8.2 Exploring the Origins of a Western Worldview
The Renaissance
1. Do you know where the first Europeans who settled in Canada came
from? Find the continents of North and South America on a globe or
world map, then locate each country listed below.
Britain
France
Germany
Italy
Portugal
Spain
Use this information
sheet:
F Globes, Atlases and Maps
Renaissance
Renaissance, a word that means rebirth, is used to describe the
revival of arts, architecture, literature and education in Europe
during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. The time before the
Renaissance is known as the Dark Ages because there was very
little growth in the arts, architecture, literature and education in
Europe during that time.
Think about what you already know about life in Europe
during the Renaissance. Record your thoughts below.
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The Renaissance
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2. Read Renaissance Summaries and answer the questions below.
a) In your own words, write a definition of the Renaissance period. Use
examples from the information in the summaries.
b) Why did Europeans travel around the world during the Renaissance
period?
c) What happened to the church during the Renaissance period?
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The Renaissance
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d) Discuss the following question in groups and write the key points of
your discussion in the space below. Give examples to support your
ideas.
How did the Renaissance period spark the exchange of ideas across
Europe? Think about new ideas in astronomy, mathematics, science,
politics, religion and art.
3. Review major events of the Renaissance
period. Look at Renaissance Time Line and
answer the questions below.
Use this information
sheet:
F Time Lines
a) According to the time line, what new inventions or discoveries were
made during the Renaissance period? Name three inventions or
events and describe why each one was important.
Invention/Event
Why it was important …
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The Renaissance
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Invention/Event
Why it was important …
b) Add five more important events to the timeline, one from each of the
following topics.
Topic
Arts
Event
Astronomy
Politics
Science
Religion
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The Renaissance
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4. Look at a map of Renaissance Europe. Based on what you see, which
countries do you think the following countries traded with most often?
England
France
Germany
Italy
Portugal
Spain
Where to Start on the Web
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/history_europe.html
Which countries do you think competed with each
other, with respect to fishing shared waters,
farming similar crops and sharing routes to the
Orient and the Americas? Compare your answers
with a partner or group and add to your list.
Country
Who they Competed with and Example
England
France
Germany
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The Renaissance
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Country
Who they Competed with and Example
Italy
Portugal
Spain
5. How did the geography of Europe affect trade and
competition among European countries? Discuss
your answers with classmates and summarize your
answer below.
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The Renaissance
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Intercultural
Intercultural means that something relates to or involves different
cultures. During the Renaissance, Europeans began to have contact with
different cultures within Europe and around the world, such as Asia, North
and South America, and Africa. The Renaissance period was an
intercultural time.
6
How did contact with other cultures during the Renaissance period affect
the identity of European groups? Read through or scan resources on the
Internet and in the library and look for examples of the impact that
contact with other cultures had on the following areas of European
society. Summarize the information you find in the chart below.
Family life
Example:
Technology
Example:
Religion
Example:
Language
Example:
Way of life/
occupations
Example:
Where to Start on the Web
Use these tools:
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/renaissance/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/dic/colls/arh102/
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/
renaissance1/
http://historymedren.about.com/
F Preparing for an Internet
Search
F Note Taking I
F Reflecting on Research
Process
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The Renaissance
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7. Choose a European country and research how
contact with other countries during the
Renaissance would have affected their
knowledge and understanding of the world
around them? Before answering the question,
think about how the contact might have
affected their family life, work, languages
spoken, technology used and so on. Write your
key findings in the space below.
Use this tool:
F Preparing for an Internet
Search
F Note Taking I
F Reflecting on Research
Process
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Share your answer with others in a group.
What new ideas did you hear?
Use this tool:
F Discussion Notes
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The Renaissance
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8. What groups or leaders became powerful in Europe during the
Renaissance? List one for each of the following categories. Compare your
answers with other students and add any new answers to your list below.
Government
Religious Leaders
Royalty
Military Leaders
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The Renaissance
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Current Events
9. Scan television video clips, Internet, newspaper articles
and other news media for examples of how Renaissance
Europe has impacted Canadian society. For example,
look for news stories that relate to art/music from the
period that is still important today, political traditions
that are based on those from the Renaissance, religions
that became popular during the time that are
in the news today.
Use this tool and
information sheet:
Choose a news story and fill out the five
Ws (who, what, where, when, why) and
one H (how) of the story.
Knowledge and Employability Studio
Social Studies
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F Question Organizer I
F News Story Search
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The Renaissance
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