Martin Luther and the Reformation
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how and why Martin Luther rebelled against the religious authorities of his time.
Key learning points
- Martin Luther rebelled against the religious authority of his time.
- Martin Luther was an important figure in the Protestant Reformation.
- He rebelled against what he understood to be incorrect beliefs and practices in the Roman Catholic Church at his time.
- The author and context of a historical source should be considered when assessing its usefulness.
Keywords
Indulgences - ways through which Christians in the Catholic Church may be granted some reduction in the punishment of sins after forgiveness by God
Protestant Reformation - a Christian religious movement in the 16th century that aimed to reform the Catholic Church, but caused new denominations to be created
Purgatory - the process or place where a person's soul is prepared for heaven after death
Theses - statements or ideas put forward for discussion, argument or debate
Monk - a member of a religious group of men who often live separate from the rest of society
Common misconception
That Martin Luther King was an important figure in the Protestant Reformation.
Martin Luther King lived in the 20th century, but was named after Martin Luther who lived in the 16th century when the Protestant Reformation happened.
Teacher tip
There are myths and misconceptions around indulgences and the Roman Catholic Church which teachers should take care with. These can be further explored and understood from the Catholic perspective via sites such as: https://www.catholic.com/tract/myths-about-indulgences.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What term is the following a definition of? 'A person's way of understanding, experiencing and responding to the world.'
Q2.What term means a branch of Christianity?
Q3.Which Christian Church has the Pope as its head?
Q4.What term means an action which breaks a religious or moral law?
Q5.Which of the below years does the term 'the 16th century' refer to?
Q6.What is a 'primary' historical source?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What religious denomination was Martin Luther raised in by his family?
Q2.What event happened to Martin Luther that made him decide to become a monk?
Q3.What term refers to the 'ways through which Christians in the Catholic Church may be granted some reduction in the punishment of sins after forgiveness by God'?
Q4.What important invention occurred in the century before Martin Luther's birth which helped his ideas spread quickly across Europe?
Q5.Why did Martin Luther write the '95 theses'?
Q6.What is the name of the Christian thinker who taught that humans are too sinful to be able to do enough good works to be saved by God?
To help you plan your 9 religious education lesson on: Martin Luther and the Reformation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 religious education lesson on: Martin Luther and the Reformation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 religious education lessons from the Rebels: should we embrace or challenge authority? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.