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English/Language Arts
Explore Vocabulary in context
We don’t talk about reading levels in the Nonfiction Minute, mostly because we believe that reading levels are extremely dependent on interest levels, and engagement is what gets kids reading - not reading levels. Plus our authors give kids a recording of them reading the Minute, so everyone has access. Still, this Minute has some more challenging vocabulary [heresy, Inquisition, aforesaid, artichoke, etc.], so it’s worth taking a second to consider how to handle it. Ask your students to dedicate a section of their writing journals to “vocabulary in context.” When they read, have them develop the habit of jotting down words that need clarification - make sure they make note of where they saw/heard the word too. Don’t make them stop reading, just encourage them to schedule a time when they look up definitions and expand their world.
Explore biographical narrative - focus
Biographies generally cover a standard set of items like early life, family, education, accomplishments, etc. When you're tasked with writing about someone in a 400 word essay, you cannot possibly include all of those standard elements. Have students re-read this Minute to determine the focus of the piece. Then have them go back and read Sarah Albee’s piece about this same painter, Caravaggio. Do a compare contrast. What information is the same? What is different? How is their focus different? To extend, have students pair up and choose a different biographical Minute (just click on biography in the categories column). Have each independently decide what the focus is and then share and argue for their choice until they can come to consensus.
Social Studies
Explore cultural characteristics - religion
Use this Minute to share the history of the Inquisition in Europe. Look at the spread and influence on a map so students can see how powerful the religious component was in the political landscape. Look at some of Caravaggio’s paintings of daily life and see if students can pick out religious elements in the paintings. Have a discussion about the value of the visual in the daily life of this time period.
Explore primary documents as revealers of historical information
Author Moss discusses the documentation available to historians from the legal system of the time period. She shares a piece of that documentation. Have students do a close read of the document and see what they can “tease out” about what life was like during this time period. We know they ate artichokes, so this tells us something about the climate. What else can they discover?
STEM
Explore manufacturing processes during the renaissance
Author Moss tells us that Caravaggio carried a sword. What would a sword be made from in the 17th century? What metals were available? What processes would they have used to make the sword? How have these metallurgical processes evolve to be different today? Have only the processes changed or are we also using different materials?
Art
Explore Google Arts & Culture
Google has a site, Google Arts & Culture, that allows user to explore art by theme, collection, medium, historical events and more. Just click the triple-line icon in the upper left corner of the screen and see where it takes you!
Explore Vocabulary in context
We don’t talk about reading levels in the Nonfiction Minute, mostly because we believe that reading levels are extremely dependent on interest levels, and engagement is what gets kids reading - not reading levels. Plus our authors give kids a recording of them reading the Minute, so everyone has access. Still, this Minute has some more challenging vocabulary [heresy, Inquisition, aforesaid, artichoke, etc.], so it’s worth taking a second to consider how to handle it. Ask your students to dedicate a section of their writing journals to “vocabulary in context.” When they read, have them develop the habit of jotting down words that need clarification - make sure they make note of where they saw/heard the word too. Don’t make them stop reading, just encourage them to schedule a time when they look up definitions and expand their world.
Explore biographical narrative - focus
Biographies generally cover a standard set of items like early life, family, education, accomplishments, etc. When you're tasked with writing about someone in a 400 word essay, you cannot possibly include all of those standard elements. Have students re-read this Minute to determine the focus of the piece. Then have them go back and read Sarah Albee’s piece about this same painter, Caravaggio. Do a compare contrast. What information is the same? What is different? How is their focus different? To extend, have students pair up and choose a different biographical Minute (just click on biography in the categories column). Have each independently decide what the focus is and then share and argue for their choice until they can come to consensus.
Social Studies
Explore cultural characteristics - religion
Use this Minute to share the history of the Inquisition in Europe. Look at the spread and influence on a map so students can see how powerful the religious component was in the political landscape. Look at some of Caravaggio’s paintings of daily life and see if students can pick out religious elements in the paintings. Have a discussion about the value of the visual in the daily life of this time period.
Explore primary documents as revealers of historical information
Author Moss discusses the documentation available to historians from the legal system of the time period. She shares a piece of that documentation. Have students do a close read of the document and see what they can “tease out” about what life was like during this time period. We know they ate artichokes, so this tells us something about the climate. What else can they discover?
STEM
Explore manufacturing processes during the renaissance
Author Moss tells us that Caravaggio carried a sword. What would a sword be made from in the 17th century? What metals were available? What processes would they have used to make the sword? How have these metallurgical processes evolve to be different today? Have only the processes changed or are we also using different materials?
Art
Explore Google Arts & Culture
Google has a site, Google Arts & Culture, that allows user to explore art by theme, collection, medium, historical events and more. Just click the triple-line icon in the upper left corner of the screen and see where it takes you!
© Karen Sterling, 2018 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission
