CHRISTIANS - - I have a question for you about Intelligent Design being taught in schools (please see details)

Question

Let's say that Intelligent Design is going to be taught in a grade school classroom and you are the teacher.

What is your lesson plan?

Imagine that you stand in front of the class, they all get out their pencil and paper, they look up at you, waiting for the lesson to begin, ready to take notes, and the lesson plan is..... (and now it's your turn to answer)

Zach, thank you for your response, but that isn't exactly a lesson plan... that's a 15 second explanation as to why ID is being mentioned at all. I'm asking for something more substantial.

P.S. Suggesting that a lesson plan be based around debunking Evolution isn't good enough. You don't teach a subject by spending the entire time talking about how ANOTHER concept is "totally wrong".

Answer 1

First I would love to address all the questions about evolution that conveniently ignored.well still requiring people to read material by those who are proponents of Darwinian evolution. Then I would suggest reading Michael Behe's Darwin's Black Box,tenth edition where he answers critics questions. Then I wold introduce them to the CSI filter which was developed by William Dembski and Stephen Meyer(who has peer reviewed articles). I would also love to have kids watch the debates by those who are the leading proponents of both sides of the issues and I would welcome all questions. I would like to add that Darwinian theory has done little to effect the way that science is being conducted. Many areas of science existed before they eve heard of Darwin and the world. Neither medical schools or Pharmaceutical companies maintain divisions of evolutionary science. The advances in experimental biology over the past century have had a core dependence on new methodologies and technologies, not on intensive immersion in Darwin's theory. What modern biologists study are the mechanisms by which living organisms maintain their stability, without evolving. Organisms oscillate about at a median state if they deviate significantly they die. it has been the research on the mechanisms of stability, not research guided by Darwin's theory which has produced the major fruits of modern biology and medicine. So I ask why do we invoke Darwin? It would not be the intent of the class to delve into who the desgner is And as far as it being religion not so. People need to learn to differentiate between a theory and the implcations of a theory. Just as big bang is a theory it also has religious implications. None the less it is a theory. The whole class wouldn't be spent debunking evolution but these questions need to be addressed. The only ones who fear it are those who are afraid of losing their tight grip on what is and isn't allowed to be taught which is why they don't allow the tough questions to be asked in the first place. And which is why they spend more time attacking the people rather than addressig their arguments. It kind of reminds me of the movie inherit the wind accept a role reversal. The Dawininan establsihment is acting more like the rigid fundamentalists who mocked and jeered at every corner rather than giving a person a fair hearing. eventually it will change and the ID movement is ironically gaining more acceptance is in Europen countries. In fact a year ago there was a convention with over 700 attendants. And some respectable names from various branches. Kids love I doubt that yu have ever even read a book by an ID theorist. I have yet to read them quote from the bible. But again tis is the spin those who don't like them would like to use.

Answer 2

Obviously the lesson plan will depend upon the personal beliefs of the teacher, since Intelligent Design is a matter of religious belief. If these Christian Fundies actually got their way and forced ID into science curricula, they would soon be up in arms when their kids came home from school spouting Hindu, Muslim, or Buddhist versions of the origin of the universe.
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Answer 3

Assuming that Intelligent Design should even be taught in school,

You could not possibly in your right mind ask christians to create a cirriculum on the spot for you to criticize for it's density. It takes an organization of people to create a proper cirriculum to teach. Thats like me asking you to teach a whole cirriculum of Evolution or the Homology in Animals. Yeah can't do it. You could answer but I could give the easy criticism of, Its too short or its too small or it makes no sense.


Also in response to ZERO's edit:
teaching evolution is trying to debunk intelligent design.

Answer 4

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? - We will be discussing today ideas about the origin of life and the information contained within each cell of life, for which any branch of science only speculates, as we also do, in pointing out that self replicating life occurs suddenly in fossil evidence with no clue, scientifically, of any method that would generate such complex information spontaneously without a designer.

Answer 5

Genesis 1:1-2:1-3
Destruction - Go to Chapter 3

Answer 6

As a teacher/curriculum developer, I'd have a very difficult time with this one.
Are we required to present ALL creation theories? If so, that's going to take up the entire school year alone.
This puts me in a precarious position between church and state, as these delve directly into the religious beliefs/myths of all cultures. This would belong in a cultural diversity/history or anthropology class, in my opinion. This is not science.

Answer 7

Little kids have a way of understanding and appreciating a genuine adult. So telling them that they're going to have to learn something that isn't necessarily the truth, but forced upon them by the bad politically correct beauracrats, well, then you've got their attention for a long time. After recess, you can use the same approach when you have to teach them that Mary has two mommies.

Answer 8

Come now..we all know that their intention was never to get ID taught in schools. The purpose has been and always will be a back door attempt at getting their religion taught in public schools.

The father of the modern ID movement has even stated this. " Our strategy has been to change the subject a bit so that we can get the issue of intelligent design, which really means the reality of god, before the academic world and into the schools - Phillip Johnson

If they ever come up with a lesson plan, by all means let them teach it in some sort of elective class for philosophy or a civics class and teach it as it is, as a failed political attempt at circumventing the US Constitution. But it has no place in science class because it isn't science.

Answer 9

I would not need to come up with a lesson plan on my own. I would just use a good Christian science book, like A Beka or Bob Jones, which already has good information.

Answer 10

Well, I would use the Bible and other texts as examples, forgetting my bias towards Christianity, because I would want to be fair about it. Anyways, I am confident that when properly educated and given the chance to execute their free will, a good number of pupils will choose God.

Answer 11

Not a Christian, but a teacher. So, if the law required me to teach this idea (let's hope that never happens,) this is how I'd go about doing it:

Intro: Let children offer some ideas on how they think the world began. Explain that this lesson will present one idea of many about how our world may have began.

Teach: Read a story book about the idea of creation (not the Bible, that isn't grade-level appropriate.)

Independent: Let the students create some type of visual representation of what the story suggested. Like, a flip book, etc. Let them share their work with the class.

Conclude: Explain that this was only one idea and that for the next few days we will be exploring other explanations.

* I have written too many lesson plans in my life if I can even pull one out of nowhere on a subject I disagree with, and I'm no where near a veteran teacher..... :)