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Unit I: The Renaissance

The Basics

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Between 1300 and 1600 the Western world was transformed. An extraordinary wave of artistic and cultural innovation shattered medieval society and brought European culture reluctantly into the modern era. This was the Renaissance. 


Video Resources

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Crash Course: The Dark Ages Were they Really Dark?: Watch the first four minutes of this video for a good background on the Dark Ages in Europe. 

Crash Course: Renaissance- John Green argues that maybe the Renaissance never even happened! A good introduction to the Renaissance.

                  Renaissance Art Videos:

Renaissance WebQuest: Take a look at some of the Renaissance greatest artist's work in this interactive WebQuest.

Visit Michelangleo's Pieta: An unscripted conversation of art historians visiting the Pieta. 

Massacio's Trinity: A very detailed video that explains how Massacio created the Trinity.

Brunelleschi's Dome: Khan Academy art historians marvel at the architecture and history of the Duomo at the Cathedral of Florence. 

Brunelleschi's Dome #2: This time PBS Nova tries to recreate Brunelleschi's dome by using the same methods Brunelleschi employed during the Renaissance. Will they succeed?


Enrichment

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Why Renaissance? Why Florence- A summary of why the Renaissance began in Italy

Virtual Sistine Chapel- Check out Michelangelo's work up close. It is the closest thing to actually being in the Chapel itself.

CNN Inside the Sistine Chapel- How is the Sistine Chapel holding up after 500 years. Take a look at this story from CNN.

Leonardo DaVinci- Journey to this site to learn all there is to know about the true Renaissance man DaVinci.

More DaVinci Resources- A great site for summarizing Da Vinci's life and his many great accomplishments.

A New Mona Lisa Found?-NPR sheds new light on a newly discovered version of the Mona Lisa that may have been created at the same time of the real Mona Lisa.

Dante's Divine Comedy- Khan Academy's excellent explanation of the impact of Dante's greatest work.



Reading Resources

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World History: Renaissance
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In Class Readings:
The Courtier 
Machiavelli's The Prince


CLASS DOCUMENTS

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Class Notes: Renaissance Notes
Text Reading: Renaissance Questions 
Unit Activity: Renaissance WebQuest
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PowerPoint: Renaissance Art Terms
PowerPoint: Writers of the Renaissance


Need to review?

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"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark."
 
-Michelangelo
Click Here to Review
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