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Students can create a festal calendar for the Renaissance and a contemporary festal calendar. Sometimes a project like this is easier to accomplish by breaking students into groups. Use the five main categories of celebrations as divisions and then combine all of their work on one large vertical scroll which can be displayed in the room.
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2.
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Another activity planned for this unit includes visiting local art museums to see and hear about selected works of art depicting Renaissance revelry. Students can look at paintings, engravings, tapestries, prints or objects. I suspect that after viewing and discussing works of art in class related to this unit, their experience in the museum might be quite successful.
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3.
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Hopefully, the drama class can work on a scene from any of the readings done or rituals portrayed in paintings. See appendix to this unit in Institute office.
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4.
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Very hopefully, this unit will conclude with a Renaissance feast, complete with food, folly, fashion and fun. Again, this will have to be coordinated with and supported by the history, English, and art departments. As with all curriculum units, the work is ongoing. It may take another nine months to plan the feast! Certainly, Madeline Pelner Cosman’s
Fabulous Feasts: Medieval Cookery and Ceremony
will be a valuable guide for planning this activity.
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5.
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New Haven’s audiovisual department owns two video cassettes on the “Middle Ages” and the “Renaissance,” both of which may be useful for background information or flavor.
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6.
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Use art books such as Jansen’s to show famous paintings, if slides are not available.
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7.
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If anyone you know has been to Venice, London, Florence, or any city that has festivals, ask them to show slides to class so that students get a feeling for each place.
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8.
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Students who have attended local Greek, Irish, Hispanic, Italian or other festivals may wish to share experiences with the class. Try to point out common elements (food, music, special clothes, dancing, competition) and those elements which make each festival unique.
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