Introduction
This curriculum project was created with my freshman Western Civilization class in mind. In past years I have been unhappy with the way I have taught this period of history; the unit has lacked focus and has not allowed the students to utilize their own creativity in studying a period of immense creativity and innovation. I believe this curriculum project addresses both problems.
Three weeks of classroom time are ideal for completion of the project, although it can of course be modified to fit time constraints. The first week I spend teaching about the Renaissance through the city of Florence. The last two weeks are spent with the students working in groups on various tasks in an effort to create an imaginary Italian Renaissance city based on the information they have learned about Florence. The following are topics and material I address relating to the city of Florence in the first week:
- A general discussion of the Renaissance and how it illustrates a break with the Middle Ages
- Drawings of the city of Florence during the Renaissance and slides of modern day Florence in order to observe the typical structures and buildings of a Renaissance city
- Panegyric to the City of Florence by Leonardo Bruni as an example of Renaissance rhetoric
- Petrarch's A Young Lady Beneath a Green Laurel as an example of Renaissance poetry
- Slides of work by Donatello, Masaccio, Botticelli, and Michelangelo as examples of Renaissance art
The students are then organized into groups of three or four and begin work on the project. They will have class time to work together, but work outside of class is also expected and required in order to complete the various tasks in this project.
The following are pages I distribute to the students:
- An explanation of the project with both the required and optional tasks and evaluation information
- "Tentative Group Plan" -- This sheet is returned to me within the first few
days as a means to foster their initial thinking and to keep them organized.
- Each group receives a "Responsibility Sheet" for each of the tasks. These are to be handed in with the final project.
- Evaluation rubrics for each of the tasks
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