Evolution and Creationism

From The ScoutReport.org (17 July 2009 | Volume 15, Number 28)

Debates about the content and focus of United States history courses continue on in Texas

http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/2009/scout-090717-inthenews.php#1

Everything is a bit bigger in Texas, and it would seem that an ongoing debate about what should be taught in history classrooms in the Lone Star State mirrors that particular sentiment. Along with other states, Texas recently approved new science standards that allowed for creationist critiques of evolution, and this current debate revolves around the place of faith in such curricula. Several of the history curriculum reviewers, including one Reverend Peter Marshall, have suggested that the curriculum be modified to emphasize the roles of the Bible, the Christian faith, and the civil virtue of religion. There also appear to be initial divisions about which historical figures should be referenced within such materials. Jesus F. de la Teja, the chairman of the history department at Texas State University, noted that the curriculum should draw on a more diverse set of role models, especially Latinos. Other outside observers have stated that these curriculum analysts should all be trained academics, while other parties remain skeptical of trained historians' emphasis on multiculturalism. This debate has raged on across the country for decades, but it will be interesting to see how things turn out in Texas over the coming months. [KMG]

The first link will take visitors to an article from this Tuesday's Wall Street Journal which addresses some of the ongoing curriculum debates in Texas. Moving on, the second link leads to a recent piece from the Beaumont Enterprise which talks about the Texas State Board of Education's curriculum review process. The third link will whisk users away to a passionate editorial piece on this subject by Jacquielynn Floyd of the Dallas Morning News. The fourth link will take visitors to the initial remarks by the social studies reviewers on the proposed curriculum changes. Teachers of American history will be delighted to learn about the fifth site, which was created by the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies. Here they will find excellent teacher-selected resources, complete with primary documents and lesson plans. Finally, the last link leads to the TeachingAmericanHistory site, which was created by the Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs at Ashland University. Here visitors can listen to free lectures, look over lesson plans, and check out their primary document library. [KMG]

From The ScoutReport.org (17 April 2009 | Volume 15, Number 15)

Evolution of Life

http://www.evolution-of-life.com/en/home.html

A number of groups are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the publication of "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection" by Charles Darwin. This educational site, created with funds provided by Volkswagen Stiftung, celebrates this anniversary by offering videos, animations, and documents for teachers that explore the origins of life and evolution. The materials here are divided into three sections: "Observe", "Explore", and "Teach". In the "Observe" area, visitors can watch several short films, including the "O as Origin" movie, which follows a water molecule named "Piccolina" as she moves forward through time and becomes more and more complex along the way. There's also another film here that follows Darwin as he works on some of his discoveries and theories. Visitors can also elect to listen to these videos in French, English, and German, and they will also want to sign up to receive email updates when new material is added to the site. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository at http://amser.org.

• evolution: a journey into where we're coming from and where we're going -- PBS
• Show 1: Show I: Darwin's Dangerous Ideas
• Show 2: Great Transformation
• Show 3: Extinction!
• Show 4: Survival: The Evolutionary Arms Race
• Show 5: Why Sex?
• Show 6: Humans: The Mind's Big Bang
• Show 7: Religion: What about God?
  
  
• Discovery Institute's Critique of PBS's Evolution
  
  
• Evolution -- Science at a Distance, John Blamire
  
  
• Evolution Resources From the National Academies -- National Academ of Sciences
  
  
• Setting the Record Straight -- National Center for Science Education
  
  
• Evolutionary Psychology BookStore -- Robert Karl Stonjek
  
  
• The Revolution Against Evolution Creation Bookstore -- The Revolution Against Evolution
  
  
• Science, Evolution, and Creationism -- National Academies Press