of work at minimum):

• Read provided materials or a selection from these sources (yes, there’s lots)
• Annotate documents for facts, opinions, and explanations. (either paper copies or online annotation application)
• Randomly selected for which side they will debate.
• Partner with one person from opposing side.
• Each will write 1 paragraph with three references explaining why their idea should be supported.
• Read each other’s paragraphs, then create a 1 reference rebuttal to the opposing viewpoint.
• Work will be submitted in two separate documents.
• Students will then do a gallery walk of the unlabeled paragraphs, rating each on a proficiency scale: 
• Exemplary
• proficient
• basic proficiency
• limited proficiency
• not met
• not yet competent
• **Note: This could be done using Google Forms. Create a random form with the both paragraphs, then a rating for each paragraph and a while. Responses could then be provided for the students before they write their position piece.
• Students will then write a position piece based upon their personal position after reading – supported by factual research.

The provided materials include the following documents:

• Gale Viewpoints
• Debate About Evolution Should Be Taught in Science Class
• Neither Creationism nor Debate About Evolution Should Be Taught in Schools
• Textbooks Are Biased in Favor of Evolution
• Textbooks That Teach Evolution Are Not Biased
• Gale Science in Context
• Evolution
• Evolution, evidence of
• Evolution, parallel
• Evolution, divergent
• Evolution, convergent
• Scientific Creationism
• Creationism

I acknowledge that I don't have the rubrics created yet for these activities, nor do I have the instruction sheets written, but this is the outline of the lesson I have planned to utilize these resources.