Try It

In this activity, you will read about how Martin Luther’s message spread throughout Europe. Identify the central idea or claim, and cite evidence the author uses to support this claim.

First two pages of the 95 Theses written in Latin.

Martin Luther used social media to communicate his 95 Theses.

Image Credit: Wittenberg: Melchior Lotter d.J., 1522 via Wikimedia Commonsopens in new window, CC BY-SA 3.0


Directions:

1. Read only the first four paragraphs of the "Social media in the 16th Century: How Luther went viral" article on the Economistopens in new window website. The last paragraph you will read ends with: Luther, like the Arab revolutionaries, grasped the dynamics of this new media environment very quickly, and saw how it could spread his message.

2. As you read, identify the central idea or claim, and cite evidence the author uses to support this claim. You may want to print the article or copy and paste the text into a Word document. 

3. After you have read the entire text, identify the central idea. If you have printed the article, use a highlighter to identify the central idea.

4. Re-read the text to identify the supporting evidence used by the author. You may use a different color highlighter or underline sections of the text for this.

Check your ability to identify the central idea and supporting evidence within a text by completing the activity below.