Focus Questions: Who is the Fairest of them all?

 

The Renaissance was a time of “rebirth” of the classics and led to an innovative age that transformed European culture. The Renaissance embraced the ideals of curiosity, the worth of human achievements and the faith in the human ability to master nature. Many ideas were revolutionary in the sense that people challenged accepted ways of thinking.

 

How are you going to prove that your candidate for the Apollo award embraced those challenges and is worthy of this great award?

 

Leonardo da Vinci

 

1-     What is so important about his achievements?

2-     How did his ideas change the lives of people in the Renaissance and future generations?

3-     How did his ideas and actions become known as the ideals of the Renaissance?

 

Galilei Galileo and Gutenberg

 

1-     What discoveries/ inventions were important?

2-     How original was his work or did a previous discovery contribute to his ideas?

3-     How did these ideas affect his life and society? Did he have to make personal sacrifices?

4-     How has his scientific discovery changed man’s view of life?

 

William Shakespeare

 

1-What are your literary and theater achievements?

2-Why is your writing so important?

3-How is your writing different from literature of the Middle Ages- use specific comparisons

 

Martin Luther

 

1-Why is he known to be such an important leader?

2-What did he think was wrong with the Catholic Church and what did he do to change it?

3-What impact did his ideas and actions have on society?

 

Elizabeth I

 

1-How did Elizabeth I restore unity to England?

2-How important a political leader did she become?

3-How did her style of government reflect the ideas of Machiavelli?

4-How did her ideas and actions change the lives of people in the Renaissance?

 

Christopher Columbus

 

1-Why were his achievements so important  and how did he change life in Europe?

2-How did his explorations lead to a global exchange of ideas and goods?

3- How was his adventurous spirit  and ability evidence of the new Renaissance ideals?