Introduction
After spending one month at the NEH sponsored Summer Institute titled "Worlds of the Renaissance", I left with the challenge of taking the enormous volume of information I had learned and making it relevant, digestible, and useful for my students. Because my state recently implemented a high stakes reading assessment test for all high school students, I decided to present my newly acquired information in the context of mini reading tests. Hence, I excerpted texts from some of the books which we read at the institute and paired them with questions modeled after the ones my students will face on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) in reading. Below you will find a complete list of reading tests I have created. The entries which are numbered and in bold print are ones which are sampled on this web page. Anyone interested in receiving a complete copy of all the reading tests can do so by sending me a stamped (3 X 33¢), self-addressed manila sized (9" X 12") envelope. Send your request to:
Shawn Eric DeNight
Miami Edison Senior High School
6161 N.W. 5th Court
Miami, FL 33127
Renaissance readings with FCAT-like questions:
- Dante's Inferno #1 "First Canto Lines 1-21"
- Dante's Inferno #2 "First Canto Lines 22-45"
- Dante's Inferno #3 "First Canto Lines 85-109"
- Castiglione's The Courtier #1 "A Good Reputation"
- Vasari's Lives of Three Renaissance Artists Michelangelo #1 "The Sistine Chapel"
- Vasari's Lives of Three Renaissance Artists Michelangelo #2 "The Sistine Chapel"
- Vasari's Lives of Three Renaissance Artists Leonardo #1 "Mona Lisa"
- Vasari's Lives of Three Renaissance Artists Leonardo #2 "The Last Supper"
- Vasari's Lives of Three Renaissance Artists Raphael #1 "Raphael's Contribution to Painting"
- Phillips & Phillips' The Worlds of Columbus #1 "Seville to Española"
- Phillips & Phillips' The Worlds of Columbus #2 "Exploring Central America"
- Phillips & Phillips' The Worlds of Columbus #3 "Mutiny threat and breakdown in Indian relations"
- Phillips & Phillips' The Worlds of Columbus #4 "Rescue from Jamaica"
- Phillips & Phillips' The Worlds of Columbus #5 "Smallpox"
- Machiavelli's The Prince #1 "On Avoiding Being Despised and Hated"
- Machiavelli's The Prince #2 "How a Prince Should Keep His Word"
- Machiavelli's The Prince #3 "On Cruelty and Mercy"
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