Teaching Creationism or Intelligent Design to our youth can be done in a way that is neither opinion-based nor completely fact-based, but may involve some risk of personal interpretation. The first thing to consider is how middle school age children can grasp such a profound topic and have the ability to come to their own conclusions. The information found regarding the development of children in this developmental range was found in the book titled “Characteristics of Middle Grade Students,” Caught in the Middle by the Sacramento Department of Education. Students of this age have been found to possess a variety of learning attributes that support the belief that children can handle both sides of this controversial issue. Some of these attributes include propositional thinking, considering ideas contrary to facts, and reasoning with hypotheses involving two or more variables, which the majority of this essay will focus on. The benefits of being different in these teachings will also represent the side opposite of the opinion. Children between the ages of 11 and 13 have a tremendous amount of personal identity issues. Finding Out Who They Are and What They Believe During this time, a teacher has the unique opportunity to present all the facts surrounding the traditional theory of evolution and also introduce the facts of Creationism. By offering both sides of this idea of ​​how the world began, it gives students a great opportunity to find their own answers. What a wonderful experience for a teacher to see his students work on fact-finding, discussion, and learning to appreciate differences of opinion. Teachers of middle school students strive to enrich our children with all the knowledge and facts of The. .....middle of paper......his creation was all that was known and accepted. As we continue to live in an unknown world, it is important that our children are taught that there is some truth to most theories, otherwise they would not be received as credible. After all, it's just "opinion". We should teach our children to search for their own ideas, their own thoughts and to find their own truth. Works Cited Goodtein, Laurie. “Teaching Creationism Endorsed in New Survey.” The New York Times (2005): web.Parker, Gary. Facts of the creation of life. Green Forest: Master Books, (revised) 2006. (p19) Google Books. web.Sacremento California Department of Education. “Characteristics of Middle-Class Students,” Caught in the Middle. 1989.web.The Pew Forum. pewforum.org. February 4 2009. .