What was your favorite part of today?

Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016 Do NOW: What role does personal attitude have in achieving success? Explain a time when you had a positive or good attitude and it helped you be successful

Dawn of the Renaissance Learning Target: I will be able to explain three characteristics of the Renaissance mindset

Vocabulary Renaissance: Period of great cultural growth in Europe from the 1300s – 1600s. Classical Era: Period of history centering around Ancient Greece and Rome

Secular: Non-religious Humanism: Philosophy emphasizing the dignity and worth of each individual

In Europe during the 14th Century, there was a lot to feel sad about In Europe during the 14th Century, there was a lot to feel sad about. The black plague had killed millions of people, and many of the survivors were losing faith in their religion. Pretend you are living in Europe during this time, and write a short letter to a friend telling them how you are feeling in the space below. You write for the entire time! You are getting participation points for this!

As a class, let’s brainstorm some ways people might be able to cheer themselves up in a situation like this.

Focus on the Classical Era When you are sad, do you ever think back to better times… “the good old days?” This was how it was in Europe. Many people looked back at the Classical Era as the best period of human existence. They wanted to recapture the glories of culture that existed in that period: art, architecture, philosophy, and politics. People began to study art and literature from the Classical Era.

There was just one problem that could prevent Europeans from studying the art and culture of the past. Can you think of what it was? Education had mostly died out during the Dark Ages. There were no books, art, or history remaining to study.

How was this problem solved? Muslim scholars in the East had saved books and art in their libraries. The Europeans were able to use these to study.

Focus on the Secular Remember how important the Christian religion was for the people of Europe. Religion was so central to their lives that nearly all art, all music, and all writing were dedicated to religious topics. However, this had not been the case in the Classical Era. In Ancient Greece and Rome, people created art simply to tell a story, or to show something beautiful. The people of the Renaissance saw that Greeks and Romans made non-religious art, and so they also placed an emphasis on secular culture.

Think-Pair-Share Why did secular culture and ideas became more important during the Renaissance? Think and write your answer below, then discuss with a partner before we share together as a class.

Humanism One final characteristic of the Renaissance mindset was humanism. During this time, people began to appreciate the worth and talents of individual human beings. They appreciated the ability of each person to do good, and respects people’s physical and spiritual beauty.

Think-Pair-Share What evidence do we have that people in the Middle Ages (before the Renaissance) did not believe in humanism? Think and write your answer below, then discuss with a partner before we share together as a class.

Canvas Writing Assignment You will write a short composition addressing the following question: To what extent does our own modern society reflect the beliefs and ideals of the Renaissance? For each of the characteristics we discussed today, write one paragraph evaluating whether that characteristic exists in the modern world. You need to write about two of the options below. So you will write 2 paragraphs total. You may do all three for extra credit. 1st paragraph: Does our society focus on art and culture from the Classical Era like the Renaissance did? 2nd paragraph: Does our society focus on secular ideas the way the Renaissance did? 3rd paragraph: Does our society believe in humanism like the Renaissance did?

Wednesday, Oct. 5 DO NOW: Explain your opinion: From the lecture yesterday about the Renaissance Mindset explain your personal opinion Do you think that the world we live in today, in 2016, shares the beliefs and ideals of the Renaissance time period? Explain your reasoning.

Learning Target & Success Criteria LT- I will evaluate the similiarities and differences between our modern world and the Renaissance SC- I will use the questions from the writing prompt to create strong topic sentences I will use evidence from the notes to explain what was happening during the Renaissance. I will include my own evidence as a person living today to either compare or contrast the modern world with the Renaissance.

Creating a strong topic sentence: It needs to include: The time periods being compared What is being compared (key words) The opinion you are arguing in your writing

Example: Choice 1: Does our society focus on art and culture from the Classical Era like the Renaissance did? Practice as a table: Topic Sentence: Our modern society today does/does not focus on art and culture from the Classical Era of Ancient Rome and Greece like the Renaissance did.

Evidence from the Renaissance Re read your notes- explain what evidence you can find in the notes that shows the mindset of the Renaissance

Evidence from modern society Think about your opinion- Do you think we are doing something similar to what was done in the Renaissance? Yes or no? Explain your reasoning USING EXAMPLES that you can think of. Explain how those examples support your opinion