EXAMINING “SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE” ISSUES IN PUBLIC EDUCATION

Study Questions

Are the following statements (A) CORRECT or (B) INCORRECT about the First Amendment Establishment Clause: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …”? 1. Under the “establishment” clause of the First Amendment, and in line with U.S. Supreme Court rulings, public school educators should lead students in prayer during the school day. 2. As agents of the state, public school teachers may not require prayer or other religious practices from students, even if students do not object to taking part in the devotional activities. 3. The first religion clause says government and its agencies cannot set up religious beliefs in students. 4. Local, state, and federal governments cannot set up a national religion. 5. The Establishment Clause prohibits the government from favoring one religion over another. 6. School administrators cannot broadcast prayers over a school public-address system. 7. Under the “free exercise” clause of the First Amendment, public schools may not prevent students from expressing or sharing religious beliefs privately or in lessons related to academic religious studies. 8. Public school students may express their religious beliefs if they do not disrupt the school environment. 9. The second part of the Establishment clause says that the government and its agencies may not forbid or interfere with individuals’ practice of religion. 10. Students may not bring religious texts to school to read and discuss them.

Study Questions

Reference: “Teaching about the Bible in Public School: How to do it Right” by Mark A. Chancey (https://www.au.org/the-latest/church-and-state/articles/teaching-about-the-bible-in-publicschools/ )

Directions: Based on this article, are the following statements (A) TRUE or (B) FALSE? 11. Teaching about the Hebrew Bible is illegal on public school campuses. 12. Studies about the Hebrew Bible are permissible on public school grounds only if other religions are in the curriculum also. 13. Mark Chance, professor of religious studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, studied the teaching practices of teachers of Bible Literacy courses in public schools. 14. According to Chancey, successful Bible literacy courses in public school curricula rely primarily on resources by a variety of biblical scholarship. 15. Successful Bible literacy classes in public education show sensitivity toward issues resulting from religious diversity.

16. Bible literacy class assignments should be intellectually challenging and require critical thinking. 17. Students in Bible literacy classes should avoid creativity so as not to offend other students with different religious persuasions. 18. Bible literacy lessons in public schools should focus on rote memorization of scriptures. 19. Bible literacy curriculum should inform students about different Bibles of various religious traditions, including Jewish and Christian. 20. Bible literacy teachers should recognize biblical texts as historical sources. 21. Teachers of the Hebrew Bible in public education should present the text as a completely historical document. 22. Bible literacy classes may include lessons on the theological, ethical, and moral claims of the biblical text. 23. Teachers of Bible literacy in public education should present the biblical text as the only authoritative text for making theological, ethical, and moral decisions. 24. Bible literacy classes should treat Judaism as a religion with its own culture. 25. Teachers of biblical literacy courses recognize the Hebrew Bible as a religious text instead of a science book.

Assignment:

 Reread the article “How Should We Teach the Bible in Public Schools? by Mark A.

Chancey (2014) (https://religionandpolitics.org/2014/01/07/how-should-we-teach-thebible-in-public-schools/).  Respond in complete sentences to the following:

a. What are the problems that Chancey found in the teaching practices of biblical literacy classes in Texas? b. Summarize the practices of the successful Bible literacy classes. (Give three-five examples.)

 Edit your writing to correct errors.  Post your examples on the discussion board. Label the post: Examples of Successful

Bible Literacy Classes in Public Education.

A Closing Thought:

“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.” —Confucius

LESSON FOUR

USING ONLINE BIBLE STUDY TOOLS (PART ONE) (COPYRIGHT & THE PUBLIC DOMAIN RULES)

Lesson Overview:

Copyright law affects the way we gather, share, create and use the intellectual property that is so readily available in our culture. This lesson focuses on copyright and fair use in relation to materials from mass media, popular culture, and digital media. The lesson helps educators and students understand the legal and ethical uses of copyrighted materials protected under the doctrine of fair use.

Key Concepts:

copyright, fair use, copyfraud, public domain

Lesson Objectives:

Students will:

 use online resources to access and interpret information.  understand terminology and rules related to copyrighted and public domain materials.  learn about how copyright law protects both the rights of owners and the rights of users to promote creativity for the good of society.  learn about Section 107 of the Copyright Act and see how fair use applies to teaching and learning.  understand that ideas about copyright are in transition because of changes in communication technologies.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:  demonstrate a knowledge of terminology related to the public domain and copyright rules.  decide when and how to use copyrighted materials as part of their creative works.

A. apply the concepts of copyright laws and fair use to the practices of teaching and learning.

Materials:

To complete the lesson, students will need:

 Copyright and Fair Use Lesson Plans by Renee Hobbs, Sandra Braman and Katie

Donnelly (https://mediaeducationlab.com/copyright-and-fair-use-lesson-plans-highschool-college-and-graduate-education)  Copyright and Fair Use (https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/public-domain/welcome/)  Creative Commons (https://creativecommons.org/2017/01/16/public-domain-5-thingsnot-covered-copyright/)  WIPO Intellectual Property (https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_450_2020.pdf)  Internet access/e-mail/computer editing ability  Notebook/paper/pen

Procedure:

Read: Copyright and Fair Use Lesson Plans by Renee Hobbs, Sandra Braman and Katie Donnelly (https://mediaeducationlab.com/copyright-and-fair-use-lesson-plans-high-schoolcollege-and-graduate-education). Respond to the study questions that follow. Are the following statements (A) CORRECT or (B) INCORRECT? 1. The word, “copyright,” relates to the rights of owners to control access to their intellectual property. 2. The U.S. Constitution says that the purpose of copyright is to promote the spread of knowledge and innovation. 3. The intellectual property rights provision of the Constitution exists because the Founders believed that encouraging the development of innovative ideas and information serves society. 4. Today’s copyright and fair use rules have increased confusion and anxiety among educators. 5. The term “intellectual property” refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce. 6. To protect the value of their intellectual property, owners have lobbied for changes in copyright law. 7. In general, educators have incomplete knowledge about copyright law and the doctrine of fair use. 8. Lack of knowledge about copyright rules has a negative effect on the quality of teaching and learning. 9. Copyright guides can limit the spread of innovative instructional practices and perpetuate misunderstandings about copyright. 10. The Agreement on Guidelines for Classroom Copying in Not-for-Profit Educational Institutions, the Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia, and the Guidelines for the Educational Use of Music resulted from negotiated agreements between lawyers standing for media companies and lawyers standing for educational groups.