Introduction to the Renaissance: Raphael's "Alba Madonna"

Today the students examined two paintings of the Virgin Mary and Jesus:

• Cimabue's Madonna and Child
• Raphael's Alba Madonna

We discussed similarities and differences between the two paintings.

Several perceptive students pointed out that both sets of figures have halos -- although the halos in Raphael's work are so soft and subtle that they often escape notice!

We used these two paintings as our introduction to the Renaissance. We started to discuss the way that art can reveal the changing outlooks and ideas of people during different periods of history.

Gargoyles on the Lookout

During our study of Gothic cathedrals, we've talked about the difference between gargoyles and grotesques.

Whereas a gargoyle contains a spout for the disposal of water, a grotesque does not contain a spout and is merely for decoration (and -- if you believe -- for warding off evil spirits).

In both cases, these carvings are often unusual, ugly, extravagant -- and AWESOME!

"Cathedral" by David Macaulay

Gargoyles at the Learning Village?!

Today Mrs. Cox talked about the architectural elements that we should look for at Washington's National Cathedral.

Cores 3 and 4 had a lively discussion about whether or not gargoyles were ever considered for inclusion in the design of the Learning Village. I'm definitely going to ask Mr. Brennan!

And a big thanks to Amanda M. and others for their beautiful illuminated letters, paper weavings, and washer-bolt knights!

Architecture: An Art and a Science

During class today, we discussed vocabulary words related to cathedrals.

We learned that architecture is both the art and the science of designing and constructing buildings. The students are looking forward to tomorrow's visit by Mrs. Cox, who will talk in more detail about the architecture of the National Cathedral.

We also continued to work on our medieval art projects.

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And, as a final reflection on A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver, here is an excerpt by Peyton, writing from Eleanor's perspective in her last journal entry:

Even though a lot of people I have known and loved have passed away, I will still be waiting for them to join me up here. In my opinion, I have done well, because I am in heaven. 

And there is one thing that I will never forget: I really do have a proud taste for being a Queen.

Medieval Art Projects and Weightlessness

Today the students worked on their medieval art projects. I loved all the color and creativity!

Also, during a literature circle about The Magician's Elephant, Charles pointed out that the author repeatedly uses the word "weightlessness".

Charles's comment is an excellent example of close reading.

When an author (or a historian!) uses a certain word multiple times, it's usually for a specific reason. Thank you for the tip, Charles, because I will definitely be thinking about the idea of weightlessness as I continue to read The Magician's Elephant.

Informational Essays

Today the students began writing their informational essays.

Mrs. Ripley and I talked about the importance of developing a topic sentence that organizes and synthesizes the details that follow.

I stressed that it's important to be willing to revise (or toss out completely!) a topic sentence when you discover that it no longer "fits".

Here's an example of a topic sentence, written during class today, that has a number of strengths.  Let's discuss it tomorrow:

Leah B.:  According to sources, medieval women were resilient, resourceful, and skilled. It’s too bad that they never got the credit they deserved.

Also today, we discussed the family tensions between King Henry and son John (on the one side) and Queen Eleanor and son Richard (on the other side). Pondering the situation, Isabella F. asked this fantastic question about kings and dynasties: If a king really did not like his eldest son, could he "skip" to a younger son, and let the younger son inherit the throne?

Eleanor is Uncooperative (and Judicious!)

Today we talked about King Henry's famous friend and advisor, Thomas Becket.

After serving as the chancellor (the person in charge of the King's money), Becket became the Archbishop of Canterbury and had a series of disagreements with Henry about political and religious obligations.

I explained that the precise circumstances of Becket's murder remain a mystery.

Lucas P. and Abbey came up with an excellent new theory: Queen Eleanor, envious of Thomas Becket's close relationship with her husband Henry, ordered Becket's assassination.  Fascinating stuff! I told Lucas and Abbey that I am already looking forward to their first-hand research into the link between Eleanor and Becket.

The students also came up with some additional strong adjectives to describe Eleanor. Highlights included:

Morose (Emma)

Uncooperative (Cole)

Intricate (Celia)

Judicious (Nikki)

Anxious (Lillian)

Thoughtful (Nick)

Power-Hungry (Jay)

Eleanor is Stylish (and Insatiable!)

The students continue to come up with a fascinating variety of adjectives to describe Eleanor of Aquitaine.  Based on their choices, I have concluded that Eleanor was certainly a complex, multi-faceted person!

In addition to literature circle and a fun visit to the library, we talked today about Abbot Suger's innovative new style of architecture: Gothic.

We compared Gothic cathedrals to their Romanesque predecessors, and we discussed the important role of stained class windows in helping medieval people (most of whom were illiterate) learn the stories of the Bible.

Eleanor is Confident (and Gregarious!)

Thanks to Jago, Peyton, Peter, Mason, Kimball and many others for excellent adjectives describing Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Thanks also to Becca and Maeve for their lively readings of Adelaide's dialogue with Abbot Suger.

Today we learned about medieval tapestries. I cannot wait to see the tapestries at the National Cathedral!

We also discussed some of the reasons that the Pope so often found himself in arguments with kings and queens during the Middle Ages:

1. Popes and kings both wanted to own land. Under feudalism, the king “owned” all of the land in his country. There was one big exception: the land that was owned by the Pope.

2. Popes and kings both wanted to have the power to appoint bishops and priests. This was a specific source of conflict for King Louis VII.

3. They both wanted to collect taxes or tithes from the peasants.

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As preparation for our informational essay assignment, the students practiced writing topic sentences based on their Mallory research.  Here are some well-done examples:

Stewart: It all started with one slip. That one slip began the biggest mystery ever to set foot on Everest.

Nikki: In the freezing, below sub-zero temperatures, an expedition is launched.  Will they find the body of the missing, or will they fail to return themselves?

Ellie: Near the top of Mount Everest, two climbers decided to go for an early morning climb.  Little did they know they would never come back.

Gia: The disappearance of Mallory and Irvine left the climbing population stumped and in shock at the very same time.