SUBJECT: English
GRADE: High School

TECHNOLOGY: Internet

BY: Rebekah Allen

Introduction to Renaissance Literature

Target Grade/Subject:

This lesson is appropriate for high school English students. It should be used as an introductory lesson to literature of the Renaissance period, to provide a social and historical context for the literature to be studied. Ninth and tenth grade English classes usually read at least one Shakespearean play; twelfth grade classes focus on British literature. Students at the high school level will enjoy this lesson because the website used offers a colorful depiction of many areas of Renaissance life. Moreover, the website allows students to interact with the text, to choose where they want to travel throughout Renaissance Europe—in short, students’ learning is self-guided. Each location, if you will, is presented in the voice of a Renaissance character which adds variety and credibility to the material being presented. Illustrations abound.

Objectives:

The student will:

Guide him/herself on a tour of the Renaissance period.

List at least three observations about Renaissance life in the following areas: religion, myths, legends, science, medicine, mathematics, law, architecture, art, theatre, politics, economics, production, daily life, education, famous personalities.

Materials:

Computers with access to Internet

http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/Renaissance/Globe/GlobeTheatre.html

Worksheet

Description of Lesson:

Students will be expected to work independently and consistently throughout the fifty minutes. After accessing the website indicated on the worksheet, they will guide themselves on a tour of the virtual Renaissance. They should remember to fill out the worksheet as they go. They do not have to tour the Renaissance sites in any particular order; the categories presented on the worksheet are so general that students should be able to remember what they are looking for and jot down answers as they encounter them. At the end of the lesson, the teacher should highlight any particular facts that they wish all students to have gather (e.g., most Renaissance lit units will presuppose knowledge of the Globe Theatre, so teachers may want to highlight information contained in this sight or supplement the information found there). This lesson, and the website itself, can be easily adapted to the needs of the English teacher given the piece of literature being studied. The purpose of this lesson is to provide students with general knowledge regarding the period from which the literature they will be studying emerged. Knowledge of context will make the reading of this literature more significant.

Evaluation Procedure:

Teacher should monitor students’ work habits throughout the class period, noting who is on-task or off-task. Teachers should make note of student behavior.

Students will show that they have gained general knowledge of the Renaissance period by completing the worksheet. Students should hand the worksheet in for a class grade at the end of the period.

WELCOME TO THE RENAISSANCE!

Today you will be traveling through time. You will guide yourself on a tour of the Renaissance, a time of “rebirth” for the arts and sciences. You will have the opportunity to discover on your own as you visit the Sistine Chapel, Globe Theatre, and the University of Padua, to name just a few. You will meet a friend of Shakespeare and chat with a priest about Michelangelo’s paintings. I will leave you to your own devices as you explore this important time period during which much memorable literature was produced. I only ask that you bring me some “artifacts.”

Go ahead and access the “virtual Renaissance:”

http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/Renaissance/Globe/GlobeTheatre.html

Please write down at least three things which you discover about each of the following categories during your exploration:

Religion

1)

2)

3)

Myths

1)

2)

3)

Legends

1)

2)

3)

Science

1)

2)

3)

Medicine

1)

2)

3)

Mathematics

1)

2)

3)

Law

1)

2)

3)

Architecture

1)

2)

3)

Art

1)

2)

3)

Theatre

1)

2)

3)

Politics

1)

2)

3)

Economics

1)

2)

3)

Production

1)

2)

3)

Daily life

1)

2)

3)

Education

1)

2)

3)

Famous personalities

1)

2)

3)