The Renaissance
Essential Question
What was 'reborn' in the Renaissance, and how did the printing press change everything?
This week the student enters the Renaissance — the 'rebirth' of classical learning and confidence that began in the wealthy city-states of Italy. They meet humanism and its love of the ancient Greeks and Romans, the banking dynasty of the Medici who bankrolled Florence's golden age, the Northern Renaissance scholar Erasmus, and above all Gutenberg's printing press, the invention that put books — and ideas — into the hands of ordinary people for the first time.
Liturgical note: Ordinary Time (January/February).
Threads at a Glance
What Each Thread Covers This Week
Humanism and the rebirth of classical learning; Florence and the Medici; Gutenberg's printing press and its revolution; the Northern Renaissance (Erasmus)
Jacksonian democracy, Bank War, Indian Removal and Trail of Tears
Leonardo da Vinci
Renaissance Italy; the city-states — Florence, Venice, Milan, Rome, Naples
Early Renaissance — Brunelleschi's dome, Donatello, Masaccio and linear perspective, Botticelli
Franco-Flemish polyphony — Josquin des Prez; the madrigal; the start of music printing (Petrucci)
St. Catherine of Siena (Doctor of the Church)
Magnanimity (greatness of soul, rightly ordered)
YOUCAT — human dignity, freedom, conscience, sin and grace (Q280-Q302)
Punctuation I — the comma (the major rules)
Biographical sketch (a Renaissance figure)
Weekly Writing Assignment
A Renaissance Life: A Biographical Sketch
Write a biographical sketch of one Renaissance figure: Leonardo da Vinci, Cosimo or Lorenzo de' Medici, Filippo Brunelleschi, Sandro Botticelli, Erasmus, or St. Catherine of Siena. Do not list every fact. Instead, open with a hook, then organize your sketch around what made this person remarkable — their gifts, their key achievements, and their character — ending with why they still matter. Aim to make a reader who has never heard of them care.
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- Opens with an engaging hook rather than 'X was born in...'
- Selects the most significant achievements rather than listing everything
- Conveys the person's character or personality, not just dates and deeds
- Ends with a clear statement of why the figure matters
- Uses commas correctly throughout (this week's grammar) and is proofread
The Week
Four Days of Learning
- St. Catherine of Siena — Doctor of the Church10m
- Humanism, the Medici, and the Printing Press30m
- YOUCAT: Human Dignity, Freedom, and Conscience15m
- Notebook Wrap5m
- Magnanimity10m
- Jacksonian America20m
- Early Renaissance: Brunelleschi, Donatello, Masaccio, Botticelli25m
- Notebook Wrap5m
- Catechism Review: Freedom and Conscience5m
- Punctuation I — The Comma (the major rules)20m
- Renaissance Italy: The City-States30m
- Notebook Wrap5m
- Leonardo da Vinci — The Universal Man15m
- Josquin des Prez, the Madrigal, and Printed Music20m
- Writing Workshop: A Renaissance Biographical Sketch20m
- St. Catherine of Siena — Week Synthesis5m