Renaissance, Exploration & ReformationLentWeek 24 of 32

The Scientific Revolution & the Age of Kings

Essential Question

How did new science and absolute monarchs reshape the European mind and the European map?

This week the student studies the Scientific Revolution (Copernicus, Kepler, Newton, and the true, balanced story of the Galileo affair), the deep harmony of faith and reason and the Catholic contribution to science, and the Age of Absolutism epitomized by Louis XIV and Versailles. In US history, the colonies mature through the Great Awakening and growing self-government. The week explores Baroque art and music and brings the multi-week research project to completion.

Liturgical note: Lent into Passiontide (late March) — the final, more intense stretch of Lent as the Church turns toward the Passion. The week's saint, St. Vincent de Paul, and the virtue of compassion direct the heart toward the corporal works of mercy as Holy Week approaches.

Threads at a Glance

What Each Thread Covers This Week

World History

The Scientific Revolution (Copernicus, the true story of Galileo, Kepler, Newton); faith and science; the Catholic contribution to science; the Age of Absolutism (Louis XIV and Versailles)

US History

Reconstruction: Promise and Betrayal

Historical Figure

Sir Isaac Newton (with the Galileo affair treated in the lesson)

Geography

Europe of the absolute monarchs (c. 1700); draw France, the patchwork Holy Roman Empire, and the rising powers

Art History

The Baroque — Caravaggio's light and drama, Bernini's sculpture and St. Peter's Square, Rubens; Catholic Baroque as the art of renewal

Music History

The Baroque era — Monteverdi and the birth of opera, Vivaldi, Handel, and J.S. Bach; the rise of tonality

Saint

St. Vincent de Paul (charity in the age of kings)

Virtue

Compassion (the corporal works of mercy)

Catechism

YOUCAT — the Our Father, prayed line by line

Grammar

Style and concision — strong verbs, active voice, and cutting wordiness

Writing

Research project — revising, citing, and finalizing

Weekly Writing Assignment

Research Project (Part 3 of 3): Revise, Cite, and Finalize

Bring the research project (begun Week 22, drafted Week 23) to completion. THIS WEEK: (1) revise the draft for clear structure, strong verbs, active voice, and concision (applying this week's grammar lesson); (2) check that every borrowed fact has an in-text citation and that a complete Works Cited / bibliography lists all sources; (3) proofread for grammar and usage from the past weeks (homophones, agreement, run-ons); (4) produce the polished final paper.

Skill: Revising a draft for clarity and concision, verifying citations, and producing a polished, properly documented final paper.Length: Final paper of 900-1200 words, plus a Works Cited page of at least four sources.

Show rubric ▾

Clear thesis answered fully and logically across the paper
Evidence from 4+ sources, each properly cited in-text
Complete, correctly formatted Works Cited / bibliography
Prose revised for strong verbs, active voice, and concision
Proofread: free of homophone, agreement, run-on, comma-splice, and fragment errors

The Week