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perspective, and expressive human detail in his works. Giotto’s works influenced
the style of Masaccio, a 15th-century Italian painter who employed perspective,
three-dimensionality, and the use of light to create natural and realistic art.
Through the works of these and other artists, the Renaissance brought about a
slow evolution from medieval, Church-dominated culture to one more “modern”
in which the artist could develop his or her individual expression.
The increased focus on realism can be seen as one aspect of the gradual
growth of scientific observation. Indeed, some of the artists studied in this section—including Leonardo da Vinci—could be considered scientists as well as
artists. Leonardo did engineering work as well as painting, and his sketches of the
human body were based in part on his examination of cadavers.
The Renaissance in Northern Europe
The Renaissance began in Italy but eventually spread to other parts of Europe.
Artists in 16th-century Netherlands and Germany learned much from Italian
painters but also developed distinguishing characteristics of their own. In particular, they strove for precisely accurate depictions. Artists in the north paid enormous attention to detail in their portraits, religious scenes, and genre paintings.
Looking at the Included Reproductions
1
Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus (c. 1485)
Renaissance artists sometimes painted mythological themes, looking back to
classical literature for inspiration. One of the best-known mythological paintings
of the Renaissance is The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (1444–1510).
Lorenzo de’ Medici, a member of the great Florentine family, commissioned this
painting for his villa at Castello.
Botticelli himself was born in Florence. As a young man he was apprenticed
first to a goldsmith, then to Fra Filippo Lippi (a well-known painter and subject
of a poem by Robert Browning) where he worked with Andrea del Verrocchio, in
whose shop Leonardo da Vinci later apprenticed. Botticelli did many works for the
Medici family. After the 1490s, Botticelli appears to have been heavily influenced
by a fiery preacher named Savonarola. Botticelli’s style of painting changed to be
less natural and idealized as he became more focused on politics and religion.
How does Botticelli indicate that the scene is clearly not of this world? His
central figure, Venus, the goddess of love in Roman mythology, stands on an enormous seashell that somehow floats on water whose very waves create a beautiful
pattern rather than portraying real ripples. On the left, the wind gods Zephyr and
Aura blow Venus toward shore. On the right is one of the three Horae, or goddesses of the seasons, who were attendants of Venus; this hora personifies spring.
She is clothed in a billowy gown, ready to drape the newly born (and therefore
nude) goddess in a flowered cape.
Although the scene derives from classical mythology, in Renaissance times it
reflected a Christian meaning as well. Venus’s birth represented the mystery
through which God gifts the world with beauty. Thus, in her purity, Venus represents sacred love in an exquisite, divine realm.
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Michelangelo, Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica
(1546–1564)
At age 71 and in ill health, Michelangelo accepted the pope’s commission to
complete St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. A redesign of the church with an interior
shaped like a cross had begun in 1506, but the project had outlasted several previous head architects. Michelangelo redesigned the exterior and the enormous
dome.
Michelangelo referred back to ancient times in finishing the building. He
infused the building with the same grandeur and geometrical symmetry as its
ancient Roman and Greek antecedents, such as the Parthenon of ancient Greece
and the Pantheon of ancient Rome. (Students in Core Knowledge schools should
have learned about these buildings in Grade 2 and Grade 3.) Michelangelo also
used ancient architectural styles that included pediments, columns, and the like.
But he adapted the ancient features to create a “sculpted,” upwardly thrusting
exterior like no other building before it. The dome decreases in width and decoration as it gets taller: it starts with the colonnade-surrounded drum, then the visible ribs glide up toward the slim lantern, and a Christian cross decorates the top.
Explain that St. Peter’s Basilica is a monument to Peter. According to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, Jesus chose him as the chief apostle, declaring
that Peter was the rock on which he would build the Church. Because Rome was
the capital of the Roman Empire, Peter, along with the apostle Paul, came to the city
to spread the faith early in the first millennium. The popes claimed that Peter was
the first head of the church and that they were his successors.
St. Peter’s Basilica still dominates Rome’s skyline today as it did as in the High
Renaissance. The dome of St. Peter’s was an important model for the U.S. Capitol
in Washington, D.C.
Looking questions
• Is the architecture symmetrical (exactly even on both sides) or asymmetrical? The architecture is symmetrical.
• What clue does the object at the very top of the dome give you about the
building’s function? The cross tells you that the building is used for
Christian religious purposes.
Teaching Idea
Michelangelo studied ancient Roman
architecture. Have students look at
both the dome of the ancient Roman
Pantheon (images can be found on the
Internet) and Michelangelo’s St.
Peter’s. Have them calculate how
many years passed between the completion of the two buildings (c. 1564
CE [St. Peter’s]–c. 125 CE [The Pantheon]
= 1439). Then have students identify the
classical elements in the Pantheon
that Michelangelo adapted in his later
dome (e.g., columns, tall drum, triangular pediments). Have students become
architects, drawing proposals for a
dome to top your school, using what
they learned to make a grand, visual
statement. You may wish to extend this
comparative assignment by adding
Brunelleschi’s dome and the dome of
the U.S. Capitol.
Teaching Idea
Show students additional pictures of
St. Peter’s. The interior is every bit as
magnificent as the exterior and the
dome. You may even be able to find
pictures or a videotape of a pope
performing a mass in St. Peter’s.
• Explain that the height from the pavement of the church to the oculus of
the lantern resting upon the dome is 404.8 feet, while the height to the
summit of the cross surmounting the lantern is 434.7 feet. How is a
dome of this size in keeping with the purpose of other grand designs of
this type? Answers will vary. Like the dome of the Pantheon, the Hagia
Sophia, or St. Paul’s in London, the design is meant to overwhelm the viewer
with sheer vastness, making him or her feel humble. This building communicates the power and prestige of this faith.
12
Pieter Bruegel, the Elder, The Peasant Wedding
(c. 1568)
Pieter Bruegel [BROI-gull] (1525–1569) is sometimes known as “Peasant”
Bruegel because of his affinity for depicting village and farming life. Though he
traveled to Italy and was influenced by Italian painters, including Raphael,
Bruegel showed less interest in classical subject matter, idealized visions of the
St. Peter’s square
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I. Art of the Renaissance
Teaching Idea
Have students draw an event in their
own genre setting that incorporates
aspects of Bruegel’s work, such as
realistic figures and everyday activities.
Teaching Idea
Students in Core Knowledge Schools
should already be familiar with some
paintings by Bruegel. Children’s Games
(which shows children playing dozens
of games, some of which are still
played today) and Hunters in the Snow
are in the curriculum for kindergarten,
and Peasant Wedding is a featured artwork in Grade 3. You may wish to
review some of these paintings by
Bruegel and/or introduce new ones. A
famous Bruegel painting that combines
realistic depiction of life and landscape with a mythological theme is
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus.
world, and nude figures. He chose instead to show believable figures in everyday
settings (genre scenes). He was especially good at depicting people against the
background of a landscape.
When looking at Bruegel’s paintings, we are instantly engaged in the story we
see unfolding. We say to ourselves, “What is going on?” The boisterous Peasant
Wedding has been placed in a threshing room. Activity abounds. A careful observer will note the landlord and clergyman at the end of the table, and the lawyer
(responsible for the contract of marriage) seated in a formal chair near the bride.
The groom is not in evidence because, according to custom, he did not make an
appearance until later in the celebration.
Bruegel is known as Pieter Bruegel the Elder because he had two sons who
were also distinguished painters, Jan Bruegel and Pieter Bruegel the Younger. Jan
was known as “Velvet Bruegel” and Pieter the Younger as “Hell Bruegel” because
of his frequent depiction of fiery and Hellish scenes. The family name is sometimes spelled with an ‘h’: Brueghel. As noted above, the father was known as
“Peasant Bruegel.”
Looking questions
• Explain that this is a wedding from more than 475 years ago. How does
Bruegel draw your attention to the bride? A large dark area of color
frames the bride, drawing the eye to her.
• How does the artist use red to lead your eye through the composition?
The red begins at the child’s hat, moves to the clothing at the right end of the
table, to the bagpiper, to the doorway, and back.
• Why did Bruegel paint the foreground figure in the center with a bright
blue shirt and a large white apron? What role does it play in the design
of the painting? The cool, bright area jumps out at you and draws your eye
right into the scene so that you immediately feel a part of it.
• What device did Bruegel use to both give you a sense of space beyond the
room and prevent your eye from wandering away from the wedding
activity? There is an open doorway, but it is almost entirely blocked by the
crowd.
• In what ways would a wedding scene painted by an Italian Renaissance
artist be different from this one? A Renaissance artist would have been
more likely to have depicted wealthy people or nobility. The scene would likely have had a harmonious, tranquil air and depicted a “classic” environment.
• Have you ever been to a wedding? Was it anything like this? Notice what
the guests are paying attention to. Is it the bride? No, it’s the music, food,
and drink.
13
Albrecht Dürer, Self-Portrait at 28 (1500)
One of the important changes for artists that took place during the
Renaissance was the transformation of their role in society. Medieval artists were
viewed as artisans. During the Renaissance, individual artists became well known.
Many of them were recognized as geniuses and held high places in society. The
new attitude was a natural outcome of the Renaissance belief in the importance
of the individual.
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No one can doubt that Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) viewed himself as a person of significance. His distinctive initials are found on all of his work, which
includes paintings as well as a number of distinctive engravings and woodcuts.
He was also the first artist to make a lifelong study of himself. His first self-portrait dates from when he was thirteen. The one in Münich, painted at twentyeight, is a depiction of Dürer when he was already recognized as an eminent artist
throughout Europe.
The inscription on the right side of the painting says, “I, Albrecht Dürer of
Nuremberg, painted myself thus, with undying colors at twenty-eight years.” One
could say that the artist viewed the painting as a documentation of his talent and
craftsmanship.
Looking questions
• From which direction does the light in the portrait come? The light comes
from the left.
• How would you describe the space in this painting? The space is very
tight; there is no place for the eye to wander. The figure is placed immediately before you.
• What characteristics of this work would lead you to conclude that it was
painted by a Northern Renaissance artist? The attention to detail and differentiation of textures could lead you to conclude that it was painted by a
Northern Renaissance artist.
• How has Dürer posed his body? What impression does that give? His
body is posed in a fully frontal position that commands respect and imparts
a sense of power.
• How does Dürer use this self-portrait to make a statement about his skill
and craftsmanship? Answers will vary.
• If you had to describe the artist based on this painting, what would you
say? Consider physical and personality traits. Answers will vary.
14
Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait (Portrait of
Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife) (1434)
This painting by the Flemish painter Jan van Eyck [yahn van IKE]
(c. 1390–1441) demonstrates the changing social makeup of Northern
Renaissance society. Here, a wealthy merchant, Giovanni Arnolfini, is the artist’s
patron, instead of royalty or the church. Arnolfini was an Italian merchant who
was working in the north at the time this was painted. Van Eyck, one of the early
masters of oil painting, was commissioned to record Arnolfini’s marriage.
Teaching Idea
Students who have been in Core
Knowledge schools for several years
should have discussed Albrecht
Dürer’s Young Hare in Grades 1 and 2.
Dürer was a Northern Renaissance
artist. He was primarily a printmaker—and the greatest of his time. The
multiple copies of his prints (which
were less expensive than individual
paintings) spread throughout northern
and southern Europe, helping Dürer
secure his reputation as the
“Leonardo of the North.” You may
wish to review this painting or share
additional pictures by Dürer. Some
possibilities include additional selfportraits or engravings.
Teaching Idea
If students have studied the
Reformation, they may be interested
to know that Dürer was a friend and
devoted follower of Martin Luther.
Remind students that the Renaissance
and Reformation were two movements that overlapped. While the
Italian Renaissance artists they have
been studying lived in Catholic areas
and often received patronage from
the pope, northern artists like Dürer
lived in areas that inclined towards
Protestantism. They sometimes
received commissions from local
princes and rulers, many of whom
supported Luther.
This work is a portrait of Arnolfini and his wife, but it is probably not intended to be a record of the actual wedding (although the painting is sometimes
referred to as The Arnolfini Wedding). Some scholars believe this scene is meant to
be a vision for the couple’s future—a fruitful and devoted marriage. Others interpret the painting as a sort of visual marriage certificate.
Arnolfini raises his right hand as he faces his guests, maybe as a greeting. His
bride is not pregnant, though this is what viewers often think. She is holding up
her full-skirted dress in what was then the stylish way.
The mirror on the rear wall reflects two figures in the doorway. Above the
mirror, the artist wrote, “Jan van Eyck was here.” Some people believe the painter
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I. Art of the Renaissance
is one of the two figures shown in the mirror. However, the figures in the mirror
are very small and it is hard to be certain.
Teaching Idea
Before discussing this painting and
introducing its title, ask students to
look carefully and detect how many
figures van Eyck portrayed. (Four:
Giovanni and his bride, and two figures
in the mirror’s reflection.)
Teaching Idea
Use Instructional Masters 45a–45b,
Take the Renaissance Art Challenge, to
introduce or review the artists and concepts that students have studied in this
section.
Measure out this painting on the board or a large piece of paper, then notice
the extraordinary detail van Eyck included in the relatively small panel (32 14_ x
2312_ in. or 82 x 60 cm). Every item is distinct, so that you can tell the difference
in texture between even the dog’s fur coat and the fur trim on Giovanni’s cloak.
Like other Northern Renaissance artists, van Eyck paid meticulous attention to
detail. Nothing in the composition is random; each object supports the painting’s
overall meaning.
This painting is highly realistic and yet it is also awash in symbolism. Some
of this symbolism can be hard to understand; symbols that would have been clear
to knowledgeable contemporaries do not convey the same meanings today. The
dog symbolizes fidelity between husband and wife. The burning candle in the
chandelier represents the presence of God. The figures have removed their shoes,
an act of devotion. The ten miniature medallions in the mirror’s frame depict
scenes from the life of Christ—religious symbolism indicating that marriage is a
sacred event ordained by God. The woman’s stance, along with the fruit on the
windowpane and table, symbolize hopes for children.
Looking questions
Name
• How many different textures can you find in the painting? Nearly everything in the room has a well-defined texture.
Date
Take the Renaissance Art Challenge
Use the words to complete each statement, as shown in the example. Then use the
number clues to solve the mystery.
commissioned
sculpture
Child
details
Leonardo
portraits
Michelangelo
painting
depth
rebirth
human
preserve
Example: The dome of
S t. P e
1
2
3
t
4
5
1. The European Renaissance was a time of
2. Works of art were c o
16
17
church and other patrons.
e
6
19
7
e b
i
9
10
12
20
• Van Eyck was very interested in how light reflected on things to give
them solidity and detail. Where do you see light reflected in this painting? Light is reflected on the mirror, of course, but also on the chandelier,
which looks amazingly like real brass.
is a Renaissance masterpiece.
8
r
m m i
18
r ’s
11
r
t
13
h
14
in the arts.
15
s s
i
o n e d
21
23
24
22
25
26
by the
27
3. Wealthy patrons might hire artists to paint their
p o
r
t
r
a
i
t
s
28
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
29
• What in van Eyck’s painting indicates the relationship between the man
and the woman? The couple is turned towards one another; they are holding
hands; they have removed their shoes.
.
4. Boticelli’s The Birth of Venus is a famous Renaissance
p a
i
n
t
i
n g
37
39
40
41
42
43
38
.
44
5. The Last Supper, a religious scene, was painted by
45
46
47
48
49
r
d o
50
51
da Vinci.
52
p
r
e s e
r
53
54
55
58
56
57
7. The artist Raphael was known for his Madonna and
v e
59
61
that fragile masterpiece.
60
C h
62
i
l
d
63
64
65
paintings.
8. Sculptors of the Renaissance period created idealized sculptures of the
h u m a n
66
67
68
69
body.
70
Purpose: To introduce or review vocabulary relating to European Renaissance art
Master 45a
Copyright ©Core Knowledge Foundation
L e o n a
6. Many have attempted to
• What in this painting reveals that the couple is wealthy? Their sumptuous
clothing and the decor indicate that the couple is wealthy.
• How do you think it would feel to step inside this room? Answers will
vary.
Grade 5: Visual Arts
Use Instructional Masters 45a–45b.
Review
The Big Idea
in Review
The European
Renaissance was one of
the greatest periods for
achievements in art, literature, science, and
philosophy in the
Western world.
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Grade 5 Handbook
Below are some ideas for ongoing assessment and review activities. These are
not meant to constitute a comprehensive list.
• This section provides an opportunity for students to complete short research
reports, either on any of the Renaissance artists included in the Sequence, or on a
type of artistic style. Provide the class with topics for short reports to write in formal style (see the Language Arts section “Writing and Research,” pp. 1–14, for
guidance on report writing). Each day of a week, provide a mini-lesson on different aspects of report writing, such as correct paragraph form or bibliographies.
Share these reports when completed.
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III. Fiction and Drama
B. Drama
At a Glance
The most important ideas for you are:
◗ Drama is a form of literature that is intended to be performed by actors
for an audience in a theater.
◗ Plays are divided into acts and scenes. The Romans were the first to
divide their plays into acts, and the Roman poet Horace set the number
at five. Until the 19th century, the ideal number of acts in a play was five.
◗ Drama includes comedies and tragedies.
◗ William Shakespeare was one of the finest playwrights of the
Elizabethan Age (1558–1603).
◗ If possible, students should have an opportunity to participate in and/or
attend grade-appropriate dramatic performances as well as study them.
What Teachers Need to Know
B. Drama
Background: Why Study Shakespearean Drama?
Globe Theater
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Grade 5 Handbook
In Grade 5, students will be introduced to the dramatic works of William
Shakespeare. One of the world’s greatest playwrights, Shakespeare wrote
comedies and tragedies during the Renaissance that are still performed today.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a fanciful comedy in which love and magic
triumph over adversity. The title alludes to the summer solstice, Midsummer
Eve (June 23), which in Shakespeare’s time was marked by holiday parties and
tales of fairies.
When choosing an edition of the play, you’ll find there are many options:
full-length, well-annotated versions, adapted or shortened versions, and modern retellings in prose. You’ll find some of these options listed in the More
Resources list at the end of this section.
Before reading, be sure to introduce and define the terms tragedy, comedy, act, and scene. Also, show students pictures of the Globe Theater so that
they can visualize where Shakespeare’s plays were performed. Explain that
theater was very popular with people of the Elizabethan Age, and, although
many theaters at that time allowed only the upper classes to attend, the Globe
let in people of all classes. The people who paid the lowest entrance fee stood
directly in front of the stage. They were often very boisterous and sometimes
threw rotten vegetables at the actors.
Studying Shakespearean drama helps students experience the pleasure of
reading great works of literature and understand how the plays come to life
when performed on stage. Students at this level should be able to read and generally understand condensed or adapted versions of Shakespeare. However,
they may need assistance with understanding difficult vocabulary, following a
complicated plot with several twists, comprehending stage directions, and
keeping track of many different characters.
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Teaching Shakespearean Drama
Teaching Shakespeare in Grade 5 is a challenge, but it can be done. Below, we
outline a series of steps that may help you teach A Midsummer Night’s Dream with
success. This is, of course, only one way of approaching the task. You may wish
to use some of these ideas but not others.
• Before turning to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, make sure students understand
that a drama, or play, is a work of literature that is intended to be performed for
an audience. Introduce the distinction between comedy and tragedy.
• You might want to begin this unit with a very short and simple play—perhaps
a modern, one-act play, and preferably a comedy. While teaching the modern play,
you can explain about plays, characters, scenes, dialogue, etc. Then, when you
turn to Shakespeare, students will already be familiar with the basic conventions
of drama and will not have to learn those while wrestling with Shakespeare’s
language.
• Before attempting to teach A Midsummer Night’s Dream, read the play at least
twice yourself. Get a good school edition, such as the Oxford School Shakespeare
edition, and use the glosses and footnotes to help you understand difficult parts.
If possible, watch a videotape or two of a performance. You want to be teaching
with a solid knowledge base.
• Before introducing students to Shakespeare’s text, preview A Midsummer
Night’s Dream by reading a short summary of what happens in the play—a prose
version like the one in the Text Resources or the one in Tales from Shakespeare, by
Charles and Mary Lamb. Discuss whether the play is a comedy or a tragedy. How
can students tell? Once students have a general sense of where the play is going,
they can devote more attention to the language and the speeches.
• Before turning to the text itself, make sure students understand that
Shakespeare wrote about 400 years ago. The English language has changed considerably since Shakespeare’s time. Therefore, there will be some passages that are
hard to understand. Students shouldn’t worry about not understanding every single word. Encourage them to raise their hands when they get confused. Tell them
that even adults sometimes get confused when watching or listening to
Shakespeare.
• Instead of asking students to read the play themselves at first, have them listen to the play on audiotapes and follow along in a printed version. This is much
easier than reading Elizabethan language from the page. Audiotapes are widely
available in bookstores and online. As you listen, stop every so often to make sure
students are following the plot and getting the gist of the speeches. Explain difficult passages as needed.
• If you don’t have time to study the whole play, do just selected scenes.
• Don’t try to do too much in a given day. Divide the play into chunks and listen to one or two scenes each day to avoid overwhelming students. Allow plenty
of class time in which to discuss each section. Encourage students to ask questions about what they do not understand, and have them answer specific questions about plot, setting, and characters.
• Assist students with difficult vocabulary. Using an edition that has glosses
and annotations (such as the Oxford School Shakespeare edition) will reduce problems with difficult vocabulary.
Language Arts
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III. Fiction and Drama
B. Drama
Name
• If students have problems with the word order of Elizabethan English, show
them how to rephrase a sentence in subject-verb-object order. Here is an example: original wording: “Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung with feigning voice verses of feigning love.” reordered: “Thou hast sung verses of feigning
love, with feigning voice, at her window by moonlight.”
Date
The Globe Theater
Study the diagram. It shows you what the inside of the old Globe Theater probably
looked like long ago. Use the diagram to complete the statements below.
• Explain to students that Shakespeare sometimes wrote in verse and sometimes in prose, and that he did this to show differences in class. Usually, characters speaking in verse have a high social status.
three
1. Like most theaters of the time, the Globe Theater had
and was open at the top.
3. Actors performed on the
into the pit.
gallery
, where spectators sat on benches to
main stage
4. On the theater’s narrow rooftop was a
were used to produce sound effects.
, a large platform that jutted out
hut
, where machines
Purpose: To view and interpret a diagram of the old Globe Theater
Master 10
Copyright ©Core Knowledge Foundation
2. At each level was a
watch the show.
levels
Grade 5: Language Arts
Use Instructional Master 10.
• While discussing the play, briefly introduce students to iambic pentameter,
which was the rhythm typically used by Shakespeare. Each line generally has 10
syllables made up of five clusters of two syllables each. In each cluster, the stress
is on the second syllable, like a heartbeat (da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM). Read a
line aloud as students beat out the rhythm on their desks.
• Once students have listened to the play read by actors and studied it a little,
choose one or more scenes and assign students roles. Have students read aloud
and/or act out these scenes using simple props.
• To help students visualize the Globe Theater where Shakespeare’s plays were
Name
performed, use Instructional Master 10, The Globe Theater, and show them pictures. Explain that this Elizabethan playhouse was built in London in 1599 by
Richard and Cuthbert Burbage. The permanent home of Shakespeare’s company,
the Globe became London’s most popular theater.
Date
The Language of Shakespeare
Read the sentences from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Rephrase each sentence in
subject-verb-object order.
1. Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung with feigning voice verses of feigning love.
• After studying the play, play a recording of Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer
Night’s Dream. Ask students whether they think the music suits the mood or tone
of the play, and why.
Thou hast sung verses of feigning love, with feigning
voice, at her window by moonlight.
2. From Athens is her house removed seven leagues.
Her house is removed seven leagues from Athens.
3. In that same place thou hast appointed me, tomorrow truly will I meet with thee.
I will meet with thee, truly, tomorrow in that same
• If possible, have students view a live performance of Shakespeare or show
place thou hast appointed me.
them a film adaptation of the play (Warner Home Video, 1935). Again, if you
don’t have time to watch the whole play, consider watching selected scenes. (The
1999 film version starring Kevin Kline is rated PG-13 and may not be suitable for
most students.) (See More Resources.)
4. In the wood, where often you and I upon faint primrose beds were wont to lie, emptying
our bosoms of their counsel sweet, there my Lysander and myself shall meet.
My Lysander and myself shall meet in the wood, where
you and I were often wont to lie upon faint primrose
beds, emptying our bosoms of their sweet counsel.
5. What thou see’st, when thou dost wake, do it for thy true love take.
true love.
6. Tell me how it came this night, that I sleeping here was found, with these mortals on the
ground.
Tell me how it came that I was found tonight sleeping
here, on the ground with these mortals.
Purpose: To practice reordering Shakespearean English for greater comprehension
Master 11
Grade 5: Language Arts
Use Instructional Master 11.
Copyright ©Core Knowledge Foundation
When thou dost wake, take what thou see’st for thy
Introducing the Play
Reading the retelling of the play included in the Text Resources is one way of
introducing the play. Another way is to combine this pre-telling strategy with student recitation of some memorable lines.
First, choose a set of memorable lines from the play, including some from
each act. Write the lines on slips of paper. For A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the
first few slips might say, “1. Full of vexation come I, with complaint against my
child, my daughter Hermia”; “2. I beseech your grace that I may know the worst
that may befall me in this case, If I refuse to wed Demetrius.” “3. Either to die the
death or to abjure for ever the society of men.” “4. If thou lovest me then, steal
forth thy father’s house to-morrow night, and in the wood, a league without the
town . . . there will I stay for thee.” Make one slip for each member of the class.
Next, ask each student to choose a slip from a hat and prepare a dramatic
reading of the line on the slip, guessing how it ought to sound and using his or
her voice to express whatever emotions the student thinks the lines were meant
to express. Encourage students to “ham it up.” After they have recited their lines,
tell them these are all lines from a play they will be studying, and that you will be
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III. Fiction and Drama
A. Stories C. Myths and Legends D. Literary Terms
Versions: Complete editions of Tom Sawyer fill 150–200 printed pages. Many
abridgments and adaptations are also available, including audio versions and
adaptations for young children. The selections in the Text Resources include a few
of the better-known episodes from the book. 19
The Adventures of Don Quixote
Author Information: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547–1616) was born
in Spain. As a young man, he fought as a soldier in various wars in the
Mediterranean. Kidnapped by pirates in 1575, Cervantes was sold as a slave to the
Moors. He tried to escape from his enslavement in Algiers several times and was
finally ransomed in 1580. Cervantes wrote The Adventures of Don Quixote as a
satire of popular romantic novels and outdated notions of chivalry. When it was
published in 1605, it quickly became very popular.
Background: In this story, a Spanish man named Alonso Quejana is so
obsessed with the chivalric lifestyle he has read about in romantic books that he
decides to become a knight-errant himself. He adopts the name Don Quixote and
roams about Spain on an aging horse, looking for defenseless people to help and
getting himself into comical and sometimes pathetic adventures. His assistant is
a laborer named Sancho Panza, to whom Quixote has promised the governship of
an island in exchange for his services.
Before Reading: How might someone who is chivalrous behave?
Vocabulary: La Mancha: barren, plateau region in south-central Spain;
exploits: brave adventures or acts; damsels: young, unmarried women of high
social rank; chivalry: customs and spirit of medieval knighthood; engage: take
part, involve oneself; wits: mental ability; wooings: romantic attempts to get
affection and attention; fancy: imagination; knight-errant: knight traveling in
search of adventures in which he can show his skill and bravery; visor: the front,
movable piece of a helmet that covers the face; deficiency: lack or shortage of
something; quest: a journey made in search of something or someone; hack: a
horse worn out from service; sally: to leap or rush forward; clad: clothed; improvised: made up as one goes along; mounted: seated or placed; dubbed: officially
given a title or rank; steed: a spirited horse; particularly horses used in war; valor:
bravery; turrets: towers attached to larger structures such as fortresses or castles;
moat: deep and wide trench, usually filled with water, that surrounds a fortress or
a castle; reined: stopped or slowed; swineherd: person who takes care of swine,
or pigs; humor: to give in to or agree with; ill-fitting: clothing not covering or
worn properly; lass: young girl; squire: male attendant to a knight, one who usually carries the shield or armor for the knight; knave: a dishonest or unreliable
person; lance: a spear; miser: a mean person, especially one who is cheap with
money; thrash: whip or beat; country bumpkin: a simple country person lacking
in experience; yonder: something at a distance but within view; spurred: urged a
horse to go faster, usually done by the rider kicking the horse’s sides; Briareus:
100-armed god in Greek mythology; prevail: triumph; miscreant: criminal or
trouble-maker; brawls: fights; absurd: ridiculous
After Reading: Do you think Don Quixote is really insane or just pretending?
Where does Don Quixote get the idea to become a knight-errant? Who is
Dulcinea del Toboso? How does Don Quixote go about being dubbed a knight?
Who is Sancho Panza? What does Don Quixote think the windmills are?
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Versions: Cervantes’s novel is nearly 1,000 pages long in some editions. The
Sequence suggests only selected episodes. Episodes taught should include the
ones that are part of cultural literacy, such as the episode where Quixote jousts
with the windmills, or the episode in which he frees the galley slaves. These and
several other famous episodes are included in the Core Classics edition of the
novel, which runs 240 pages of large print with illustrations, but which can also
be read in part or in selections. A very short version, with just a couple of
episodes, is included in the Text Resources. Other abridgments and adaptations
are also available. 20
Little Women
Author Information: Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888) was born in
Germantown, Pennsylvania, and grew up near Boston. Although she wrote stories for adult readers as well, she is most well known for her Little Women series
of books, which were some of the first children’s stories to portray children realistically. Alcott based the characters and events in the Little Women books on her
own experiences and those of her family members and friends. The stories were
very popular when first published and continue to be read around the world.
Background: The story is set in a small New England town in the mid-1800s.
The March women (sisters Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy, and their mother) are facing
hard times while their father is away fighting with the Union army in the Civil
War. In addition to financial hardship and family illnesses, the sisters must deal
with the personal challenges of growing up and becoming women.
Before Reading: Little Women takes place during the mid-1800s. In what
ways do you think life differed for women back then as compared to today? Why
do you think it’s important to say you’re sorry and to accept someone else’s
apology?
Vocabulary: bridled: showed hostility or resentment; coaxingly: soothingly,
pleasantly; fidgety: unable to be still; skirmishes: arguments; curbing: controlling, restraining; repentance: regret, desire to be forgiven; assumed: took upon
oneself; air: attitude; tempest: a violent storm; outrage; fib: lie; cross: angry or
upset; consumed: destroyed; calamity: disaster; meekly: without pride;
abominable: horrible; confidential: private, secret; gossip: chatty talk; virtuous:
having or showing honesty or truthfulness; crosspatch: grouch; good-natured:
pleasant; spell: period of time; bear: hold, carry; possession: ownership, control;
harboring: sheltering, protecting; striking out: heading forward; terror-stricken:
extremely afraid; rail: long piece of wood; self-possessed: calm; bustle: busy
movement or activity; sensible: having common sense; condemning: declaring
wrong or guilty; temptations: weaknesses, trials; remorse: regret; humility: modesty; reproof: scolding for an error; resolution: determination, resolve; mend:
sew, fix
After Reading: Why did Amy burn Jo’s journal? What was in the journal that
was so important to Jo? What happened when Amy followed Jo and Laurie to the
river? Why was Jo surprised to learn that her mother used to have a bad temper
just like hers?
Versions: The Sequence specifies only the first part of the book, through Part
I, Chapter XXIII: “Aunt March Settles the Question.” This is about 250–300 pages
in most editions. If students can’t handle that much, they can start at the
Language Arts
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II. Listening and Understanding
10.
Cross-curricular
Teaching Idea
The sounds of Renaissance music may
seem new and different to students.
The most important thing for them is to
become accustomed to the musical
world of that era. Play recordings of
Renaissance music while studying
Renaissance art and history. This will
help set the scene; this will also help
students to build associations and a
sense of the cultural context for those
less familiar musical sounds. Ask students if they see connections among
the music, the paintings, and the architecture of the Renaissance.
Teaching Idea
If recordings of Dowland’s songs are
available, listen to the words and discuss with the class the ways in which
the music attempts to capture their
emotions. Since the words are really
Elizabethan poems, some of which can
be hard to understand, you may want to
discuss the lyrics before playing a
song. If you can’t find a recording in
your community, check for recordings
online.
“The Great Gate of Kiev”
This movement, the final piece in the set, is a response to an architectural
drawing of an enormous gate, imagined in a traditional Russian style. The
great, noble theme that Mussorgsky uses to depict the gate also expresses a
patriotic sentiment. This same sentiment can be felt in the quiet hymnlike
passages that interrupt the main theme. Toward the end of the piece, the set
as a whole is wrapped up by the introduction of the Promenade. A grand
final statement of the “Gate” theme, suggesting a grand and royal procession through the gate, follows.
B. Musical Connections
The Renaissance
Note that Renaissance music is closely connected with the Renaissance topics in the History section (pp. 164–168), as well as with certain topics in the
Visual Arts and Language Arts sections. We suggest that you teach about
Renaissance music in tandem with your study of other aspects of the Renaissance.
Your students’ understanding of the works discussed below will be much
increased if they are able to connect the composers and music described in this
section to the humanists, patrons, and city-states described in the History section.
As in the other arts, the Renaissance was a time of great advances in the
sophistication and variety of music. Before the Renaissance and during the
Middle Ages, music was written under considerable limitations—some resulting
from the limited theoretical understanding of music, and some resulting from the
specific religious and ceremonial purpose of most musical composition. As the
Renaissance began in the mid-15th century, a rising interest in the rich artistic
cultures of ancient Greece and Rome inspired composers to try to write more
expressive works. Attention began to be devoted to music theory, and as a result,
a much broader, more sophisticated musical language became available to
Renaissance composers. This change, of course, took place very gradually over a
long period of time.
One of the greatest Renaissance composers was Josquin Desprez [zyos-CAN
duh-PRAY] (c. 1445–1521). His works are some of the finest of the entire
Renaissance, despite the fact that he lived at the very beginning of this period. His
music is entirely for voice, which was the norm for his time; before the late 15th
century, instrumental music was almost never notated or published. Desprez’s
major works are masses (large works based on the church liturgy for use in services) and motets (shorter vocal works, usually in four parts, based on Latin texts).
His reputation rests in great part on the expressive qualities of his writing for
voice; he was a master of capturing the emotion of a text in his music and making sure the text could be understood. His music communicated with its audience
in a way no music had before. If you wish to play Desprez’s music for students,
try the CD Josquin Desprez: Motets & Chansons.
John Dowland (1562–1626) was an English Renaissance composer, famed for
his lute songs. A lute is a stringed instrument played somewhat like a guitar, but
with a different and distinctive timbre. The lute was the most popular solo instrument of the Renaissance. For this reason, many composers, such as Dowland,
wrote songs for a solo singer to be accompanied on the lute. Dowland’s songs are
noted for their subtle and expressive attention to the texts. Such songs also mark
the first time that the melody of a work and its accompaniment were written out
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in full. In the past, the instrumental accompaniment had either been improvised
or simply passed from performer to performer. It was typical of the Renaissance
spirit, however, to begin devoting artistic attention to the composition of the
instrumental accompaniment. You may wish to acquire the boxed set of John
Dowland’s complete lute collection for classroom use.
You may wish to introduce “Greensleeves,” which is also a lute song, when
discussing John Dowland’s lute songs.
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) was one of the leading German composers
of the early 19th century. He avoided the Romantic leanings of his time and held
to his own style—more classical in spirit and less weighty in tone. He was particularly skilled at writing music that was vibrant and picturesque, a skill that he put
to good use in his incidental music to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
(1842). Mendelssohn had always been fond of this play and had written the
Overture much earlier, in 1826, at the age of 17. Mendelssohn captured the spirit of the play so well that his incidental music is still used quite often for productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The Overture brings us into the world in which the play takes place, conveying a sense of mystery, magic, and humor. Though it is built on traditional classical principles, it is the mood and color that are most important here. The Scherzo,
to be played between Acts One and Two, portrays the fairies, and in particular
Puck, flitting through the forest like fireflies. This helps set the scene for what is
to come. Mendelssohn creates a sense of mischievous motion that never slows or
rests until the piece is done and the scene begins. The famous Wedding March,
now heard at weddings all over the world, originally fell between Acts Four and
Five, preceding the wedding scene. While this delightful march is a genuinely
grand and celebratory piece for a wedding, it also manages to fit right in with the
whimsical world of the other movements.
Mendelssohn’s music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Mussorgsky’s Pictures
at an Exhibition were both composed in response to other kinds of art: a play, and a
collection of drawings and paintings, respectively. Sometimes one kind of art will
become the inspiration for another. Can the class think of any other examples of
this? Encourage students to try writing music or to find examples of music that
reflect their responses to works of literature and visual art encountered this year.
Review
The best time to ask questions about a musical piece is usually immediately
after the students have listened to it, or even in the middle of the piece. Below are
some ideas for ongoing assessment and review activities. These are not meant to
constitute a comprehensive list.
• Provide a time for students to listen to the pieces of music from this section
several times. After they are familiar with a number of pieces, have them write a
paragraph describing which is their favorite piece of music and why. They should
include reasons for their opinions, and they should be encouraged to use vocabulary about specific elements of music.
Cross-curricular
Teaching Idea
Incidental music is music that is used
in a play (or a movie) to help create a
mood or enhance the action.
Mendelssohn wrote his music for A
Midsummer Night’s Dream to
enhance certain moods and feelings
he experienced while watching the
play. Can you think of any music that
might be suitable incidental music for
a dramatic version of any of the literature read this year? Challenge students to bring in recordings of songs
or pieces of music that set the mood
for specific stories. See if the class
can guess the movie or play for
which the music was written. (This
will be possible for popular movie
music, such as Star Wars.)
Cross-curricular
Teaching Idea
You may wish to teach Mendelssohn’s
A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the
end of the Language Arts unit when
Shakespeare’s play is taught.
Students may enjoy making a connection between the play and the music.
The Big Idea
in Review
Listening to and exploring pieces of music by
great composers
enhances students’
appreciation of the
music of different eras,
such as the
Renaissance.
Music
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