Medieval and Renaissance Project

Directions: The project you will be completing has a variety of topics, options, and styles. Depending on the project you choose to do you will either in work in a group of 4, a group of 2, or individually. Each project can utilize different technologies from Microsoft Word, to PowerPoint, to Publisher. Most group projects have multiple parts so pay close attention to the directions.

Essential Questions: What happens when different cultures come in contact with one another? How can societies use what they learn from the past? How can new technology impact society?

Due Date: Monday, April 10th Project Value: 60 Points

Your Options:

1.  Middle Ages/Renaissance Journal: Individual Project

You will write a minimum of five journal entries as if you were living in Medieval or Renaissance Europe. You may choose to write this from the perspective of any of the following individuals: a knight on the Crusades, a noblewoman living in a castle, an individual living during the Black Death, or an artist living during the Renaissance in Italy (You may also choose to be a real historical person such as Joan of Arc or Francis of Assisi).

a.  You must include at least five facts in each entry about what life would be like for the person you choose and you should not be doing the same thing every day unless there is a reason for it.

b.  You final product will need to be historically accurate in terms of your description and should include accurate dates at the beginning of each entry. The Journal should be over an extended period of time (such as a month or year).

c.  You will need to make your journal look old and worn in appearance so it seems as if it was written during the Middle Ages or Renaissance.

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2.  Black Death Report For the Centers For Disease Control: 3-4 People

You are the members of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and it is your duty to inform your fellow members, as well as the public, about the threat the Black Death posed to the world in the Middle Ages as well as the existence of the disease in the world today. You will need to complete each of the following:

a.  A PowerPoint that outlines the beginnings of the Black Death, the spread of the disease, the different variations of the virus, the symptoms and treatments, the death rate throughout Europe, the effects the disease had on Europe, and the existence of the Black Death today.

b.  You must include visuals dedicated to population charts and graphs showing the decline in European population.

c.  Your group will also need to make a Black Death Warning Poster that could have been used during the Middle Ages to help people identify the Black Death and avoid contracting the disease. This can be done on classic poster board.

d.  You will present your findings to the class as if you were presenting before the CDC.

3.  Museum Curator: 3-4 People

Your group is assigned to create a new Renaissance exhibit in the museum you work for. You must develop a theme for your Renaissance display and select 10-15 works of art/literature/architecture/or inventions you will be including in the exhibit. Each work of art will need to be researched so that the board of directors will be familiar with each piece and why they are spending an exuberant amount of money to purchase it.

a.  You will need to create a PowerPoint presentation outlining the theme of your exhibit and the pieces of art/literature/architecture/or inventions you have chosen to include. There will need to be a visual of each piece of art included. The end of your Power-Point should be devoted to the rationale as to why you have chosen these particular pieces of art, and how they relate to the theme you have created.

b.  You may include paintings, sculptures, works of literature, sketches, frescoes (obviously they would need to be replicas), inventions, and even architectural achievements.

c.  Each piece of artwork will have a general description that includes who the artist/architect was, the date it was created, the current location in the world where it will need to be borrowed from (or where it is found) and a bullet describing why it was a brilliant Renaissance piece.

d.  Finally, your group will create a poster which announces the upcoming exhibit to display outside the Museum for advertising purposes. The poster should include the theme and images of the art with captions. This may be done on traditional poster board.

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4.  Travel Agent: 2-4 People

You are a travel agent and it is your job to present a Renaissance tour through PowerPoint and Publisher. You will need to include stops in multiple cities including (but not limited to) Florence, Venice, Rome, Paris, London, and Valencia. I suggest you make it a 3-4 city tour and that you focus on the major Renaissance tourist attractions. These would include cathedrals, palaces, museums (include to artwork on display), bridges, fountains, and theaters.

a.  You will need to create both a PowerPoint to present to your clients and a Publisher Pamphlet to handout to perspective buyers. You will present the Power Point to the class and turn in your pamphlet to me.

b.  The PowerPoint should include 3-4 slides on each city you are visiting with visuals of the key attractions. The information should basically outline the key information on the building/art you are suggesting to visit.

c.  You final product should have information on the key places (from the Renaissance) to visit in each of your 3-4 cities, and the pamphlet should give a basic overview of the trip you would have planned. (See me for pamphlet design).

d.  If you are very good with movie maker or other computer options and want to do this project see me and we can discuss alternatives to PowerPoint.

Library/Computer Dates: All class periods between March 30th - April 7th

You will receive a scoring rubric on Monday, April 4th depending on what project you have chosen to complete. I will be available during resource and after school to work in computer labs on the project.