Cultural Activity of the Renaissance

Social Studies Middle School Cultural Activity of the Renaissance
Students are introduced to Leonardo da Vinci as a Renaissance man. Then they learn more broadly about the cultural activity of the Renaissance in the areas of architecture, painting, music, and literature. Next, they work in small groups to research and present one significant figure from the Renaissance. Finally, groups create a timeline of important developments of the Renaissance.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

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Here are the teacher pack items for Cultural Activity of the Renaissance:

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Overview

In this experience, students are introduced to Leonardo da Vinci as a Renaissance man. Then they learn more broadly about the cultural activity of the Renaissance in the areas of architecture, painting, music, and literature. Next, they work in small groups to research and present one significant figure from the Renaissance. Finally, groups create a timeline of important developments of the Renaissance.

Students will work in small groups in scenes 3 and 4.

Objectives

  • Describe the advances in art and literature during the European Renaissance.
  • Recognize key events, figures, and contributions of the European Renaissance.
  • Use a timeline to identify chronological order of Renaissance events.


What would it be like if your community began to suddenly have a creative explosion in terms of art, music, science, and literature? How would that impact your school or your neighborhood? In this experience, you will learn about a period in time where that happened—and changed the world forever.

Objectives

  • Describe the advances in art and literature during the European Renaissance.
  • Recognize key events, figures, and contributions of the European Renaissance.
  • Use a timeline to identify chronological order of Renaissance events.


a child on a chair, thinking

Take two minutes to brainstorm all the jobs that you might be interested in having someday. Think of anything and put it down!


Each of the jobs you chose has a specific set of skills you would need in order to do that job well. Imagine that you could do almost all of them well. That would make you pretty amazing.

To find out about someone who was able to do many jobs well, watch the video Leonardo da Vinci — Mini Biography. 


famous painting of a seated woman

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci


What were some of the jobs that da Vinci did well? To list more than one job, separate them with a comma, like this: spaceship, taxi

Post your answer

As a class, discuss da Vinci’s accomplishments. What surprised you?


Point out that many people still try to be “Renaissance people” by pursuing a wide range of interests. Ask students to imagine what a Renaissance person today might be like. For example, a person who dances ballet, bakes pastries, and works as a technology developer might be one example.


When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.

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The Complete List of Learning Experiences in The Renaissance and Reformation Unit.
Social Studies Middle School Cultural Activity of the Renaissance
Cultural Activity of the Renaissance
Social Studies Middle School The Origins of the Reformation
The Origins of the Reformation
Reopening of the Silk Road
Reopening of the Silk Road
Social Studies Middle School The Influence of the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation
The Influence of the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation
Social Studies Middle School The Spread of the Renaissance in Europe
The Spread of the Renaissance in Europe
Social Studies Middle School The Origins of the Renaissance
The Origins of the Renaissance
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