“rebirth”

 Injustice  Fear  Oppression  Death  Religion  Hard Labor

 Due to the Black Death, the need for workers was suddenly on a higher demand than it had ever been before.  For the first time in centuries, peasants weren't available in large numbers and nobles had difficulty securing the workforce necessary to sow their fields and harvest their crops.  Therefore, peasants found themselves in demand, a shift which shook European society to its core.

 Also, the life of farming that dominated life during the High Middle Ages slowly failed, industry (business, manufacturing) rose, yet another benefit left in the wake of the Black Death.  Once the major impact of the disease was no longer felt, the towns of Europe repopulated faster than smaller communities in the countryside.  This new, urbanized Europe paved the way for a society and economy based on different principles, a modern life, an era when cities, industry and trade have come to grow over farming and living in the country.

 And one other positive result of the bubonic plague was the development of medicine as a science in Western Europe.  Doctors from Eastern Europe had for centuries been suggesting sensible measures like bathing and the value of studying the human body.  Western European doctors before 1347 believed that the human body was not to be seen or studied.  But when the Plague wiped out nearly all the doctors as well as the church officials, it made people realize that it was important to look into science.

 Renaissance was a time of rebirth of ideas, thoughts, and learning.  The people rediscovered the literature, art, and learning of Ancient Greece and Rome.  The people who survived the Black Death saw that they had a second chance at life and wanted to enjoy their life.  There was a focus on humanism, individualism, and secularism

Different ways that writers use to communicate their ideas.

TopicMiddle Ages Government There was one king who owned and controlled the people and land. Religion They were Christians and believed in one god. Religion was the most important thing in their life because they wanted to go to heaven. Daily Life Most people’s life was made up of hard labor and farming and praying. Social Structure King, Nobles, Vassals, Serfs Education Only the rich boys went to school. Trading There was very little trading because travel was so dangerous – pirates and barbarians.

 You will be assigned a topic.  Read about topic in the Renaissance.  Contrast the Middle Ages and Renaissance in regards to the topic.  You can only use illustrations, no words!!

Definition: The author lists/explains the similarities and differences between two ideas/things/people, etc.

 You are going to analyze the details of the (5) other topics that you peers contrasted.  You will have (3) minutes to analyze the details of the illustrations to identify (1) difference between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in regards to that topic.  You will repeat this (5) times.

The Middle Ages and the Renaissance were two very different time periods. People did not have many rights in the Middle Ages where as in the Renaissance people had much more choice in how they lived their lives. Education was much more of a focus in the Renaissance while labor was the focus in the Middle Ages. The people in the Middle Ages focused on enjoying their life in heaven unlike the people of the Renaissance who wanted to enjoy their present life. Even though there were many differences between the two time periods, there were also some similarities. Both took place in Europe. Similar to the Middle Ages, religion was important in the Renaissance too. The Renaissance also had social classes like the Middle Ages.

When authors use the text structure of compare and contrast, they often use special clue words to show this text structure. Can you find the clue words in the paragraph?

The Middle Ages and the Renaissance were two very different time periods. People did not have many rights in the Middle Ages where as in the Renaissance people had much more choice in how they lived their lives. Education was much more of a focus in the Renaissance while labor was the focus in the Middle Ages. The people in the Middle Ages focused on enjoying their life in heaven unlike the people of the Renaissance who wanted to enjoy their present life. Even though there were many differences between the two time periods, there were also some similarities. Both took place in Europe. Similar to the Middle Ages, religion was important in the Renaissance too. The Renaissance also had social classes like the Middle Ages.

 As well as  Also  Too  Like  Much as  Similarly  Similar to  Both  However  Different than  But  On the other hand  While  Although  Yet  Though  Unlike

 A cultural movement focused on having a better life on Earth instead of focusing on the preparation for eternity (heaven)  Middle Ages – Life was focused on religion and faith rather than self worth.

 The idea that religion does not need to be the center of human life.  People began to view life as an opportunity for enjoyment and pleasure.  In the Middle Ages, the people viewed life as little more than a painful journey toward heaven.

 The belief that the individual was more important than the larger community.  The belief that the purpose of learning was for self-improvement, not the preparation for religious life.  In the Middle Ages, the individual’s needs were less important than the needs of the larger group.  The people worked to glorify God rather than themselves.

There were many differences between these two time periods. In the Middle Ages, the king had complete control, while in the Renaissance, each city had their own government. (list 4 differences using the clue words) Even though there were many differences between these two times periods, there were some similarities. (list 2 similarities using the clue words)