’WPCM ”5—oU”u`(*;°åÖX½}"Mńę½įÉóv=\Lém•TµļńĢ?)›éxW’š(ĀDļ§¦¦(fb‡Ų½ M£”fZ‘ĆŠ‰R؅ćWW© B}“½“Ø=Čo²ų–Ā…R¹ūbą{k ”/ J§€J' KĶGī¢D«Ō—Ģ¦šŌü9> ŠƒdŅt’'!“€GŻ[g2N…ōFbÄC•Ł^ÆłšI>D<ėøYŃRŠƒ§ė¾FŌM,÷":xĶü¤=ŗ4ŒųŚŚ0^  ¶tZa¼ŽY)a üĘĘÓ¢¦NPY˜Ö–+FŻŃE&›ĒOu5/™ C_OŽ±Ąü?ÓZĄfŌ!įß«\nŪėāCž÷3œ©ģÖzŠ„·ÖBCZėJ˜¬„żĮW½$¾ä±…½e©@„aā( Ī!ĀŚ hņœ #ÉØUNq %æ 0:ÅN’^ w 4%4 m6˜HP Deskjet 6500 SeriesTŽ––––TŽ0(ÖĆ9 Z‹6Times New Roman RegularX(üœ$””ŌUSUS.,Ōī¹‹4ó Xø3ź:i¢×+003|x’U‹’ĄĄĄŻ ƒüœ!ŻŌUSUS.,ŌŻ  ŻŌ_ŌÓ  Óņ ņŌ‡ ZaXXŌStudents€take€evolution€fight€to€classŌ#†Xķ¤X ZaL#ŌŠ ° ŠBiology€teachers€face€tough€questionsŠ ź: ŠbyŠ Ö& ŠStephanie€Simon,€Los€Angeles€TimesŠ Ā ŠĢó óÓ=ÓĢGrowing€up€in€Independence,€Mo.,€biology€teacher€Al€Ō_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€learned€the€Biblical€creationŠ † Ö Šaccount€from€his€mother,€a€Sunday€school€teacher.€"I€believed€it€without€question,"€he€said.€"ItŠ r Ā Šwas€literal€to€me."Š ^ ® ŠĢHe€doesn't€remember€hearing€about€evolution€in€high€school,€but€then,€he€didn't€pay€muchŠ 6†  Šattention€to€academics.€It€wasn't€until€college€that€he€discovered€a€passion€for€biology.Š "r  ŠĢOne€evening€in€1968,€Ō_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€was€dissecting€a€shark's€heart€for€a€night€course.€As€he€spread€theŠ śJ  Šorgan€out€in€front€of€him,€studying€the€looping€valves€and€arteries,€he€had€what€he€can€onlyŠ ę6  Šdescribe,€with€wonder,€as€a€religious€experience.€"All€those€beautiful€arches€coming€off€the€heartŠ Ņ" Š--€it€was€just€too€perfect,"€he€said.€"I€thought€to€myself,€God€could€have€created€this€animal€justŠ ¾ Šthis€way."Š Ŗś ŠĢThat€satisfied€his€religious€nature.€But€the€scientist€within€him€wouldn't€let€the€matter€rest.Š ‚Ņ ŠDissecting€more€animal€hearts,€Ō_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€found€the€same€awe-inspiring€beauty.€He€also€came€toŠ n¾ Šunderstand€how€an€organ€as€complex€as€the€heart€could€evolve;€he€could€see€the€progressionŠ ZŖ Šthere€on€his€lab€table,€from€one€chamber€to€two€to€four.Š F– ŠĢŌ_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€still€believed€that€God€created€the€universe,€but€his€faith€couldn't€tell€him€what€happenedŠ n Šnext;€to€answer€that€question,€he€concluded,€he€would€need€science.€At€22,€he€decided€the€bestŠ  Z Šway€to€honor€his€faith€was€to€hold€it€sacred€in€his€heart€--€and€to€keep€it€out€of€his€lab.Š öF ŠĢĢMonday€morning,€Room€207:€First€day€of€a€unit€on€the€origins€of€life.€Veteran€biology€teacher€AlŠ ŗ  ŠŌ_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€switches€on€the€overhead€projector€and€braces€himself.Š ¦ ö ŠĢAs€his€students€rummage€for€their€notebooks,€Ō_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€introduces€his€central€theme:€Every€creatureŠ ~"Ī  Šon€Earth€has€been€shaped€by€random€mutation€and€natural€selection€--€in€a€word,€by€evolution.Š j#ŗ! ŠĢĢņ ņThe€challenges€begin€at€once.ó óŠ .&~!$ ŠĢ"Isn't€it€true€that€mutations€only€make€an€animal€weaker?"€sophomore€Chris€Ō_ŌWillettŌ_Ō€demands.€"Š (V#& Š'Cause€I€was€watching€one€time€on€Ō_ŌCNNŌ_Ō€and€they€mutated€monkeys€to€see€if€they€could€get€oneŠ ņ(B$' Što€become€human,€and€they€couldn't."Š Ž).%( ŠĢŌ_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€tries€to€explain€that€evolution€takes€millions€of€years,€but€Ō_ŌWillettŌ_Ō€isn't€listening.€"I€feel€aŠ ¶+'* Štail€growing!"€he€calls€to€his€friends,€drawing€laughter.Š ¢,ņ'+ ŠŠ Ž-Ž(, ŠUnruffled,€Ō_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€puts€up€a€transparency€tracing€the€evolution€of€the€whale,€from€its€ancientŠ ° Šorigins€as€a€hoofed€land€animal€through€two€lumbering€transitional€species€and€finally€into€theŠ œģ Šsea.€He's€about€to€start€on€the€fossil€evidence€when€sophomore€Jeff€Paul€interrupts:€"How€are€youŠ ˆŲ Š100€percent€sure€that€those€bones€belong€to€those€animals?€It€could€just€be€some€deformedŠ tÄ Šraccoon."Š `° ŠĢFrom€the€back€of€the€room,€sophomore€Melissa€Brooks€chimes€in:€"Those€are€real€bones€thatŠ 8 ˆ Šsomeone€actually€found?€You're€not€just€making€this€up?"Š $ t ŠĢ"No,€I€am€not€just€making€it€up,"€Ō_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€says.Š ü L  ŠĢAt€least€half€the€students€in€this€class€of€14€don't€believe€him,€though,€and€they're€not€about€to€letŠ Ō$  Šhim€off€easy.Š Ą  ŠĢTwo€decades€of€political€and€legal€maneuvering€on€evolution€has€spilled€over€into€publicŠ ˜č  Šschools,€and€biology€teachers€are€struggling€to€respond.€Loyal€to€the€accounts€they've€learned€inŠ „Ō  Šchurch,€students€are€taking€it€upon€themselves€to€wedge€Ō_ŌcreationismŌ_Ō€into€the€classroom,Š pĄ Šsometimes€with€snide€comments,€but€also€with€sophisticated€questions€--€and€a€fervent€faith.Š \¬ ŠĢAs€sophomore€Daniel€Read€put€it:€"I'm€going€to€say€as€much€about€God€as€I€can€in€school,€evenŠ 4„ Šif€the€teachers€can't."Š  p ŠĢņ ņFlustered€teachersó óŠ ųH ŠĢSuch€challenges€have€become€so€disruptive€that€some€teachers€dread€the€annual€unit€on€evolutionŠ Š  Š--€or€skip€it€altogether.Š ¼  ŠĢIn€response,€the€American€Association€for€the€Advancement€of€Science€is€distributing€a€24-pageŠ ”ä Šguide€to€teaching€the€scientific€principles€behind€evolution,€starting€in€kindergarten.€The€groupŠ €Š Šalso€has€put€out€a€list€of€talking€points€for€teachers€flustered€by€demands€to€present€"both€sides."Š l¼ ŠĢ"We're€not€going€to€roll€over€and€take€this,"€said€Alan€I.€Ō_ŌLeshnerŌ_Ō,€the€executive€publisher€of€theŠ D!” Šjournal€Science.€"These€teachers€are€facing€phenomenal€pressure.€They€need€help."Š 0"€  ŠĢAbout€half€of€all€Americans€dismiss€the€scientific€consensus€that€life€on€Earth€evolved€from€aŠ $X" Šcommon€ancestor€over€millions€of€years.€Some€hold€to€a€literal€reading€of€Genesis:€God€createdŠ ō$D # Šthe€universe€about€6,000€years€ago.€Others€accept€an€ancient€cosmos€but€take€the€variety,Š ą%0!$ Šcomplexity€and€beauty€of€Earth's€creatures€as€proof€that€life€was€crafted€by€an€intelligentŠ Ģ&"% Šdesigner.Š ø'#& ŠĢReligious€accounts€of€life's€origins€have€generally€been€kept€out€of€the€science€classroom.€ButŠ )ą$( Špolls€show€a€majority€of€Americans€are€unhappy€with€the€evolution-only€approach.Š |*Ģ%) ŠĢņ ņĢŠ @-(, Š‡A€Christian€dutyŠ ° Šó óĢRead,€for€instance,€considers€it€his€Christian€duty€to€expose€his€classmates€to€the€truths€he€findsŠ ˆŲ Šin€the€Bible,€starting€with€the€six€days€of€creation.€It's€his€way,€he€said,€of€counterbalancing€theŠ tÄ Štextbook.€A€soft-spoken€teen€with€shaggy€hair€and€baggy€pants,€Read€prepares€carefully€for€hisŠ `° Šmission.€He€studies€Ō_ŌDVDsŌ_Ō€distributed€by€Answers€in€Genesis,€a€"creation€evangelism"€ministryŠ L œ Šdevoted€to€training€children€as€young€as€5€to€question€evolution.Š 8 ˆ ŠĢOther€students€gather€ammunition€from€sermons€at€church,€or€from€Web€sites€that€criticizeŠ  ` Ševolution€as€a€God-denying€sham.€They€interrupt€lectures€to€expound€on€the€inaccuracies€ofŠ ü L  Šcarbon€dating;€to€disparage€transitional€fossils€as€frauds;€to€show€photos€of€ancient€footprints€thatŠ č 8  Šthey€think€prove€humans€and€dinosaurs€walked€side€by€side.Š Ō$  ŠĢIf€hushed,€they€stalk€out€of€class€or€put€their€heads€down€on€their€desks€to€make€it€plain€they€haveŠ ¬ü  Šstopped€listening.Š ˜č  ŠĢņ ņAvoiding€the€E-wordŠ pĄ Šó óĢAnxious€to€forestall€such€challenges,€nearly€one€in€five€teachers€makes€a€point€of€avoiding€theŠ H˜ Šword€"evolution"€in€class€--€even€when€they're€presenting€the€topic,€according€to€a€survey€by€theŠ 4„ ŠNational€Science€Teachers€Association.Š  p ŠĢ"They're€saying€they€don't€know€how€to€respond.€...€They€haven't€done€the€research€the€kids€haveŠ ųH Šdone€on€this,"€said€Linda€Ō_ŌFroschauerŌ_Ō,€the€group's€president-elect.Š ä4 ŠĢIn€a€classroom€cluttered€with€paper€models€of€DNA,€newspaper€clippings€about€global€warmingŠ ¼  Šand€oddities€such€as€a€four-eared€pig€in€formaldehyde,€Ō_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€parries€his€students'€questionsŠ Øų Špatiently€but€with€a€bit€of€disappointment.Š ”ä ŠĢFor€the€first€27€years€of€his€career,€he€taught€life's€origins€without€controversy.€Then€in€1999,€theŠ l¼ ŠKansas€Board€of€Education€deleted€evolution€from€the€mandatory€science€curriculum.Š X Ø ŠĢŌ_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€was€teaching€biology€at€the€time€in€Shawnee€Mission,€Ō_ŌKanŌ_Ō.,€and€he€was€determined€not€toŠ 0"€  Šalter€his€curriculum.€His€students,€however,€seemed€emboldened€by€the€board's€action.Š #l! ŠĢņ ņTables€turn€twiceó óŠ ō$D # ŠĢKansas€restored€evolution€to€the€science€curriculum€in€2001€after€conservatives€lost€theirŠ Ģ&"% Šmajority€on€the€board.€A€subsequent€election€again€shifted€the€balance,€and€last€year€the€boardŠ ø'#& Šissued€a€mandate,€which€still€stands:€Students€must€be€taught€that€the€theory€of€evolution€is€aŠ ¤(ō#' Š"historical€narrative"€based€on€circumstantial€evidence.€They€must€also€learn€specific€criticismsŠ )ą$( Šof€evolution.Š |*Ģ%) ŠĢTo€engage€students€who€might€be€inclined€to€tune€out,€Ō_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€fills€his€lesson€plans€with€hands-onŠ T,¤'+ Šactivities.Š @-(, Š‡In€one,€he'll€Ō_ŌunspoolŌ_Ō€a€long€roll€of€adding-machine€tape€and€have€the€students€make€a€Ō_ŌtimelineŌ_Ō€ofŠ ° ŠEarth's€history.€They'll€be€able€to€see€at€a€glance€how€long€it€took€for€a€vast€diversity€of€creaturesŠ œģ Što€evolve,€from€the€humble€worm€430€million€years€ago€to€the€first€fish€345€million€years€agoŠ ˆŲ Šand€on€through€dinosaurs€and€mammals.€On€his€Ō_ŌtimelineŌ_Ō,€early€man€won't€appear€until€the€veryŠ tÄ Šend€of€the€paper,€right€up€against€the€edge.Š `° ŠĢŌ_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€hopes€the€exercise€will€make€an€impression€on€students€such€as€Chris€Ō_ŌWillettŌ_Ō,€who€offeredŠ 8 ˆ Šthis€rebuttal€to€evolution:€"I€think€it's€kind€of€strange€that€they€can€find€all€these€dinosaur€fossilsŠ $ t Šfrom€what€you€say€is€millions€of€years€ago,€but€they€can't€find€any€transitional€human€fossils."Š  ` ŠĢņ ņDispute€over€dinosaursŠ č 8  Šó óĢŌ_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€promised€to€show€the€class€several€fossils€that€document€the€halting€and€gradual€evolutionŠ Ą  Šfrom€apes€to€humans.€Then€he€reminded€them€not€to€expect€equal€numbers€of€human€andŠ ¬ü  Šdinosaur€remains,€because€Ō_ŌhominidsŌ_Ō€emerged€only€recently,€while€dinosaurs€ruled€the€planet€forŠ ˜č  Šnearly€200€million€years.Š „Ō  ŠĢAt€that,€sophomore€Ō_ŌDerikŌ_Ō€Montgomery€snapped€to€attention.Š \¬ ŠĢ"I€heard€that€dinosaurs€are€only€thousands€of€years€old,€like€6,000.€Not€millions,"€he€said.Š 4„ ŠĢ"That's€wrong,"€Ō_ŌFrisbyŌ_Ō€responded€briskly.€"What€can€I€tell€you?€You€can't€believe€everything€youŠ  \ Šread."Š ųH ŠĢSprawled€out€across€his€chair,€Ō_ŌDerikŌ_Ō€muttered:€"You€can't€believe€everything€you€hear€in€here,Š Š  Šeither."Š ¼  ŠĢĢPublished:€Apr€10,€2006€Š €Š Š