FREE Reformation Study Guide for 4th-12th Grades

Teach your 4th-12th graders about the Renaissance & Reformation with this free Reformation study guide.

When my youth novel When Lightning Struck!: The Story of Martin Luther for middle and high school students published with Fortress Press, it was truly a dream come true for me, and it was a project I’d worked on for several years.

Fortress Press also published Tim Dowley’s Atlas of the European Reformations, and it’s an excellent overview of the Protestant Reformation and the resulting Catholic Reformation for grades 4-12. To help you fully utilize this resource in your home or school, I’ve written a Study Guide for the Atlas, and Fortress Press has given me permission to give it to Thinking Kids subscribers for free.

Atlas of the European Reformations by Tim Dowley

The Atlas of the European Reformations is valuable overview of the Reformation Age. There are four sections: Before the Reformation, Reformation, Catholic Reform and Counter-Reformation, and Early Modern Europe. Students get an overview of what led to the Reformations, what occurred during the Reformations, and what happened after.

Each of the 60 maps has a brief overview with it. The maps are fascinating, as they really communicate the scope of each topic being discussed. Students learn about important figures in the Reformation period, as well as movements, conflicts, and how the Reformations affected different nations.

The narrative is careful to avoid bias, and both the reform of the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation are covered. This is a great overview of the period, and unlike anything I’ve seen. I like the fact that the Atlas covers the Catholic reform and missions as well. Though we are not Catholic, I want my boys to understand that part of history.

Atlas of the European Reformations Study Guide

The Atlas of the European Reformation Study Guide is a 56 page digital resource

The Study Guide includes:

• A brief overview of each section
• Discussion questions for each map
• Vocabulary
• Related literature by grade level (Grades 4 and up)
• Scripture to consider

Because this guide is meant to facilitate discussion and understanding as students learn about the European Reformations, no formal schedule has been included. You can work through the Atlas as it fits your schedule, and easily coordinate it with any history curriculum you are using.