Saturday, May 2, 2015

Re-Thinking an Investigation of the Protestant Reformation


by Doc Running Tpt Store: Hands on Education with Doc Running

I recently discovered the short video series "Crash Course," produced by John Green and his brother.  Green started with social studies topics, but has expanded to science and other topics.  While the videos can be a bit hit and miss, I admit that I enjoy the occasional viewing. At times, Green has an unusual take on historical periods.  For example, in the video "Crash Course: Renaissance," Green argues that the Renaissance didn’t actually happen. This year, I thought I’d get a little “Crash Course” perspective on the Protestant Reformation. What stood out most from Green’s "Crash Course: Reformation" was Green’s proposal that long before Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Occupy Wall Street protestors, Martin Luther - creator of the 95 Theses- and other European reformers participated in some of the world’s earlier protest movements.

Of course, it's completely logical to look in history and consider how these people also stood up for their beliefs. However, I hadn't really thought of the Reformation as a protest in the modern sense.  By approaching the Reformation from this point of view, my students would be able to make clear connections between modern times and history - an integral aspect of teaching history.

My new approach to the Protestant Reformation begins in modern times and then later travels back to the days of Martin Luther and Jan Hus.

Part 1
In this inquiry-based introductory lesson, students working in groups explore the roots of protest and reform. They examine a set of photos of various protest movements from different eras and answer:

-What is happening in the photos?
-What are some common characteristics?
-Why do you think these photos are grouped together?

Students discern that all the photos are examples of protests.

The students often identify the protests as being peaceful.  They also observe that the protesters are unhappy about an issue and want a specific change. 

Out of this first step, we infer two big ideas: something is being protested and a specific change or reform is being called for.  On the board, I write the words Protest and Reform.  These words stay up for several days, as before we head back to Martin Luther and the Protestant reformers, the students first launch their own protests.

Part 2
Students adopt an issue individually or in small groups. The campaign should include the issue that the students want to protest and the desired reform. A specific platform is necessary for a successful campaign. For example, students may remember hearing about the recent Occupy Wall Street protests. This is a good example of a protest about an issue, but without a uniform platform about specific policies that they wanted to change. As part of the campaign, the students will create posters, ads, tweets, pins, campaign songs, opinion articles, etc. to launch the campaign. Once students have completed a set of campaign pieces, it’s time to share their campaigns. I used a “science fair” style of presenting where half the class set up their campaigns and the other half went around the classroom learning about the issues and calls for reform and then the groups switched.

Part 3
After students have created their own protest campaigns, I introduced the protests of Martin Luther in his 95 Theses.  I added letters to words “Protest” and “Reform” so they became “Protestant” and “Reformation.” Then, the students examined Luther’s 95 Theses and explored the issues Luther was concerned about in the Catholic Church and the specific calls for reform.

Witnessing the students’ passions for change accompanied by their clearer understanding of Martin Luther’s passion was amazing.  Some students felt strongly about police brutality while others were passionate about women's rights in Saudi Arabia or income inequality. The student voices were proud and vocal. Some of the students have since formed groups to launch campaigns calling for reform.  And while, most of my students don't go to church, they easily understood Martin Luther's and the other Protestant reformers’ rally against corruption in the established power of the day: church.

Regardless of the subject, the power of this activity reinforces the importance of making connections between the topic of study and student’s real-life experiences.

For a full lesson, with slides and student handouts, click here.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Protest-Reform-Rethinking-Protestant-Reformation-a-Lesson-In-Social-Justice-1748959 Free Protestant Reformation lesson.










https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Research-Project-Historic-Figures-Research-and-role-play-CCSS-1711160In this project, students delve deep into a historic figure and then bring that figure to life at a fantastic end of project soiree.

2 comments:

  1. Doc Running,

    A strong believer in making learning relevant to students, I love how you link the past to the present and back again to the past. Today's headlines show that young people need to understand that effective protests that are based on issues can truly lead to necessary reforms. This lesson is an excellent vehicle to "teach our children well' and to show that being informed may lead to reforms.

    Thank you for sharing,
    Connie Casserly

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was trying to find this lesson, but can't see to...is there a specific place to go?

    ReplyDelete