Faith and Fear

Overview

Students explore the concepts of heresy and witchcraft and connect them to religious and social tensions in early modern Europe. The lesson uses short stimulus (video/reading), structured discussion, and reflective journaling to help students identify key features of the period and use appropriate historical language of time and causation.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• identify what “heresy” and “witchcraft” meant in early modern European communities
• describe how the Reformation contributed to religious tension and conflict
• explain why accusations of heresy and witchcraft were feared and how these accusations affected daily life
• investigate perspectives from different groups using the language of time (e.g., “during”, “in this period”, “at the time”)

Success criteria

Students can:

• define heresy and witchcraft in their own words, using evidence from the stimulus
• give at least two reasons people feared heresy and witchcraft accusations
• describe how religious tensions in early modern Europe shaped social relationships and authority
• reflect on how different people may have understood the same event differently

Curriculum links

• HILS-SPE-02: Students identify the key features of past societies, historical periods or events
• HILS-CON-01: Students use the language of time
• HILS-CPP-01: Students identify different contexts and perspectives of the past
• HILS-INQ-01: Students engage with the historical inquiry process
• HILS-IEP-01: Students investigate the impact or legacy of a significant idea, event, individual or group from the past

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook. Teacher displays two short prompts on the board: “What do you think people were afraid of in the past?” and “How do religions shape laws and community life?” Students do a quick silent write, then share one idea with a partner.

2. 5–12 min · Activate prior knowledge + key terms. Teacher introduces the terms “heresy” and “witchcraft” with student-friendly explanations and examples from early modern Europe, keeping language neutral and factual. Students complete a brief “Guess–Check” chart: what they think each term meant, then what they need to find out.

3. 12–22 min · Stimulus: Reformation tensions. Teacher plays a short video or reads a short excerpt about the Reformation and religious tensions in early modern Europe (kept at age-appropriate length). Students follow along using a two-column note-catcher: “Beliefs” and “Consequences/feeling in society”.

4. 22–31 min · Guided class discussion. Teacher leads a structured discussion using sentence stems: “Some people believed… because…”, “In this period, religion affected…”, “A fear could lead to…”. Students respond with one idea linked to the stimulus and one link to everyday social life (e.g., trust, belonging, authority, punishment).

5. 31–43 min · Reflective journaling (independent). Teacher explains the journal task and models a first sentence: “What was heresy?” then “What was witchcraft?” then “Why were these feared?” Students write 8–10 lines, including one “language of time” phrase (e.g., “During the Reformation…”, “At the time…”, “In early modern Europe…”). Students underline one evidence detail from the stimulus.

6. 43–48 min · Share and clarify misconceptions. Teacher selects 2–3 anonymous samples (voluntary) and asks the class to verify definitions and reasons using the note-catcher. Students provide respectful feedback: “I agree because…”, “I think we should adjust by…”.

7. 48–50 min · Exit ticket. Teacher collects a short exit ticket with two questions:

• “In your words, what were heresy and witchcraft (difference included)?”
• “Give one reason accusations were feared.”

Resources

• Short video (teacher-selected) about the Reformation and religious tension in early modern Europe
• Short teacher-curated reading/excerpt on Reformation tensions
• Printed note-catcher (Beliefs / Consequences)
• Guess–Check chart (heresy / witchcraft)
• Reflective journal worksheet or lined paper
• Sentence stems for discussion
• Board/slide with prompts and key definitions
• Timer visible to students

Assessment

• Formative checks during discussion: teacher listens for accurate use of terms and evidence from the stimulus
• Note-catcher completion: students identify beliefs and consequences
• Reflective journaling quality: definitions supported by stimulus detail, includes language of time
• Exit ticket: accuracy of definitions and a clear reason fear/accusations spread

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters for journaling and discussion; offer a mini word bank (heresy, witchcraft, belief, punishment, community, authority, during, in this period)
• Support: pre-teach one example each of “religious tension” and “accusations” using neutral scenarios unrelated to graphic detail
• Extension: ask students to add a “perspective” sentence: “From the viewpoint of… (e.g., a religious authority or a community member), it may have seemed…”
• EAL/SEN: allow use of a partially filled graphic organiser (e.g., blanks for “In this period…”, “People feared because…”); offer short one-on-one check-ins during independent journaling