"PBS Teachers. Thematic Teaching. Constitutional Controversies" includes a teaching resource.
The following is a brief capsule of the lesson plan which the developers note is appropriate for grades 6 - 8 and 9 - 12.
The first part of this resource provides a brief historical overview and includes the important reference to the First Amendment, which reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." The section ends on a contemporary note, i.e., "Other church/state issues in the headlines include disputes over the teaching of evolution, efforts to make a constitutional issue of gay marriage, government-funded faith-based initiatives, senatorial battles over federal appeals court appointees, and the perennial Roe v. Wade issue." This is followed by specific teaching instructions:
---- Instruct your students to read the full text to the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause. Then read the interview with Robert Schenck, president of the national clergy council and an ordained minister with the Evangelical Church Alliance, and Barry Lynn, the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ. The issue discussed is the removal of the granite Ten Commandments from the Alabama Supreme Court on grounds that it violated the establishment clause.
---- Set up a class panel discussion to address the following issues (Teacher should guide discussion and research): What does freedom of religion mean? Should schools be allowed to teach religious beliefs? Why do we have separation of church and state? Should we have prayer in our schools? Can a government make you believe in God or not allow you to go to church?
----Introduce students to some of the most famous Supreme Court cases about the role of religion in American society. Some of these cases include: Everson v. Board of Education, McCollum v. Board of Education, School District v. Schemp, Walz v. Tax Commission, West Virginia State Board v. Burnette, Wisconsin v. Yoder, Locke v. Davey, and Zelman v. Simmons-Harris.
----Next it is suggested that teachers assign groups of students one case to research and prepare a class presentation. The presentation could be in the form of a skit (re-enactment of a Supreme Court hearing) or an art project (a mural or timeline). Prior to each group announcing what the Supreme Court decided, ask the class for a show of hands for or against.
In addition, the following on-line resources are listed:
-- NOW: God and Government:
http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/churchandstate.html
-- NewsHour Online: Church and State:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/religion/july-dec03/church_8-27.html
-- NewsHour Extra: School and Religion:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june00/prayerdecision.html
-- Frontline: The Jesus Factor -- Faith-Based Initiatives:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jesus/president/faithbased.html-- Flashpoints USA: God and Country:
http://www.pbs.org/flashpointsusa/20040127/infocus/
-- Exploring Constitutional Conflicts: Free Exercise of Religion:
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/freeexercise.htm
-- First Amendment Center:
http://www.fac.org
-- First Amendment Center: History of Religious Liberty in America:
http://www.fac.org/rel_liberty/history/overview.aspx
PBS Lesson Plans/Activities
-- Flashpoints USA: Church and State Separation:
http://www.pbs.org/flashpointsusa/20040127/educators/
-- NOW: Whose God?:
http://www.pbs.org/now/classroom/whosegod.html
-- Religion and Ethics Newsweekly: Religion in Public Schools:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/teachers/lp_rps.html
Print Resources
-- The Separation of Church and State: Writings on a Fundamental Freedom by America's Founders by Forrest Church (Editor)
-- The Constitution & Religion: Leading Supreme Court Cases on Church and State by Robert S. Alley (Editor)
