Title: Which church to choose? Renaissance Reformation

Lesson plan elaborated by: Katarzyna Maciejak

Topic:

Which church to choose? Renaissance Reformation.

Target group:

1st‑grade students of a high school.

Core curriculum

I. Literary and cultural education.

2. Receipt of cultural texts. Student:

1) processes and hierarchizes information from texts, such as journalistic, popular science and scientific;

5) characterises the main philosophical trends and determines their influence on the culture of the era;

6) read philosophical views contained in various works;

II. Language education.

2. Differentiation of language. Student:

7) recognise the valuing vocabulary; distinguishes neutral vocabulary from the vocabulary with an emotional color, official from colloquial.

III. Creating statements.

1. Elements of rhetoric. Student:

2) indicates and distinguishes persuasive goals in literary and non‑literary speech;

4) explains how the rhetorical means used (eg rhetorical questions, calculations, exclamations, parallelisms, repetitions, apostrophes, metadases, inversions) affect the recipient;

7) distinguishes the discussion from the dispute and quarrels;

2. Speaking and writing. Student:

1) agrees with other people's views or polemicizes with them, substantively justifying their own opinion;

2) build a statement in a conscious manner, with the knowledge of its language function, taking into account the purpose and the addressee, keeping the principles of rhetoric;

4) in accordance with standards formulates questions, answers, evaluations, edits information, justifications, comments, a voice in the discussion;

6) creates consistent statements in the following species forms: an argumentative statement, a paper, an interpretative sketch, a critical sketch, a definition, an encyclopaedic entry, a synthesizing note;

9) uses rhetorical compositional principles in creating its own text; speaks with non‑linguistic means;

IV. Self‑study. Student:

1) develops the ability of independent work, among others, by preparing various forms of presenting their own position;

2) organises information into a problematic whole by valuing it; synthesizes the learned content around the problem, topic, topic and uses it in your statements.

General aim of education

Students learn about different reformed religions and discuss their assumptions

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Learning outcomes

Student:

• explains the main assumptions of Lutheranism, Calvinism and Anglicanism;

• points out the similarities and differences between reformed religions;

• discusses the reasons for the emergence of religious movements;

• develops vocabulary related to religious studies.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • snowball method.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

1. Students remember what medieval theocentrism was like.

Introduction

1. The teacher determines the purpose of the lesson: the students will talk about the Reformation. Together with students, sets the criteria for success.

2. Conversation addressed on the subject of medieval universalism (in a religious context) and theocentrism. The teacher asks the students whether it was possible, according to them, to have universal faith in God for all European countries, and what the practice of faith could have been different in.

Realization

1. The teacher signals that in the west of Europe the rebirth has been marked by religious wars. He asks students about possible reasons for the formation of reform movements (students talk about it in pairs and write their ideas in points - they take into account the mood of the era and the historical context of the Middle Ages). Then the students join in fours and discuss the collected messages, then in eights etc., until they make a joint note on this topic.

2. The students will get acquainted with the information about the next reformed denominations and on the basis of them carry out the exercises included in the abstract.

3. Students, using the generator included in the abstract, prepare a test question regarding the contents of the lesson for a friend or colleague.

4. The teacher divides the class into two teams. He initiates a debate between them on whether the reform movements were the right response to the anxieties and religious conflicts of the end of the Middle Ages.

Summary

1. The teacher initiates a discussion about what is the position of beliefs created after the Reformation in the modern world.

2. Sample lesson summary questions:
   - What were the reasons for the emergence of reformed denominations?
   - Why have religious conflicts adopted a bloody form of religious wars?
   - List the most important differences between religions: Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Calvinism and Catholicism.

Homework

1. Prepare a poster about reformed movements in the Renaissance. In his work, present how Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry VIII tried to answer the problems of the Church.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Which church to choose? Renaissance Reformation

1. Revise what medieval theocentrism was.

2. Check which Christian religion has a church in your town.

The Renaissance focussed on man and his earthly existence. However, this does not mean that religious issues lost their meaning. On the contrary – a belief that God exists and that God is Christian was prevalent. As it turned out, religious matters inflamed the “reborn” minds to such an extent that religious wars engulfed the Western Europe of that era.

Martin Luther (1483–1546) for over 30 years, was a member of the Western Church which was under the Pope’s authority and, for over 10 years, – a monk in the Order of Saint Augustine. Over time, however, Luther’s resistance towards Rome started building inside him, which lead to him hanging 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle church on 31st October 1517. Luther attacked the Church for its various misdemeanours, including the practice of “selling indulgences” to absolve sin. The Pope accused Luther of heresy and ordered him to withdraw the theses. The monk, however, burnt the papal bull in public, which lead to his excommunication. He did not, however, cease to spread the ideas indicating the necessity to return to the genuine Evangel (hence that name evangelists). Luther was protected by German princes, who, a few years later (1529), protested against the ban on reformation (renewal) in the Church (hence the name: protestants).

John Calvin (1509–1564) came from a French Catholic family. As an eleven year old boy he became a student at the Sorbonne in Paris, which was to guarantee him a career as a clergyman. During his studies, however, he became familiar with the ides of Lutheranism. He forewent the idea of studying theology and in 1531 he graduated university with a diploma in law. Having returned to Paris, Calvin converted to Protestantism. In fear of repressions, he moved to Switzerland, where he stayed in such cities as Strasbourg and Geneva. In 1535 his Institutio christianae religionis (Institutes of the Christian Religion) was published, where Calvin proposed changes to Protestantism and laid out the principles of Calvinism.

Henry VIII (1491–1547) – a king of England from the Tudor dynasty. He became a king at the age of 18. Upon Luther’s breakaway from the Church, the king strongly criticised Luther’s doctrine, for which he was given the title of Fidei defensor (the defender of faith) by the Pope. However, in 1533, he himself broke away from the Church. The reason for that was the Pope’s refusal to grant him a divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Henry VIII was planning another marriage therefore decided to part from the Church. In 1534 the Act on Supremacy was passed which made the king the head of the Anglican Church. Despite the fact that Henry VIII was resistant towards other non‑Catholic religions, his decision to break away from the “popery” and fight those who were dedicated to Rome enabled Lutheranism and Calvinism to flourish in England.