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Ashley Allen
8 December 2014
CRIN S00
Absolutism:
A Concept Formation Project
____________________________________________
Overview: Absolutism is a key construct for World History students to understand. Absolutism
is a style of government in which a monarch, sultan, emperor, etc. has absolute and total power
over a given nation or kingdom's government and its people. There is no popular sovereignty in
absolutism, and power is largely - if not entirely - centralized under the ruler. Though legislative
or judicial bodies may, technically, exist in countries with absolute rulers, these bodies have no
legitimate ability to levy checks and balances against the absolute ruler. Absolutism also has a
religious component, as absolute rulers claim the divine right of kings to justify their rule. Divine
right of kings essentially suggests absolute leaders where given their rule by God, that their
power was ordained by God, and, as such, their subjects have no right to try to limit or challenge
their absolute power. Absolutism, following the onset and spread of Enlightened philosophy, has
largely been abandoned as an effective form of government in the Western world, but there are
still instances of its use in the present-day in regions like the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast
Asia, where autocratic and absolute rulers use absolutism and its corresponding tenets to justify
their often harsh, restrictive rule and as an explanation for their continued oppression of the
people to grow and maintain their own centralized, absolute power.
Rationale:
Absolutism is a key point of focus emphasized on the Virginia Standards of Learning
(SOLs) for World History II courses. It is also part of the AP World History curriculum as well.
Absolutism is important to study not only because it is, in itself, an important concept within the
history/social studies discipline, but also because it provides a lens through which the influence
and proliferation of other important historical events and processes (i.e. the Scientific Revolution
and the Enlightenment) can be studied, especially with regard to how they affected preexisting
norms and societal structures.
Absolutism is an ideal topic to teach using the concept formation strategy because
absolutism is a concept. The concept formation lesson, unsurprisingly, necessitates a concept for
the lesson to be a success. Rather than giving students the name of a concept or a conceptual
term (like absolutism) and then giving them a corresponding definition and examples, the
concept formation lesson forces students to work backwards from that routine. Students instead
begin by reading and analyzing written examples about a given (but as-yet-unnamed) concept.
They will use these examples to determine what differences and - most importantly - similarities
the examples all share, and students will then use the most important shared characteristics to
draft their own working definition of the concept and will try to hypothesize as to what the
concept might be called. Only after students write and offer their own definitions will the actual
definition and the actual name be revealed. When students engage with a concept formation plan,
they are forced to engage in critical, analytical thinking. In doing so, students often emerge with
a better grasp on the content area material being studied using the concept formation strategy
rather than the inverse, in which students are not forced to truly engage with the concept and are
instead given all the information about the concept without really having to learn about it.
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Grade Level: I designed this lesson with 10th grade World History II students, as I will be
teaching it to at least one WHII class at my practicum school. It could be adapted to be used in
AP classrooms, particularly for use as an introductory activity before beginning a unit on the age
of absolutism.
Length of Lesson: 70-80 minutes (longer if you include the writing assessment as an in-class
assignment). This lesson could be adapted to fit different lengths of class periods if necessary. It
would depend on how much assistance a given class of students needed in completing the chart.
Objectives:
Content:
- The student will demonstrate knowledge of scientific, political, economic, and
religious changes during the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries by:
(WHII.6)
a) Describing the Age of Absolutism, including the monarchies of Louis
XIV and Peter the Great
- Students will learn to examine and analyze examples of absolutism in order to
determine the key characteristics of the concept so that they can create a working
definition of absolutism
- Students will categorize and distinguish examples from non-examples of
absolutism/absolutist monarchs to further test and solidify/challenge their
definition of absolutism
- At the end of the lesson, students will write a response to prove their
understanding and knowledge of the defining characteristics of absolutism by
researching and identifying examples/non-examples of absolutism and explaining
why or why not these examples meet the criteria for absolutism
Skills:
- Students will be exposed to and will learn norms for participating in class
wide/large-group discussions
Resources: Sufficient number of copies of all worksheets for students; whiteboard, dry-erase
markers (one color for similarities and one color for differences), Powerpoint with examples
typed onto slides for class-wide viewing
Assessment:
To assess students' understanding of absolutism as a concept, I will use informal and
more formal assessment options. Informally, I will be monitoring student progress as they work
on the worksheets and handouts associated with the concept formation lesson. I will informally
grade their examples vs. non-examples worksheet. I will also be walking about the room during
the lesson to gauge students' group work abilities and whether or not they are practicing
appropriate behaviors for group-based activities.
In terms of more formal assessments, I am have drafted the option to ask students to
respond to a writing prompt that will (hopefully) force students to analyze modern-day national
governments to gauge whether or not there are still today examples of absolutism/absolute
monarchies in the world.
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- PROMPT: Students will use the similarities and differences determined via the
chart and subsequent class discussion to find ONE (1) example of a modern-day
absolutist monarchy and ONE (1) modern-day non-example of the same. They will need
to include evidence from their worksheets and class discussion (and the generated results)
in their written response. It is crucial they use the critical attributes of absolutism in their
determining what is and is not a modern example of absolutism/absolute monarchies/ or
absolute rule. The student response will be graded on a rubric to be designed later.
Ideally, this would be completed before the class period ended, but depending on how
long the actual activity itself takes, students could have this portion of the lesson assigned as a
homework assignment.
Potential options:
- Examples:
- Saudi Arabia, Brunei, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Swaziland
- Non-examples:
- U.S., U.K., Germany - basically any democracy, representative
democracy, constitutional monarchy, etc.
- Interesting option - Russia
- Has a representative legislative body (the Duma) but do
they really have any power/say in government matters
under Putin?
Lesson Layout:
1. Understanding the Concept: What is absolutism?
A. Definition: Absolutism is "the political doctrine and practice of unlimited, centralized authority and
absolute sovereignty, as vested especially in a monarch or dictator. The essence of an absolutist
system is that the ruling power is not subject to regularized challenge or check by any other agency, be
it judicial, legislative, economic, or electoral" (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
- For the purposes of this lesson, the examples/non-examples focus more on absolute
monarchies rather than dictators, even though the definition above includes dictators in its
explanation.
B. What are the critical concepts of absolutism?
a. The ruler (king, emperor, sultan, president, etc.) has unlimited authority over the nation and
the people
- The people have no authority
- EX: No (impactful) legislative body with representatives elected by the
people; power is largely centralized under the king's control
b. The ruler's power is not checked by a system of checks and balances or by a separation of
powers amongst different branches of government
c. Justify rule by claiming divine right
2. Introduction and/or Hook:
1. Students will analyze the cartoon/drawing found on page 6.
2. I will ask them to first list what they see in the image on their own. I will then have them pair up
with a person near them/next to them to discuss what they see.
3. I will then ask them - in the same pairs - to start to infer what this image might mean.
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- What could its message be? Its purpose? Do they have a guess as to when it was written?
Why is the image drawn how it is (i.e. size of the king, etc.)? Does the quote matter?
4. We will discuss as a class what these inferences are before we begin the activities in the concept
formation lesson plan.
3. Student Investigation and Discussion, Part One: Introduce Chart Work
1. Students will receive TWO (2) handouts. Handout #1 is entitled "Forming a Concept." This
worksheet includes a chart in which students will answer questions about four provided examples of
absolutism in practice by absolutist monarchs. The four monarchs used in these four examples are: 1)
Frederick the Great of Prussia; 2) Charles I of England; 3) Louis XIV of France; and 4) Peter the
Great of Russia. The second handout will include summaries about these four monarchs rule; the
summaries will include the main characteristics of absolutism/absolutist monarchs so that students
will be able to begin to associate these qualities with the concept. The students will not be told who
these examples are profiling and the examples will be identified as either "A, B, C, and D" or "1, 2, 3,
and 4."
- Louis XIV and Peter the Great were chosen expressly for inclusion because they are the two
names mentioned in this particular targeted SOL standard, but they are also ideal examples of
absolutist monarchs.
2. After students receive this handout, I will explain to them the goal for this activity. We are aiming
to define a concept by identifying and examining its critical attributes or key characteristics. I will
emphasize that when reading the examples, they should pay close attention to the prompting questions
at the top of each column on the table, as that will direct their attention to what details in the textual
examples are most important and relevant to the activity.
4. Collective Examination of an Example
1. I will announce to the class that they should turn their attention to the first example.
2. I will give the students time to read the first example on their own.
3. I will then have the class reconvene as a large group, and we will read the first example out loud.
- I will also have Example #1 on the Powerpoint visible in large print. Reading it out loud will
serve to help my lower-level reading students as well as the ELL students in one of my CT's
WHII classes.
4. After reading Example #1 out loud, we will answer the questions at the top of the columns on the
chart together as a class. This will allow me to model proper answers for the class and to make sure
the students are aware of the processes they should be following to fill out their charts.
5. Student Investigation and Discussion, Part Two: Students Finish Chart Work
1. I will then give students sufficient time to read through Examples #2 & 3 and to fill out the
corresponding boxes on the "Forming a Concept" handout. Students will have the option of working
with a partner or working alone during this activity.
- I will determine which course of action I believe is best based on the specific group of
students I am teaching this lesson to at my practicum school.
2. As the students work on completing this chart, I will be circulating throughout the room so students
know I am available to answer any questions regarding the assignment at hand. I will continue to
remind them to pay attention to the questions at the top of each column when reading through the
remaining three examples.
6. Collaborative Discussion and Idea Formation
1. Once the vast majority of students have finished filling out the chart handout, I will bring the class
back together to work as a whole.
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2. As a class, we will then go over each example so I can make sure the students' answers are
narrowing in on the critical attributes of absolutism.
- Because the goal of the concept formation lesson strategy is not for students to necessarily
be accurate in their own hypotheses, I will discuss with the students the correct answers for
each example and will allow them to revise or add to what they had previously written (either
on their own or in pairs) on their chart.
3. I will then pass out to the students another handout (#3). This handout is modeled on the
similarities/differences sheet used (or rather, not used) in the example we worked on in our class
regarding judicial review.
4. As a class, we will work to fill out this worksheet, which asks students to identify the differences
and similarities between the example case studies, identify the three key characteristics of the yetunnamed concept, and to try to define and identify that concept using those critical attributes.
A. Differences (possibles):
- Different countries
- Different religions (in terms of sect) used to justify rule (but same
justification is at the heart of all the examples)
B. Similarities (possibles):
- Time period (it was called the "Age of Absolutism" for a reason!)
- Where they got their right to rule
- No checks and balances
- No functioning legislative branch/power
5. I will ask students for their answers to the questions listed in directive #4. The goal will be to create
possible definitions for this concept as well as to identify it by name. After gathering student
hypotheses on what the concept might be, I will give them the dictionary definition and identify it as
"absolutism."
- I do expect to have to give this term to students because my CT wants to use this lesson plan
as an introduction to the concept of absolutism, so my students in WHII will have had no
exposure to the concept in previous classes.
7. Student Investigation and Discussion, Part Three: Examples v. Non-Examples
1. After we, as a class, have established the definition of "absolutism" and unveiled it as a concept, I
will pass out the fourth and fifth (one double-sided paper) handout. The front of this worksheet
(Handout #4) will include 3-4 examples and non-examples of absolutism. These examples will be (for
the most part) historical contemporaries - or at least not modern-day examples - of the four absolute
monarchs discussed earlier.
- Possible examples/non-examples will include:
- Examples:
1. James I (UK)
2. China ("mandate of heaven")
- Non-examples:
1. The United States
- Controversial example:
1. Frederick the Great (Prussia)
- An Enlightened absolute monarch (but does not believe in divine
right of kings)
2. Working either alone or in pairs again, students will read through these examples with the purpose
of identifying them as either examples of absolutism or non-examples of the same concept.
- They will be told to keep in mind the identified critical attributes/key characteristics
identified earlier in the activity.
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3. On the reverse of this handout, students will find a chart (Handout #5) that will help them pick out
the important details from the examples in their efforts to define the examples as either examples/nonexamples of absolutism.
4. After most students have completed the chart and arrived at a conclusion for all the examples, I will
review with the class and see if we can come to a class consensus on each example and how it
qualifies (example vs. non-example).
- I can either ask individuals/pairs to offer their answer, or I can have all those who said it
was/was not an example to raise their hands to increase the likelihood of student participation,
even amongst those who are wary to talk in class.
- The second option I feel would be especially beneficial for my ELL students in my
CT's WHII classes, who can typically understand spoken (especially conversational)
English well enough but written English remains a struggle for some of these specific
ELL students.
5. I will then reveal the answers and help the students work through any that did not have a majority
leaning either way (example vs. non-example).
6. Upon completion of this final worksheet and its corresponding discussion, students will be able to
ask any clarifying questions they may have before the assessment (a writing response) is assigned.
8. Assessment:
- See above in section labeled "Assessment" for information about both formal and
informal assessment options for this lesson plan.
Differentiation/Adaption:
This lesson plan calls for the students to do most of the chart work either individually or
in pairs (ideally, I would give the class a choice), but if I was teaching a group I knew had a fair
number of low readers, all examples may need to be reviewed collectively rather than just the
first one. In a high-level (i.e. above-grade-level readers, or in a class where absolutism has been
discussed in brief beforehand) class, it possibly could even take less than 60 minutes as well.
Regarding specific modifications/accommodations my students in World History II might
need, I have several students with IEPs for specific learning disabilities involving reading
comprehension issues. As such, I have designed this activity to involve more group-based
reading rather than solo reading. This will help my students who comprehend what is read better
when it is done so in an auditory rather than visual fashion. My plan to model the first example
(if necessary) would also provide the necessary modeling opportunity for those students who
struggle with how to approach an activity that is reading-heavy.
Reflection: I designed this lesson with two possible assessments. One is the final handout in
which students have to identify if the examples are/are not examples of absolutism. The other is
a writing prompt in which they have to seek out a modern-day example and non-example of
absolutism. This engages two of the four kinds of assessments we discussed in class. I reserve
the right to assign either both or just the first assessment. I included both in the instance that the
lesson finishes early and I need a second assessment to finish the class period. I might assign the
writing prompt as homework if I determine the students need extra practice with the concept,
regardless of whether or not the lesson takes up the entire class period or not.
Post-Teaching Reflection:
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My students seemed genuinely interested in the lesson format. The lesson was structured
to be more student-oriented (and more intellectually-demanding) than the lessons typically used
by my cooperating teacher (CT) in these classes. I think my lesson was a nice change of pace for
the students, and I feel that is one of the reasons why seemed interested and engaged in the
material from the beginning. Having the students work in groups - namely, assigned groups worked great in my classes. My CT and I designed the groups to make sure that lower-level
readers (because my lesson plan was reading-heavy in comparison to normal lessons in the class)
were paired with higher-level readers, and this extra step in creating the groups helped all
students to understand the material and feel confident in their new knowledge. My lesson fit
really well into my CT's curriculum plans/schedule, so I felt like the lesson fit seamlessly into the
class. I was very organized and I felt increasingly confident in my abilities as a teacher regarding
this lesson as I taught it to more classes. I also felt that I got better in my abilities to make sure
my students were learning and internalizing the information in the lesson.
I was able to teach my lesson over the course of two days to multiple class periods. As
such, I was given the opportunity to (kind of) correct my mistakes from period-to-period. After
teaching for the first time my lesson, I realized I needed to correct some things. For example, I
needed to speak more confidently in addressing my students. The first lesson I almost felt as if I
were re-learning the structure of the lesson itself, so I needed to be a bit more prepared(and
confident in my abilities as the students' instructor) than I initially was in teaching the lesson the
first time in my CT's classes.
I also tended to let the students have a little too much "dead time" in the group portions of
the activity, which I think happened because I was reticent to hurry them too much. I work fast,
so sometimes I fear I am not going to give students enough time just based on what my own
needs and tendencies as a student were towards the amount of time needed to complete work. As
such, I think I need to better recognize when "dead time" is occurring in the classroom especially during group work, when it can be harder to delineate between "dead time"
discussions and assignment-related chatter - and adjust my pacing accordingly. I was able to fix
this issue in later teachings of this specific lesson by using a timer. I assigned a certain amount of
time for each part of the lesson. I entered this time into a timer, and then I displayed that timer on
the pull-down screen so that the online timer could be projected onto the screen for the students
to see and use to monitor their own work speed in their groups.
In thinking about what I might choose to do differently next time I teach my students, I
think I might "rehearse" my lesson a bit more next time. I would like to try to run through the
lesson mentally, visualize in my head what might happen versus what I want to happen (the ideal
carrying-out of my lesson plan). That will, I think, help me just feel more prepared for what
could happen, and it will allow me to spend less time trying to remember what step comes next
in the lesson and more time actually feeling confident in my teaching and more time in
interacting and engaging with the students. Due to time constraints in the class, I was not able to
assign the writing assessment portion of this lesson plan. I would have been interested to see how
the students responded to the prompt and to see what examples/non-examples of
absolutism/absolute monarchy the students were able to find in the modern-day world.
______________________________________________________________________________
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Bell-Ringer/Hook Image:
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HANDOUT #1: "Forming a Concept"
EXAMPLE:
#1 (Charles I
of England)
#2 (Louis
XIV of
France)
#3 (Peter
the Great of
Russia)
What powers or
privileges does this
person(s) have?
How did the king
get his power?
What evidence
of separation of
powers or
checks and
balances can
you find?
How much of a role
does religion play a
role in the ruler(s)
getting their power?
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HANDOUT #2: Concept Examples
1. Charles I was the king of England and Scotland beginning in 1625. With his rule ordained and
blessed by God, he developed a reputation for being reluctant to work with Parliament, the
U.K.'s legislative body; this reluctance developed into refusal in 1629, when, following the
passage by an angered Parliament of the Petition of Right (to protect the individual
rights/liberties of the people), the king dissolved Parliament entirely. In doing so, the king began
to further centralize the rule of the English government and English society under his control. By
dissolving Parliament, the king eliminated the biggest check on his power, and, without
Parliament and or any real separation of powers amongst other government branches, the
monarch was essentially free to do whatever he desired. The king's thirst to grow his power
would lead to a religious conflict with Scotland in the late-1630s. Charles I would endure a
tumultuous end to his rule, concluding with his beheading in 1649 during the English Civil War.
2. Upon coming to power in 1643 (he would rule until 1715), Louis XIV was the most powerful
political figure in France. His control over France, its government, and its people was complete
and total, and his word became law. There were no limits placed on the king's power. He had the
right to make foreign policy, declare war, oversee religious affairs, and make taxes without
approval of anyone else. He had control over the creation and passage of laws, as he refused to
allow the Estates-General, the French parliamentary body, to convene and compose and vote on
laws. He centralized power under his own control by creating a strict bureaucratic structure, the
members of which were determined - hand-selected, really - by the king himself. Even
previously powerful nobles and landed gentry found their hereditary rights weakened under his
rule; he did so in order to lessen the likelihood of an uprising against him within the First Estate.
To justify his seemingly autocratic rule, Louis XIV - like other Catholic rulers - claimed divine
right, which is states a monarch is not subject to any Earthly authority and receives his mandate
to rule directly from God himself.
3.Peter the Great ruled Russia from 1689 to 1725. Power became centralized around Peter the
Great. He was surrounded by a few trusted advisors; however, Peter remained the ultimate
authority and his word was the "law of the land." He had unchecked power to go against his
advisors' suggestions. He centralized power by breaking down Russia into different provinces,
which were headed by appointees selected by Peter himself. These officials were under the direct
control of the monarch. There were no powerful legislative or judicial bodies under Peter's rule,
which led to Peter developing consolidated and unlimited power. He claimed his rule was
permitted through divine right and thus mandated by God. Peter even brought the Russian
Orthodox Church under his control by appointing its leader, who made all religious decisions
based on Peter's commands. When he died in 1725, he was succeeded by his wife, Catherine the
Great, who continued to employ many of the same autocratic policies as her husband.
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HANDOUT #3:
Name:
Block:
Worksheet:
Identifying a Concept
Directions: Read the examples carefully. After you read the passages, you will fill out the
chart on the back of this page. This chart will help us work towards identifying a
particular concept. We will read the first one as a class and will complete the "Example
#1" row together. Afterwards, we will discuss and answer as a whole class the questions
below. (When thinking about answers to these questions, look at the column headings on
the chart.)
1. What are the differences between the different examples?
2. What are the similarities between the different examples?
3. What do you think the THREE (3) most important similarities between the examples
are?
1. __________________________________________________________
2___________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
4. Put the concept into a one-sentence definition:
5. What do you think is the name of the concept? ______________________________
FINAL REVEAL: The concept is called ____________________________.
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HANDOUT #4: Understanding Absolutism: Examples
vs. Non-Examples
1. This country's government has many different parts. At the top is a president, who is elected
by the people every four years via a national election. The president presides over the people, but
his power is not unlimited. The executive branch's power is instead checked by a series of checks
and balances held by other government branches: the legislative and judicial branches. These
different branches are made up of various legislators and judges, respectively, who have the
power to nominate and pass laws and to determine the legality of laws as well. Various rights
and responsibilities are held not just by the federal government but also by state (and even local)
governments as well. This means power within the country is not entirely centralized under the
president, though there are still bureaucratic structures within the government.
ANSWER: United States; democracy
2. Frederick the Great was the leader of Prussia beginning in 1740 until his death in 1786. He is
well-remembered for his military intelligence and his ability to strategize. His interest in the
military influenced his belief in a strong leader presiding over a centralized government. He was
a powerful king and consolidated power in Prussia under his control even as he enlarged his
kingdom through aggressive territorial expansion. Though he ruled with the aid of advisors,
Frederick the Great's power was unchecked by any official government officials or bodies.
Frederick was a great proponent of Enlightenment thought. He was interested in the sciences and
considered himself a Humanist in many respects. This means he did not believe in the divine
right of kings. He called himself a "philosopher-king." Rather than claiming God had given him
his power, Frederick used his military might and intimidation to validate and secure his rule.
ANSWER: Frederick the Great of Prussia; "Enlightened" absolutism/absolute monarch
3. Philip II was the son of Charles V of Spain. He ruled until his death in 1598. A contemporary
of Elizabeth II, Philip II expanded on his father's dictatorial practices as king. He expanded
Spanish control, turning the country into one of the most powerful European nation-states. He
expanded Spanish influence while restricting the power of the Spanish people. He centralized all
political and religious power so that his control would be unchallenged. During Philip II's rule,
there was no system of checks and balances nor instances of separation of powers within the
Spanish government to provide A devout Catholic, Philip II justified his controlling, stifling rule
over Spain by claiming divine right; he said he was given his power by God and that he was thus
not subject to the rules and laws of man.
ANSWER: Philip II of Spain; absolutism/absolute monarch
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HANDOUT #5: Guiding Questions for Examples vs.
Non-Examples
What characteristics of the
concept can you identify in the
examples?
What details in the example are
NOT in line with the
characteristics of the concept?
1.
2.
3.
Is #1 an example of absolutism? If not, what kind of government does it resemble? _______
______________________________________________________________________________
Is #2 an example of absolutism? If not, what kind of government does it resemble? _______
______________________________________________________________________________
Is #3 an example of absolutism? If not, what kind of government does it resemble? _______
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______________________________________________________________________________
Name:
Date:
Block:
Writing Assessment:
Understanding Absolutism
PROMPT: Refer to the similarities and differences determined via the chart and subsequent
class discussion to find (through independent research) ONE (1) example of a modern-day
absolutist monarchy and ONE (1) modern-day non-example of the same. Include evidence from
your worksheets and the class discussion (and the generated results) in your written response. It
is crucial you use the critical attributes of absolutism in their determining what is and is not a
modern example of absolutism/absolute monarchies/ or absolute rule. The response such be
approximately TWO (2) paragraphs in length - one paragraph per example.