💡 Is the Scopes Trial Still Relevant? Inquiry-Driven Curriculum Design Through a Culturally Responsive Lens

Post: Tim Hall, Ph.D., Executive Director, Religion Matters

Image: Davis, Watson. Tennessee vs. John Scopes “Monkey Trial”: Outdoor trial showing William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, Dayton, Tennessee. Photograph. Smithsonian Institution Archives. Image # SIA2007-0124, July 20, 1925.

A Trial from 1925, a Debate That’s Still With Us

Almost 100 years ago, a courtroom in Dayton, Tennessee, became the unlikely center of a national debate: Should evolution be taught in public schools? The Scopes “Monkey” Trial of 1925 wasn’t just about science versus religion—it brought forward the cultural tensions between modernism and traditionalism that were already simmering across the country. And that divide hasn’t disappeared. Today, we are still navigating debates about curriculum content, book bans, academic freedom, and whose stories belong in the classroom. Teaching the Scopes Trial gives us a chance to help students explore those ongoing tensions, not just as history, but as part of the living cultural landscape of American public education.

Curriculum Isn’t a Product—It’s a Process

During a recent System Leader Learning Lab (SL3) webinar in which I am a member of the cohort sponsored by The Social Studies Accelerator, I was reminded of something that’s resonated with me. Curriculum is not a product; it is a process. This idea came front and center when I revisited an Inquiry Design Model (IDM) unit on the Scopes Trial that I created and taught. I stepped back and asked: What would this IDM look like if I intentionally centered Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP)? What would it look like if I centered student voice, choices, and identity from the start? These questions led me to explore new possibilities through the lens of CRP, equity-driven design, and even generative AI, not as a shortcut, but as a reflective tool. 

Asking a Compelling Question

At the core of every IDM unit is a compelling question. For my IDM on Scopes, the compelling question is: Why is the Scopes Trial still relevant to public education today? It is a powerful entry point for students to consider the cultural, legal, and political pressures that shape what gets taught in schools and who decides. For me, this compelling question also raised another deeper question: How can I better align inquiry-based lessons with a culturally responsive lens?

Designing Before Delivering

I haven’t taught the redesigned IDM unit yet. But even in this stage, the process has already been deeply reflective, and honestly, transformative. It has challenged me to think critically about assessment:

• Are we giving students enough meaningful choices?
• Are we designing with multilingual learners in mind from the beginning, not as an afterthought?
• Are we affirming students’ cultural identities while encouraging them to think historically and critically?

As I revised the tasks, I moved away from simple application and towards more evaluation, reflection, and creation. I shifted toward assessments that invite not only more student agency and civic inquiry but also a personally and culturally relevant connection.

AI as a Thought Partner (Not the Leader)

One unexpected but meaningful part of this journey was working with ChatGPT—not to write lessons, but to think through design and assessment challenges with greater intentionality. With intentional prompting, I explored ways to:

• Rewrite instructions to reduce bias
• Scaffold tasks with greater accessibility
• Brainstorm multiple ways for student voice and choice

Of course, AI can’t replace teacher expertise, especially when we are designing for culturally responsive curriculum and instruction. But when used carefully and reflectively, AI can be a valuable thought partner and speed up the process.

What’s Next

I will hopefully be reteaching this IDM on the Scopes Trial in the coming months, and I am excited to see how students engage with the updated assessments developed with the help of AI. But already, this redesign process has reminded me of something essential. Assessment isn’t just about measuring what students know. It is about affirming who they are, through what we ask, how we ask it, and how students are invited to respond. It is also a reminder that social studies curriculum and instruction are the work of democracy, because what we ask students to do with social studies shapes how they show up in a plural democracy.

Moving Forward

As I move forward, I am asking myself:

• How can high-quality instructional materials like IDM units be more substantive rather than representative of marginalized communities?
• How can assessment be more just, more inclusive, and more culturally responsive?
• How can student voice and choice become more of a tool for both learning and assessment?

Once I have had the chance to bring this redesign into the classroom, I’ll share what students taught me in return. If you’re interested in exploring or using the revised IDM unit on the Scopes Trial, here is the link. I would love to hear how it works in your classroom. Let’s keep the conversation going!