Materials

• Teacher-developed pre-test on the Renaissance
• Historical map of Europe in the 15th Century (display copy and one copy for each student)
• Teacher-prepared notes on important cities and centers of trade during the Renaissance
• Teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other activity

Instructional Activities

1. Begin by having students consider the following question:
   
   • What previous eras have experienced tremendous change?
   
   Encourage students to recall enormous change that occurred during previous eras studied in this course. Explain that the Renaissance will be another example of an era of great change.
   
   
2. Administer the pre-test.
   
   
3. Discuss display map of Europe in the 15th Century, instructing students to fill in their own maps with Renaissance cities and centers of trade, including Florence, Venice, Genoa, and Flanders.
   
   
4. Present teacher-prepared notes on how each of the cities achieved importance and developed politically and/or culturally. Ask students to name modern-day cities and centers of trade. Discuss their responses.
   
   
5. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available teacher resources.