Renaissance

Topic: The Beginning of the Renaissance (Changes in Society and the Rise of City-States)

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will understand the changes that took place in society during the Renaissance and the rise of city-states.

Materials

• Images of medieval and Renaissance architecture
• Maps of medieval and Renaissance Europe
• Handouts with information about the changes in society during the Renaissance
• Colored pencils or markers

Warm-Up

• Have students draw a picture of what they think a medieval town looks like. Then, have them draw a picture of what they think a Renaissance city looks like.
• Ask them to share the differences they noticed between the two depictions.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of the Renaissance and its significance in European history.
• Discuss the changes in society and the rise of the city-states that occurred during this period.
• Use the handouts to provide additional information about the Renaissance.

Guided Practice

• Have students work in pairs to complete a fill-in-the-blank activity about key aspects of the Renaissance.
• Go over the answers as a class and discuss any questions or additional insights from the students.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose one aspect of the Renaissance to research in more detail. They can use the internet or a library to find information, and can use visual materials such as maps or illustrations to help them understand the topic.
• Have students create a poster or presentation about their chosen topic, illustrating key points and including any additional information they discovered in their research.

Closure

• Have students share their posters or presentations with the class.
• Review the key points of the lesson and discuss any additional insights students gained from researching their chosen topics.

Assessment

• Observe students during the guided and independent practice activities to assess their understanding of the key points of the Renaissance and the roles and contributions of key Renaissance figures.
• Collect and review the posters or presentations created during the independent practice activity to assess student ability to conduct research and present information on a topic of interest.