Age of Discovery—A FLEX Course on the History and Geography of the Renaissance in Europe

Completed by 1 learner

This 20-week survey of European History starts with Erasmus and ends with William and Mary, including the monarchs and scholars, artists and writers, and scientists and inventors who made the outstanding achievements of this incredible era.

Francesca G Dixon

Average rating:5.0Number of reviews:(31)

10-12

year old learners

1-12

learners per class

$360

Charged upfront

$18 per week

Flexible schedule

Over 20 weeks

No live meetings

Available times

Pacific

Table of available sections

Class Experience

US Grade 5 - 7

What a piece of work is man.  This quote from William Shakespeare epitomizes the humanistic approach of the Renaissance.  Starting in Florence and traveling to Rome, Venice, Northern, and Western Europe, we will encounter thinkers such as Erasmus, Machiavelli, and Martin Luther, monarchs such as Queen Isabela, Henry the VIII and Elizabeth I, artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo, astronomers such as Copernicus and Galileo, conquistadors such as Columbus and Magellan, and above all, the...

This class is taught in English.

Students will become familiar with key philosophical movements, events, and elites, as well as the scientific, technological, literary, and artistic achievements of the Renaissance, and gain background knowledge and rare-word vocabulary from a specific domain that will enhance their reading comprehension of nonfiction text.

I have taught this course for several years as a full-time, certified Elementary and Secondary teacher at the District of Columbia Public Schools. I received an Excellence Award by the Educational Testing Service for Outstanding performance on the PRAXIS II Test for Social Studies Content Knowledge. My unique expertise is in developing and teaching content-rich humanities units that integrate geography, history, literature, science, art, and music.  Additionally, I have developed a repertoire of strategies for teaching reading in the content area to intermediate-age students.

Each week, students will read and respond to one or two written texts.  Assignments are designed to help students engage with the content.  The amount of time necessary to complete the assignments will depend on the learner.

All of the resources used for this class are available online at no cost.

In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:Padlet
Quizlet

I will provide feedback on all submitted assignments.  Completed work can be compiled into a portfolio.  If requested I will provide a letter grade and certificate.

No live meetings, and an estimated 1 - 2 hours per week outside of class.

Some of the art discussed in this class, such as Michelangelo's David and Botticelli's Birth of Venus, features nudes.  I will address this issue with students by explaining that Renaissance artists, like the classical artists they revered, considered the human body to be a thing of beauty.  This class will discuss the reformation of the church and the counter-reformation.  It will also discuss explorers and conquistadors such as Columbus and Magellan, as well as their treatment of Indigenous Peoples in America, Africa, and Asia. If or when inaccuracies or biases are present in any resources used for this class, I will use them as teachable moments to explain what is inaccurate and how the resource shows bias.

• From the Renaissance to England's Golden Age, Core Knowledge History and Geography
• The Age of Exploration, Core Knowledge History and Geography
We will make use of the online collections of the National Gallery of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Meet the teacher

Francesca G Dixon

Average rating:5.0Number of reviews:(31)

Education should be a feast of knowledge and all students should be invited to a banquet that includes literature, history, geography, art, music, science, and math. I believe that rich content knowledge and a wide vocabulary greatly enhance...