The Renaissance and the People’s Desire to Break Free from the Restraints of the Medieval Church

A Web Quest for Global History II and Geography

Mrs. J. Ganz

Evander Childs High School

Montezuma 800@yahoo.com

INTRODUCTION:

The Renaissance was a period in history that witnessed a reawakening of learning. The rebirth of “classical learning” of ancient Greece and Rome inspired a new “questioning spirit” among the people of Western Europe. The domination of the Roman Catholic Church on Western European Medieval society was soon to be replaced by secularism and humanism: a new respect for everyday human life and problems. Medieval life was concerned with death and salvation. The new Renaissance spirit stressed life in the “here and now.” The policies of the Roman Catholic Church prevented this Renaissance spirit from blossoming. There existed a gap between the goals of citizens and the public policies of the Catholic Church in daily affairs of the people.

You are a reporter for a Renaissance newspaper. You are witness to the changes taking hold in Western Europe as a result of secularism and humanism. Your news articles will attest to the decline of the religious dominance of the Roman Catholic Church on everyday life in the late15th and early 16^th centuries. Your goal will be to find evidence of the new secularism and humanism in art, literature, and society as a whole which demonstrate the dramatic changes that were occurring at the dawn of the Renaissance. You will find further evidence of the new interest in ancient Greek and Roman culture which was essential to the rebirth of learning. As a reporter, you will evaluate the policies of the Catholic Church and search for problems and conflicts that arose in this period as a result of these policies. You will use the Tips methodology to investigate this global studies issue. You will write an article for the paper or add to its special features section.

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips.html

1. As a reporter you are to answer these basic questions in your news article: who?,

what?, when?, where?, why?, and how?

2. All news articles should be doubled spaced and 2 -3 pages in length.

3. The font size should be no larger than 14pt. (excluding titles and special graphic

effects and art.)

4. If you choose to make a contribution to special features in the newspaper such as advertisements for merchandise, entertainment or sporting events ,etc., classified adds (Help Wanted, Real Estate, Business Opportunities), Annotated Obituaries, Births, Marriages, etc. , Advice to the Lovelorn, you must produce 3 items with text descriptions and appropriate illustrations where needed.

5. You will follow the Five Step Public Policy Analysis for Global Studies

(GPPA):

(1) Identify the problem

(2) Gather the evidence

(3) Determine the causes

(4) Evaluate the policy

(5) Do a comparative analysis

6. You must use the Tips website –GPPA worksheets to guide you in writing your news article or special feature products.

7. Each student must provide a bibliography of all sources of information used in his/her article (at least 3 internet websites in addition to books and encyclopedias must be used). Teacher handouts may be used too.

Follow the ELA Standards for documenting sources of information including websites.

YOUR ARTICLE CAN TAKE THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL FORMS:

A letter to the Editor, a play review, a written interview with a famous person of the Renaissance (artist, playwright, author, scientist, pope, or patron of the arts, etc.)

CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS MAKE FOR INTERESTING READING:

1. Coverage of a controversial trial such as: Galileo’s trial before the Inquisition-over the Geocentric vs. Heliocentric view of the universe.

2. An article describing the Catholic Church’s stance against the study of Anatomy and of human dissection.

3. Pope Julius II’s criticism of Michelangelo’s paintings adorning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican (Hint: How are God and other people of the Bible depicted?)

4. The Church vs. the writings of Cervantes, Boccacio, Shakespeare and other writers in the vernacular and humanist style.

5. Scientific discoveries in the field of medicine that challenged Church dogma (teachings).

NB. You are not limited to the above suggested topics. Above all, be creative, imaginative, and true to the spirit of the Renaissance.

http://arthistory.about.com/c/ht/00/07/How-Identify-Renaissance-Painting0962933094.htm

http://history.evansville.net/renaisa.html#Daily%20Life%20and%20culture

http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/Hospital/RenMedicine.html/

http://www.siue.edu/Costumes/Costumes-INDEX.html

http://renaissance.dm/compendium/36.html

http://www.teacheroz.com/renaissance.html

http://www.learner.org/exhibits/renaissance/middle ages.html

http://www.mos.org/sin/Leonardo

http://www.michelangeloandthepopesceiling.com/trivia.php

http://www.artrenewal.org/images/artists/m/Michelangelo/large/sistine-Chapel-bay/-Eur.jpg.

http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/Bio/narrative-7.html

www.google.com www.yahoo.com

www.msn.com www.altavista.com

www.excite.com www.askjeeves.com

The following rubric will be used to evaluate your group’s Web Quest news article:

EXCELLENT	SATISFACTORY	MINIMAL SATISFACTORY	UNSATISFACTORY
Organization	Organization	Organization	Organization
Student presentation is logical, clear and fully engages the reader’s interest.	Student presentation is logical, clear and somehow engages the reader’s interest.	Student presentation is somewhat logical and clear, but does not engage the reader.	Student presentation is illogical, unclear and inadequate.
Subject Knowledge Student demonstrates knowledge of subject matter and beyond.	Subject Knowledge Student demonstrates adequate knowledge of subject matter.	Subject Knowledge Student demonstrates little knowledge of subject matter.	Subject Knowledge Student does not know subject matter.
Accuracy No grammatical errors	Accuracy Very few grammatical errors	Accuracy Some grammatical errors	Accuracy Too many grammatical errors that distorts sentence sense.
Graphics At least three appropriate color and fonts	Graphics At least two appropriate color and fonts	Graphics At least one appropriate color and fonts	Graphics No color and variety in fonts
Excellent variety of sources. Excellent use of relevant materials.	Adequate number of sources . Adequate use of relevant materials.	Minimal use of sources and of relevant materials.	Inadequate use of sources. Lack of relevant materials .
References in End Notes and Bibliography.	Correctly credits references.	Incorrectly credits references or credits missing.	No attempt to provide documentation for materials used.

The following standards must be followed in your news article:

New York State Social Studies Standards

Standard 2

Student will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning point in world history from a variety of perspectives.

Standard 4: Students should develop the skills of historical analysis which include the ability to investigate differing and competing interpretations of the theories of history, hypothesize about why interpretations change over time, explain the importance of historical evidence, and understand the concepts of change and continuity over time.

New York State English Language Arts Standards

1. Students will read and write for information and understanding.

2. Students will read and write for literary response and expression.

3. Students will read and write for critical analysis and evaluation.

4. Students will speak and listen for social interaction.

By working on this project:

1. Students should be able to evaluate the impact of the policies of the Catholic Church on everyday human life in the late 15^th-early 16^th centuries.

2. Students should be able to describe and to give examples of how Secularism and Humanism came to replace the dominance of the Catholic Church dogma with a new freedom of expression and of inquiry in the Arts, Science, and society as a whole in the Renaissance.

3. Students should be able to compare and contrast Renaissance thinking

with that of the Middle Ages in Western Europe.

4. The student should become skilled in the use of the computer and

specifically in using Web Quest and Tips methodology.

5. Our next Web Quest will involve a TIPS evaluation of the conflicts during

the Protestant Reformation.