Goals and Objectives
Students will understand the
importance of the Catholic church as a political, economic, religious, social
and intellectual/cultural institution during the Middle Ages. Students will
also learn about the cooperative, yet, also antagonistic relationship between
the church and secular rulers and how this relationship allowed both parties to
rise in power and dominance during the Middle Ages. In this lesson, students
will analyze primary and secondary sources to identify the different roles the
church played in Medieval society. Students will extrapolate evidence from the
sources to explain how the church grew to influence politics and intellectual
life and explain their claims through a text-based discussion and short essay.
California State Content Standards
7.6.4.
Demonstrate an understanding of the conflict and cooperation between the Papacy
and European monarchs (e.g., Charlemagne, Gregory VII, Emperor Henry IV).
7.6.8. Understand the importance of the Catholic church as a political, intellectual, and aesthetic institution (e.g., founding of universities, political and spiritual roles of the clergy, creation of monastic and mendicant religious orders, preservation of the Latin language and religious texts, St. Thomas Aquinas's synthesis of classical philosophy with Christian theology, and the concept of "natural law").
7.6.8. Understand the importance of the Catholic church as a political, intellectual, and aesthetic institution (e.g., founding of universities, political and spiritual roles of the clergy, creation of monastic and mendicant religious orders, preservation of the Latin language and religious texts, St. Thomas Aquinas's synthesis of classical philosophy with Christian theology, and the concept of "natural law").
Common Core Literacy Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.9
Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2
Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.9
Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2
Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
Driving Historical Questions
What political and intellectual/cultural
role did the Catholic Church play in the lives of Medieval Europeans? How and
why did secular rulers and the church both cooperate and conflict with each
other?
Lesson Introduction
The night before, students have
read a chapter from their textbook giving them background information about the
Catholic Church. They would have also completed a picture dictionary of their
vocabulary terms. In class, the teacher will introduce the class by presenting
two medieval primary sources - a painting and a written excerpt. Students will
be given a handout with these two primary sources and a space for notes. The
class will quickly review what a primary source is and why it is important in
the study of history by talking with a neighbor. The teacher will choose
students to share their answers with the whole class.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary will be addressed throughout the students' reading and lecture from the day before. In the lecture, the teacher will provide the words, definitions, and visuals to represent the different words. Additionally, students will be given a graphic organizer to help them visualize the hierarchical structure of the church. This graphic organizer is included below.
Students will create a picture
dictionary to remember all of the key terms and this should have been completed
the night before for homework. Key terms include:
- clergy
- sacrament
- canon law
- Holy Roman Empire
- lay investiture
- excommunication
- Otto I
- Pope Gregory VII
- Henry IV
Content Delivery (Inquiry of Primary Sources)
The teacher will first model the
analysis and close reading of primary source documents by analyzing two primary
source documents aloud with the entire class. The teacher will engage in a
think-aloud and jot down notes in a graphic organizer that has been projected
on the board. After modeling the close reading of one document, the teacher
will gradually give up the responsibility of the task to the students by
calling on volunteers to provide their own analyses and interpretations. The
teacher will ask probing questions and ensure that students are forming
analyses based on evidence from the text.
Then the class will get into the body of the lesson. This lesson will be presented through primary source documents to explore the historical question: What political and intellectual/cultural role did the Catholic Church play in the lives of Medieval Europeans? How and why did secular rulers and the church both cooperate and conflict with each other? Students will participate in a modified gallery walk; instead of walking around to view different documents, the documents will move around to the students. Students will each get a graphic organizer to organize their notes and thoughts. After modeling how to analyze primary sources - both visual and written - the teacher will hand out a new chunking graphic organizer for the class activity and write key strategies to use while analyzing a document and questions regarding sourcing, contextualizing, close reading/the analysis of key words, and corroborating evidence on the board.
Key Questions:
Who is the author? When, where, and for whom was it written/created? Is the document and/or its author reliable? What is the key message in the document? How do you know - what evidence do you have from the text? What is the document's significance and connection to the key historical question, to the other documents?
Decoding Strategies (adapted from https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources/teaching-strategies/chunking):
Then the class will get into the body of the lesson. This lesson will be presented through primary source documents to explore the historical question: What political and intellectual/cultural role did the Catholic Church play in the lives of Medieval Europeans? How and why did secular rulers and the church both cooperate and conflict with each other? Students will participate in a modified gallery walk; instead of walking around to view different documents, the documents will move around to the students. Students will each get a graphic organizer to organize their notes and thoughts. After modeling how to analyze primary sources - both visual and written - the teacher will hand out a new chunking graphic organizer for the class activity and write key strategies to use while analyzing a document and questions regarding sourcing, contextualizing, close reading/the analysis of key words, and corroborating evidence on the board.
Key Questions:
Who is the author? When, where, and for whom was it written/created? Is the document and/or its author reliable? What is the key message in the document? How do you know - what evidence do you have from the text? What is the document's significance and connection to the key historical question, to the other documents?
Decoding Strategies (adapted from https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources/teaching-strategies/chunking):
- Circle words that are unfamiliar.
- Use context clues to help define.
- Look up the meaning of unknown words.
- Write synonyms for these new words in the text.
- Underline important places and people and identify.
- Read aloud.
- Read multiple times.
Student Engagement (Critical Thinking & Student Activities)
Students will sit in groups of
four. In total, there should be around 8 groups. The class will also be split
into two sections (4 groups in each section). There will be four different
primary source documents regarding the Medieval church used in this activity: a
plaque with King Otto I presenting the Cathedral of Magdeburg, a Capitulary of
Charlemagne, an account from Pope Gregory VII, and The Bull of Pope Adrian IV
Empowering Henry II to Conquer Ireland. Each group in each section will receive one of
the documents. The teacher will give students
4 minutes to examine and analyze the document silently and individually. After
4 minutes, the teacher will allow students 4 more minutes to discuss the
document out loud as a group. While students analyze their document, they must
jot down their ideas on their chunking graphic organizer. Then when the time
runs out, the group must pass their primary source document to the next group
and receive their new document from another group. They will then repeat the
process until they have received all three documents at least once.
Lesson Closure
After all groups have discussed
each document, the teacher will call the class together and call on groups to
discuss their findings and interpretations or clarify any questions. After the
class discussion, the teacher will present the homework. For homework, students
will write a 1-2 paragraph short essay in response to the initial driving
historical questions. Students must cite evidence from the documents to support
their answer.
Assessments (Formative & Summative)
The activities and products from
this activity is in preparation for the end-of-the-unit multiple choice test
and document-based short response essay.
Formative Assessments: Class Discussion, Chunking Graphic Organizer
Summative Assessments: Document-based short response essay
Formative Assessments: Class Discussion, Chunking Graphic Organizer
Summative Assessments: Document-based short response essay
Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs
The teacher will scaffold the
analysis of primary source documents by first modeling the procedure with the
entire class and providing a handout with the key questions and strategies to
use while analyzing the documents. The teacher will also provide a chunking
graphic organizer to help students organize their thoughts and visualize the
different processes used in analyzing primary source documents. Students will
also heavily scaffold each others' thinking, since they will be working in
groups to analyze the documents and discussing the documents as a whole class.
Additionally, the teacher will allow students to use their dictionaries,
devices, and textbook to look up unknown words or concepts. The teacher will
also be walking around to answer questions throughout the activity and will be
available to help before and after class if students need assistance with their
homework.