Common Core Literacy
Leonardo da Vinci
T
he tittle “Renaissance Man” or polymath is used for an ingenious, multi-talented person who is great at many different
things. The idea of titling someone a “Renaissance Man” came from a time of history called the Renaissance which lasted
from about 1400 to about 1600. During this period, people studied and elaborated on the ideas of Ancient Greek and
Roman philosophers. The era was inspired by a general belief in both human and individual potential. One of the most
celebrated people alive during this time was Leonardo da Vinci. He was most famous as a painter, but he was
also a scientist, engineer and mathematician. Leonardo has consistently been referred to as a "Renaissance
Man" by historians. His attitude and motivation is perhaps best outlined through his own words:
“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things
happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”
-Leonardo da Vinci
While there is no doubt Leonardo was alive during the Renaissance, was he a polymath as the title
suggests? Do you think Leonardo is worthy of his title “Renaissance Man”? Evaluate the worthiness
of his title by reading some of his achievements below. Place a check in the appropriate box.
Renaissance Man? You Decide!
1. Among his works, the Mona Lisa is the most famous, most recognizable
painting in the world, and The Last Supper is the most reproduced religious
painting in history.
2. He conceptualized flying machines, a tank, concentrated solar power, an adding
machine, and the double hull ship. He also outlined a rudimentary theory of plate
tectonics.
3. He made important discoveries in anatomy, civil engineering, optics, and
hydrodynamics, but he did not publish his
findings ,and they had no direct influence on later
science.
4. Leonardo's drawing of the Vitruvian Man (shown
right) is regarded as a cultural icon, being
reproduced on items as varied as the euro coin,
textbooks, and t-shirts. It’s purpose was to show
the proportions of the human body.
5.
Leonardo was an expert painter, sculptor,
architect, inventor and engineer. He was even a
town planner and
cartographer (map maker).
6.
In order to learn more about how the body
worked, Leonardo dissected corpses and sketched
his findings in notebooks.
7.
Leonardo invented the machine gun, diving
suit, parachutes and helicopters.
Copyright © 2014 Instructomania, Pavlovich
Common Core Literacy and Writing
Leonardo da Vinci: A renaissance Man?
Use his accomplishments as evidence to support your opinion.
Do you think Leonardo da Vinci was a polymath, worthy of the title “Renaissance Man”? Write a topic sentence below
that details your opinion._____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Supporting Fact #1
Supporting Fact #2
Write evidence in the form of a quote from his
accomplishments (on previous page) that supports your
opinion/topic sentence:
“_____________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
____________________________________________.”
Write evidence in the form of a quote from his
accomplishments (on previous page) that supports your
opinion/topic sentence:
“_____________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
____________________________________________.”
This quote demonstrates that Leonardo was/was not
worthy of his title because________________________
This quote illustrates that Leonardo was/was not worthy
of his title because_______________________________
______________________________________________
_____________________________________________.
______________________________________________
_____________________________________________.
Supporting Fact #3
Write evidence in the form of a quote from his
accomplishments (on previous page) that supports your
opinion/topic sentence:
“_____________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
____________________________________________.”
This quote reveals that Leonardo was/was not worthy of
his title because_______________________________
______________________________________________
_____________________________________________.
Conclusion:
Write a two sentence conclusion below that best
summarizes your opinion the achievements of
Leonardo da Vinci. Remember, your conclusion
should reflect your topic sentence/opinion, but
have more detail.
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Who is the most worthy of the title “Renaissance Man or Woman” of the people you know? Detail his/her abilities to
support your answer.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2014 Instructomania, Pavlovich