S+Vierkant,+Corinne

Office: Office Phone:413-7137 Office Hours:** ** E-mail: ** corinne.vierkant@maine.edu
 * Teacher: Ms. Corinne Vierkant

=Summary of Unit= //The unit will cover the changes that occurred previous the era known as the Renaissance, and how those events spurred the change from medieval times,to the re-birth of ancient Greek and Roman ideals and philosophy. The unit will then progress to discussing different elements of the Renaissance: the people, events, art, and philosophies that mark the period. Many innovations, famous artwork, and philosophical ideas and writing emerged from this era! Finally, the unit will cover the influence the Renaissance had on world history following the era, and on the world today. The goals of the unit are to attain understanding on the events that cause change, the rebirth of Greek and Roman ideals in Europe and why, how the transition to the modern world began, and finally the impact the people and the era had on the rest of world history and today. Did you know that the clock was invented during the Renaissance? Imagine the impact of the invention of time as we know it had on society at the time and how it shaped our society today! More amazing defining innovations and ideas of the Renaissance will be explored in a creative project that reveals your final understanding of the Renaissance and how change occurs throughout history.//

=Establish Goals= Grade 9-Diploma** "The Renaissance and Transition into the Modern World" b. Analyze and critique major historical eras, major enduring themes, turning points, events, consequences and people in the history of the United States and World and the implications for the present and future.
 * //Maine Learning Results//: Social Studies - E. History**
 * E1 Historical knowledge, concepts, themes, and patterns
 * Students understand major eras, major enduring themes, and historical influences in the United States and World history including the roots of democratic philosophy, ideals and institutions in the World.**

= = =Students will understand that= •//The Renaissance was characterized by philosophy and a return to ancient Greek and Roman ideals. •Health and economic factors were the major causes of the Renaissance (what causes change). •The Renaissance was the starting point of the transition from the dark ages to the modern era.//

= = =Essential Questions= //•Why did the Renaissance happen. • Why did Europeans return to ancient philosophies, ideals, and technology. • How does the Renaissance mark the transition into the modern world.//

= = =Students will know= //•Events and People: Bubonic Plague, 100 Years War, Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Leonardo DaVinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo Bruni, Francesco Petrarca, Dante, Pico Della Mirandola, Niccolo Machiavelli, Copernicus, Giovanni Boccaccio, Martin Luther, Ruling Families: Fuggers, Tudors, Hapsburgs, Medici, Valois line, Borgia. • Philosophies/ Terminology: Humanism,// //Virtu, City-State, Republic, Greco-Roman Architecture, "The Prince", "Christian Humanism" vs. "Pagan Humanism", Modern Devotion, Schism, Protestantism, Catholicism. • Formulas of Change: Economic surge, Famine, Drought, Epidemics, War, Corruption, Art.//

= = =Students will be able to= //• Express what causes change. • Illustrate factors in history that cause change. • Decide whether the Renaissance truly marks the starting point of the modern world. • b. Analyze and critique major eras, major enduring themes, turning points, events, consequences, and people in the history of the World and the implications for the present and future. • Consider the appeal of Greek and Roman ideals to 15th century Europeans. • Recognize past knowledge of ancient Greece and Rome.//

**Performance Task Overview** //The opportunity of your career has just presented itself to you! As a creative designer at a major advertisement company, Travelocity, who is now offering time travel vacations, has asked your company, and several other advertisement companies, to create a commercial promoting their special vacation package to Renaissance Italy. They ask that you create an eye catching and exciting commercial that promotes the Renaissance, and to choose one major attraction or innovation of the era to include in the commercial. Travelocity wants the commercial to target potential travelers to visit the Renaissance and to use their travel agency. The attraction/innovation is meant to excite the potential consumer about the era and enhance the attraction of the era as a potential vacation destination. As a design team, your group will present the final product to Travelocity. The presentation needs to argue why they should pick your commercial over the ones from the competing companies to use in the promotion of the Renaissance vacation package. Be convincing and enthusiastic! this contract could mean the future success of your company and you as an individual!//

=Expectations= //There are certain expectations that are put in place to ensure the understanding and success of you the student. As a classmate you are expected to give full respect to classmates, as well as the teacher, during all presentations, group activities, and debates. ”Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves.” **--Ralph Waldo Emerson**.//

//In order to respect the time of your classmates, yourself as a learner, and the teacher, students are expected to be to class on time and to be prepared for class. Being prepared requires that the homework is completed prior to class, as well as any research that is needed to participate in class discussion and group work. If you are late to class, you must come in to class in a manner that is not disruptive to the class, and to meet with the teacher after class to discuss the reason for tardiness.

Work is expected to be turned in on time. However, if unable to do so I must be notified ahead of time and given a valid reason, an extension or different method of handing in the work can be arranged. If unexpected and I can not be notified ahead of time, you must see me individually so that we can discuss a time in which the work can be handed in, and if any points need to be deducted from the final product.

If absent from class for any reason, you are responsible for contacting me or a classmate to make up the work as soon as possible. Reminder: If an assignment is due on a day that you miss class you are still responsible for contacting me so that we can arrange another way of handing in the work or otherwise a date when you will be able to hand it in.

All essays and writings must be typed in size 12 font, Times New Roman, and double spaced. Name, date, and class period need to be written in the top left corner. Any images, quotes, or other resources need to be cited correctly using the mla format. Grammar will be taken in to account in the final score of written assignments. If there are more than five grammatical errors the work will not be graded, but will be handed back for revision so that it can be passed back in for a final score.

Plagiarism is not tolerated. Students are held to the code of Academic Integrity. If a final product has been handed in where part or all of it has been taken from an internet, book, or other copyrighted source without proper citation, you will be asked to revise your work or cite your sources. Remember, any image or text that you copy from the internet is considered plagiarism unless credit is given to its creator.

Respect for one another, our time, and other peoples work is expected! Also, respect for yourself by showing up on time and displaying a willingness to learn, will lead to your own success in this class as well as the success of your classmates!//

=Benchmarks=

__Pre-Assessment:__
//Students will be given a short answer survey on prior knowledge of ancient Greece and Rome. The students will also be asked to write anything that they may know about the Renaissance. This will allow me to see what knowledge is already possessed by the class as well as whatever misconceptions are held about the period.//

__Group iMovie Projects (200 points)__:
//This unit will require students to be put in to groups of four to create an iMovie about a specific Renaissance figure, as in a writer/philosopher or artist, and their contribution to the Renaissance as an era. The final product will be graded based on a previously drawn up rubric.//

__Wikispace (100 points):__
//During this unit, you will explore the patterns of change that occur throughout history by comparing the changes that led to the Renaissance with those of another period of change. You will then be required to post discussions on each of your classmates wiki about similarities or differences between their period of change and yours. As a class we will then discuss common themes and patters that were noticed throughout. You will be graded on research and the wikispace, as well as participation on classmates wiki's and the in class discussion.//

__Comic Life- Comic Telling Story of Change (100 points):__
//There are many events that resulted in the dramatic change from the middle ages to the Renaissance. You will create a comic using the Comic Life application, that tells the story of how the event that caused the change happened, how it progressed, and then why it resulted in the Renaissance. You will be graded on a rubric that will be given to you beforehand.//

__Garage Band Interview (100 Points):__
//With a partner, you will choose an ancient Greek or Roman artist or philosopher, and create a radio interview on garage band that explains their significance and influence on the Renaissance philosophy and ideals. The interview will be graded on how well you represent the character and explain his ideas, as well as whether you effectively explained the figures influence on the Renaissance era.//

__Blog and Class Debate (100 Points):__
//During this unit, you will be asked to form an opinion on whether you think that the Renaissance truly marked the beginning of the transition to the modern era. You will then be asked to find evidence to back your opinion up. In class you will meet with the classmates that share your opinion to come up with the argument and supporting evidence. The two sides will then debate each other, using evidence in their case. After, each student will post a blog explaining why the opposing view was right, and how it contradicts their own argument. The activity will be graded based on participation and quality of ideas and writing in the blog.//

__General Blogs (50 points):__
//During each process of creating and researching the projects stated above, you will be asked to blog about the process, ideas that you have, what you are struggling with, and how the project is progressing. I will read and grade the blogs based on their content, lateness, quality of ideas, and signs of progress.//

__Performance Task/ Unit Project (350 points):__
//Towards the end of the unit, you should have a grasp on the philosophy, ideals, people, and innovations of the Renaissance that marked the period and defines it as the beginning of the transition to the modern world. The Unit Project will allow you to show your knowledge on a characteristic of the Renaissance that interests you.

The opportunity of your career has just presented itself to you! As a creative designer at a major advertisement company, Travelocity, who is now offering time travel vacations, has asked your company, and several other advertisement companies, to create a commercial promoting their special vacation package to Renaissance Italy. They ask that you create an eye catching and exciting commercial that promotes the Renaissance, and to choose one major attraction or innovation of the era to include in the commercial. Travelocity wants the commercial to target potential travelers to visit the Renaissance and to use their travel agency. The attraction/innovation is meant to excite the potential consumer about the era and enhance the attraction of the era as a potential vacation destination. As a design team, your group will present the final product to Travelocity. The presentation needs to argue why they should pick your commercial over the ones from the competing companies to use in the promotion of the Renaissance vacation package. Be convincing and enthusiastic! this contract could mean the future success of your company and you as an individual!

There will be separate rubrics for the oral presentation and the movie product, and you will be graded as a group, not as an individual. Also, students will be expected to fill out a question sheet that self-assess their performance and those of their group members, and gives themselves and each group member the grade that they think they deserve based on the standards outlined in the rubric. The self-assessment will be graded as it is mentioned in the rubric.//

=Grading Scale= **A** (93 -100), **A-** (90 - 92), **B+** (87 - 89), **B** (83 - 86), **B-** (80 - 82), **C+**(77 - 79), **C** (73-76),
 * C-** (70 - 72), **D+**(67 - 69), **D** (63 - 66), **D-** (60 - 62), **F** (0 - 59).