The Renaissance RAFT

Introduction

The Renaissance was the bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history. It was a time of unbelievable achievements in art and literature which made their appearace all over Europe thanks to the invention of Gutenburg's printing press. Along with these unprecedented advancements, there were also very strict rules of living, working and even socializing. Again, thanks to Gutenburg's printing press, these policies and practices that dictated daily behavior became standardized across Europe. You will examine some of these practices as you research and prepare to complete your RAFT on the Renaissance.

Task

Major events change change history. These changes can be both positive and negative. These changes can also be percieved differently depending on one's status in society. The Renaissance changed the face of Europe and shaped it into what it is today. Many dwell on the positive changes such as the discovery of new worlds and products and the genius that was art of the time. Others see the negative aspect such as the secularization of society, the spread of disease and political discontent.

Your assignment is to choose a role from the RAFT below and in the format required write an essay that will cover 2 positive changes and 2 negative aspects of the Renaissance. Make sure you stay in the character of the role you have chosen.

Role	Audience	Format
Nobleman/Lady	Your tutor	Letter
Merchant	To beginning merchants	Speech
Peasant/Serf	Family in another town	Letter
Artist	New students	Handbook

Process

1. Pick your avatar.

2. Research what life was like during the Middle Ages & Renaissance. You may use the following websites as starting points.

3. Jot down specific behaviors and beliefs to include in your product. Remember you need TWO positives & TWO negatives to include in your product.

Sources to help you gather information:

The Artists:

The Merchants

The Serf/Peasant

The Lords/Ladies

To Be Noble
Daily Life
The Book of the Courtier: scroll down to the "Brief Rehersals of..." Courtier & Gentlewomen

Evaluation

RAFT Rubric

Name: ________________________________ Class Period:____ Date:_______

	4	3	2	1
Role	RAFT maintains clear, consistent point of view, tone, and ideas relevant to role played; ideas and information always tied to role and audience.	Explains how character would feel about the event(s).	Shows little insight into how character would feel or act during the event(s).	Does not accurately develop characters, thoughts or reactions to the event(s).
Topic	RAFT stays on topic, never drifts from required form or type; details and information are included that are pertinent only to developed purpose.	Spends most of the RAFT discussing issues on topic, but occasionally strays from the focus.	Spends some time discussing issues off topic.	Spends most of RAFT on issues that do not directly deal with the RAFT chosen.
Format	The format is consistent throughout the writing	The format changes throughout the writing.	The format is not based on the role but it is consistent throughout the writing.	Inappropriate format and no consistency throughout
Word Choice	Vivid (descriptive and specific) words were used to create imagery.	Vivid words were used, but there is some room for improvement.	Some vivid words were used, but there is drastic room for improvement.	No imagery was created through the use of vivid word choices.
Story element	The story is developed completely through use of appropriate story elements.	Story elements are utilized but are underdeveloped.	The story line is not developed and few story elements were used.	There is no story line or use of story elements.
Mechanics	Writing contains few to no fragments, run-on sentences; rare errors or mechanical mistakes; writing is fluent.	Writing contains some fragments, run-ons or other errors; occasional mistakes; writing is generally clear.	Writing contains several sentence errors and mechanical mistakes that may interfere with ideas and clarity of ideas in writing.	Writing contains mechanical mistakes; is marred by numerous errors.