Abstract:
The controversy over the origin of life has been raging for several years. Although commonly a political argument involving separation of church and state, it is also a common debate among biology educators. The quandary is about whether to teach both creation and evolution as possible explanations for the origins of life or to teach evolution as the only possibility. The former allows students to decide for themselves which theory they believe while the latter presupposes this decision and gives fewer opportunities for critical thought.As a future educator faced with this dilemma, I believe that both theories regarding the origins of life should be taught in the classroom. In exploring this belief, I have examined both evolution and creationism and have discovered that they can, in fact, be taught side-by-side in schools as possible explanations for how life began. Although evolution does not address the specific issue of how life began, it does give a mechanism for the development of the diversity we know today. It is this mechanism that will be addressed. I have developed a unit plan that encompasses both explanations and allows students to form their own opinions about this subject.
