S T U D E N T G U I D E

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The Art of the Renaissance: Giorgio Vasari

How does the work of Giorgio Vasari demonstrate biases in historical accounts?

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Table of Contents

Skills Focus

• Build Your Vocabulary: Map a Word
• Cornell Notes: Understanding a Topic Through Multiple Texts

Overview and Connect

• Find Your Purpose for Learning
• Share Your Personal Connection

Read and Check

• Share Your Reflections
• Test Prep Strategy: Verify Your Answer (Optional)

Analyze / Engage with the Text

• Highlight and Annotate

Summarize

• Write a Summary

Develop / Build Your Argument

• Share Your Argument Builder

Draft and Review / Create your CERCA

• Peer Editing Activity
• Reflect on Your Writing

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Extension Activities

• Research Activity: Renaissance Art Exhibition
• Inquiry to Research: Asking Questions of the Texts

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S K I L L S F O C U S

Build Your Vocabulary: �Map a Word — Art History �

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Synonym (similar or like word)

Antonym (opposite word)

Picture of Vocabulary Word

Vocabulary Word and Definition

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Part of Speech

Root Word or Origin

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Sentence Using Vocabulary Word

Instructions: Analyzing key vocabulary words will help you better understand the texts you are reading. Word mapping can also help the words "stick" in your memory. Complete the map below with the vocabulary word provided in the title. Use a dictionary if necessary. Fill as many boxes as you can.

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S K I L L S F O C U S

Cornell Notes: Understanding a Topic Through Multiple Texts

Instructions: Take notes on the Direct Instruction lesson using the organizer below. Then summarize and reflect on the next page.

Complete the Direct Instruction lesson online at learn.thinkcerca.com

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S K I L L S F O C U S

Cornell Notes: Understanding a Topic Through Multiple Texts

Summarize and Reflect

In your own words and in complete sentences, write a 3–4 sentence summary of this Direct Instruction lesson. An accurate summary will cover the lesson's central ideas and include important details to support those ideas.

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Record your summary here:

O V E R V I E W A N D C O N N E C T

Find Your Purpose for Learning

Instructions: When you have finished reading the Overview for this lesson, answer the following questions in the space below:

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What more would you like to learn about the art of the Renaissance? What would you like to know about how to detect biases or falsehoods in historical accounts?

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Read the Overview provided at learn.thinkcerca.com

O V E R V I E W A N D C O N N E C T

Share Your Personal Connection

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Complete the Connect section for this selection at learn.thinkcerca.com

Instructions:�

1. Think: On your own, think about your experiences related to the topic.
2. Pair & Share: With a partner, group, or a trusted listener, share the parts of your response that you feel comfortable sharing.
3. Reflect: If time permits, reflect on your experience. What ideas did others share that you hadn't considered? How were your ideas alike?

R E A D

Share Your Reflections

Instructions: During or after you have finished reading, find the questions in the text marked Pause and Reflect. These questions may help you understand the text, or they may help you connect the text to yourself, to other texts, or to the world around you.

Use the space on the left below to answer the reflection questions. Then discuss your answers, noting how they were similar or different.

Record “Pause and Reflect” answers here:

Record discussion reflections here:

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Refer to the Pause and Reflect questions within the Read section of the lesson at learn.thinkcerca.com.

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S T E P 2 : R E A D

Test Prep Strategy: Verify Your Answer

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Multiple choice questions can be tricky! Take your time. Carefully read each question and each response. After you settle on an answer, verify your response by replacing it in the actual question.

Practice this technique with the questions from your reading.

Refer to the reading and multiple choice questions for this lesson at learn.thinkcerca.com.

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A N A L Y Z E / E N G A G E W I T H T H E T E X T

Highlight and Annotate

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In this step, you will analyze the text closely, then discuss your findings to begin developing reasoning for your argument.

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1. Read the text again, highlighting and annotating important details. ��Follow the prompts provided. The highlighting prompts will help you with the final writing task. ��You will find evidence to support your own argument or informational piece, as well as models of excellence that will help you better understand a writer’s craft in narratives and poetry. The evidence you highlight will be available when you begin building your draft in the next step.

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2. If time permits, pair and share your highlights and annotations with a classmate. Pay close attention to this conversation! Your thinking is important reasoning that you may include in your final draft.

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Return to learn.thinkcerca.com to complete Analyze / Engage with the Text.

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S U M M A R I Z E

Write a Summary

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Summaries help you process your thinking about a text and are often a great way to start off an argumentative or informational essay. A good summary shows you have knowledge about a topic.

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Practicing summarizing also helps you prepare for the main idea questions posed on many standardized assessments. In addition, summarizing is a helpful skill for working with others, such as when you need to confirm your understanding of what someone else has said. That's a useful skill for all parts of life.

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1. Use the sentence stems provided in the online lesson to summarize the text. Your summary should:
1. Be brief
2. Include the main idea and key details
3. Represent these ideas fairly and accurately �
2. If time permits, pair and share with a classmate. Read each other’s summary, and discuss how they are similar or different. What did you say were the main idea and key details? Were your summaries fair and accurate? Why?

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Return to learn.thinkcerca.com to complete Summarize.

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D E V E L O P / B U I L D Y O U R A R G U M E N T

Share your Argument Builder

When you’ve completed the argument building step, share your results with others, and listen to how they responded to the same question. Ask questions, and give feedback to help strengthen your partners’ reasons and evidence.

Complete Develop / Build Your Argument to begin building your argument at learn.thinkcerca.com

D R A F T A N D R E V I E W / C R E A T E Y O U R C E R C A

Peer Editing Activity

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1. Do a self-assessment of your CERCA. Use the online rubric for the lesson on learn.thinkcerca.com, checking each box where you find evidence that you have achieved the criteria.�
2. Next, collaborate with a classmate to read each other’s drafts. Again, use the rubric to evaluate each other’s work.�
3. Share insights into what might make your pieces stronger. Find two positive attributes and one area of growth for each draft you review.�
4. Revise your piece using what you learned from your self-assessment and the feedback from your peers.

Complete your Draft at learn.thinkcerca.com

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D R A F T A N D R E V I E W / C R E A T E Y O U R C E R C A

Reflect on Your Writing

Before you submit your final CERCA, write a brief reflection describing your experience.

An area for growth for me on this piece or in my writing in general is…

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The strongest areas of this piece of writing are…

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Through self-assessment and/or peer editing, I learned…

Extension Activities

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The following activities can be used as extensions to this lesson.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : R E S E A R C H A C T I V I T Y

Renaissance Art Exhibition

Background

Beginning in Italy, the Renaissance was a period of cultural growth and experimentation. Individuals looked to history, mythology, nature, and the experiences of human beings for inspiration, and created works of art that have stood the test of time.

In this exercise, you will take on the role of a curator who is putting together an art show at a museum. Start by deciding which Renaissance artist you will feature in your show. Then, research the artist and some of the artist's work. Select three of the artist’s works that you believe are culturally or historically significant. Make sure that you have a teacher’s approval to use the works that have caught your attention.�

Materials Needed

• Note-taking tools (paper and pen, or computer)
• Access to a school-approved search engine or school library resources (with adult permission)

Research

• Use a school-approved search engine or school library resources to conduct deeper research on one of the following Renaissance-era artists:
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Michelangelo
• Raphael
• Lorenzo Lotto
• Giorgio Vasari
• Use the guiding questions on the following page to direct some of your research.

Share

Create an engaging title for your art show. Then, write a two paragraph introduction to the art show that explains who the artist is and why the works that you selected are culturally or historically significant. Share the introduction with your classmates.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : R E S E A R C H A C T I V I T Y

Renaissance Art Exhibition

Directions:

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• Use a school-approved search engine or school library resources to conduct deeper research on art and artists of the Renaissance.
• Address the guiding prompts to support your research.

Helpful Resources

• Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (from The Metropolitan Museum of Art): an online collection of art history essays and images of original works of art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art that can be researched by time period, geographical region, and theme
• National Gallery of Art: a large volume of images of artwork, as well as art history information from National Gallery of Art’s collection.
• Artyfactory: free art, design, and art history lessons from a retired art teacher based in Glasgow, Scotland
• Smarthistory: a free art history resource with over 4,000 essays and videos on the history of art from around the world

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Paragraph #1 Guiding Prompts: Answer the following questions in paragraph form to develop a single biographical paragraph about your featured artist:

• Where was the artist born?
• What were the economic conditions of the artist’s household?
• How did your artist develop his craft?
• What was a major interest or focus of your artist?

Paragraph #2 Guiding Prompts: Answer the following questions in paragraph form to develop a single paragraph about the three works that you have selected for your show:

• When were these works created?
• What do they have in common with one another?
• How are they different from one another?
• Do any of them demonstrate an artistic innovation? How?
• What do these works of art tell us about the world of the Renaissance?

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : I N Q U I R Y T O R E S E A R C H

Ask Questions of the Texts

As you engage with texts in any subject, you can actively ask questions about the author’s purpose, intended audience, and occasion to understand the message. The table below provides examples.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : I N Q U I R Y T O R E S E A R C H

Ask Questions of the Texts (continued)

Use the table below to record questions about the text you read.

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