Renaissance Section II

Section II

From now until Christmas we will be doing a series of inquiry tasks highlighting how worldviews (values and beliefs) are shaped by ideas and knowledge, geography, and contact with other groups. To do this we will be using various elements of the talking to the text and SES (state, explain, support) frameworks we have been working on.

How did knowledge and ideas from Ancient Greece and Rome shape the Renaissance worldview?

1. What can we learn about the worldview of the Humanists-their beliefs and values-based on Giovanni’s famous passage from the Oration on the Dignity of Man?

Oration on the Dignity of Man

“We have made thee neither of heaven nor of earth,

Neither mortal or immortal,

So that with freedom of choice and with honor,

As thought the maker and molder of thyself,

Thou mayest fashion thyself in whatever shape thou shalt prefer.

Thou shalt have the power out of thy soul's judgment,

to be reborn into the higher forms, which are divine.”

‐Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola

Commentary: In responding to this question, note that the Humanists felt that reading Greek and Roman texts provided a “classical education” and developed what may be called human qualities. “Horses are born,” it was said, “but human beings are not born‐they are formed.” Note their emphasis on moulding and shaping the human character and the possibilities of man living in the in-between space of Heaven and Earth-Divine and Mortal.

Use the following format in your response:

You are asked to provide notes and a reflection for each of the following three questions.

i) For the notes section use a T-chart focussing on monitoring for meaning-defining key terms and ideas from the resources provided, making connections to other things you have read or seen to date, and providing images that visually represent these ideas.

_____________________ _______________________________

Definitions (at least 8): Connections to other things you have read or seen

(at least 3-4 solid, developed connections)

Images (4-5)

ii) For the reflection use the following SES format:

The Humanists believed that _________________. More specifically, ______________. By this I mean that _____________.

In the poem it says "_______________________." I think this is saying ________________.

2. Drawing on what you have learned about the Humanists, after watching Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, how do you think Humanist thinkers would have interpreted the symbols in this story?

ii) For the reflection use the following mini SES format for to explain how the Humanists would interpret three of the symbols (i.e.,

chains, cave, fire, shadows on the wall, real world outside, caver dwellers unable to understand the man who returns to the cave). This could use the following framework:

Symbol 1: I think that the Humanists would have interpreted the ___________ as _____________. More specifically they would have seen this as ___________________. By this I mean _____________. In the video they are _______________. I think this is showing that ______________.

Symbol 2: I think that the Humanists would have interpreted the ___________ as _____________. More specifically they would have seen this as ___________________. By this I mean _____________. In the video they are _______________. I think this is showing that ______________.

Symbol 3: I think that the Humanists would have interpreted the ___________ as _____________. More specifically they would have seen this as ___________________. By this I mean _____________. In the video they are _______________. I think this is showing that ______________.

3. How might Raphael’s painting The School of Athens (above) provide a metaphor on how many Renaissance thinkers viewed their times?

Commentary: One of the defining elements of the Renaissance was a search for new models for living that departed from the medieval worldview. These new models drew inspiration from Ancient Greek and Roman thought. By the 15th century, poets, scholars, and thinkers began spreading their ideas, first in Northern Italy, and then to all parts of Europe. These people were known as Humanists. This recovery of ancient Greece and Roman thought provided Humanists with a model to guide all aspects of life including art, ethics, and politics. Two examples demonstrate this point. Above is the famous painting The School of Athens. In this painting (close-up) Raphael depicts Leonardo da Vinci (hand pointed down) as the Greek thinker Aristotle. Beside him he depicts the great artist Michelangelo as Plato. See this wiki post for an explanation.

Use the SES format from question 1 to provide your response to this question.

New Format for Student Led Conferences

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This year the grade 8 team is slightly modifying the traditional format for the Student Led Conferences at CSS. On the evening of Thursday, November 17th, as has been the traditional practice at CSS, students will have the opportunity to show their work and progress over the course of the term. However, on the morning of Friday, November 18th we are creating a time to accommodate parents and their students with whom we would like to meet to discuss first term successes, areas of growth and to set goals for the 2nd term. We have chosen this hybrid format in response to feedback we have received from parents who would like to have a more in-depth discussion with teachers on their child’s progress.

Most of you will not be contacted to book a meeting time with your child's teachers at this time. If this is the case, we look forward to seeing you on Thursday evening. For those parents with whom we are wishing to book a time slot to meet with your child's curriculum teachers, please respond to the email sent out today with this letter. We ask you to email your child's homeroom teacher to schedule an appointment that works for you between 8:30am and 1pm Friday (please list 3 possibilities, as your first choice may be taken). If you would still like to meet, but Friday morning does not work, another meeting can be arranged in the future, at a time that works for both you and the teachers.

Note, that we have about 15 slots available on Friday and appointments will be scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Thank you,

The grade 8 team

Kevin Sonico 8.1

Margaret Leland/Shashi Shergill 8.2

Louis Cheng 8.3

David Scott 8.4

Homework Update

Inquiry tasks 2 and 3 are due Monday, November 14th

Inquiry Task #2: Like this example, working with a partner create a historical timeline of events leading up to the Italian Renaissance (choose a relevant image for the background).

Inquiry Task #3: To prepare for the next task, choose one of the topics below (only one group per class per topic) and then using the Talking to the Text format, work with a partner to take notes on your topic.

Inquiry Task 4 is due Tuesday, November 15th

Based on your event or development (e.g., The Crusades, The Silk Road), work with your partner to create a visually appealing Pages document with accompanying image briefly describing how this development contributed and led to the Italian Renaissance.

Do this in the form of a SES paragraph briefly describing the event (two sentences maximum) and then state how this event led to the Renaissance. Further develop and explain these reasons, and then provide specific supporting details such as examples, statistics, and other relevant facts to back up and show what you mean. Assessment rubric

The podcast reflection on your graphic novel is due Friday, November 18th via email.

Description: Now that you have made your short story into a graphic novel, take some time to reflect on the entire process. You have been fully immersed in the medium of the graphic novel for the past month and have learned to tell a story creatively just as a real writer would. Part of your task was to address the theme of your short story and be able to effectively convey what the writer is saying about the human condition.

Using a SES framework, your task is to now complete a podcast reflection where you provide your own insights to the questions below. This means that you will State: provide a clear response to the question, Explain: what do you mean by this, and Support: with specific examples from your work or the short story.

Remember the theme of a story is the underlying central idea or a generalization the author communicates about life. The theme expresses the author's opinion or raises a question about human nature or the meaning of human experience.

PART A The title, ending and symbols are a powerful indication of the theme in your short story.

A: How did these elements point toward the theme in your short story?

B: How did these elements find their way into your graphic novel to illustrate the theme of the story?

PART B Character motivations and figurative language are powerful indicators of the theme in short stories.

A: How did these elements point toward the theme in your short story?

B: How did these elements find their way into your graphic novel to illustrate the theme of the story?

PART C These elements all point to the underlying theme of the story.

Overall, what do you believe was the underlying idea or central message the author was trying to communicate to the reader?

Remember this is not a simple moral message and often offers a commentary on what it means to be human or to live in the world. Support your response by offering specific supporting reasons in the forms of details and quotes from the story, as to why you believe what you do.

November 4th Humanities Update

Upcoming due dates and events to keep an eye on:

• Please complete goal #2 for your graphic novel for Monday November 7th
• Complete Graphic Novel due Tuesday November 8th
• Teen Leadership Launch is Tuesday November 8th for 8.4 as well
• Inquiry Tasks 2 and 3 from the Digital Renaissance Textbook are due Wednesday November 9th. Links are live on the Pages version I sent you and include assessment rubrics.

Inquiry Task #2: Like this example, working with a partner create a historical timeline of events leading up to the Italian Renaissance (choose a relevant image for the background). Due Wednesday November 9th

Specifically, using pages 3-8 of this resource outline the major events leading to the Renaissance starting with the rise of Ancient Greece and Rome, through to the sacking of Rome in 410 AD, and ending with the flowering of the Italian Renaissance between 1425-1575. You will be marked on your ability to include the major events discussed in this resource. Assessment rubric

Inquiry Task #3: To prepare for the next task, choose one of the topics below (only one group per class per topic) and then using the Talking to the Text format, work with a partner to take notes on your topic.

Each partner should choose a different source relevant to their topic. Some starting resources are provided below. Begin by turning your topic into a question (e.g., How did contact with the Islamic world lead to the Renaissance?). Ensure you are taking notes only on how your topic area led to the Renaissance. We only need a brief summary of explaining your event or development. Assessment Rubric

Elements of the Talking to the Text format that should be present in your notes include:

• Asking questions
• Monitoring meaning-defining key terms
• Making connections to other things you have read or seen
• Finding images that show what you are learning about
• Determining importance-taking down only the relevant information, Trash or Treasure-finding those key quotes, metaphors or examples that will show your ideas
• Summarize-Use a W5 model