So now what would you think if I told you that there are people who think that credit for starting the "Age of Exploration" and consequently the Renaissance should not go to the Europeans but to the Chinese or the Arabians?
How does Knowledge move from
one place to another?
Introduction
For this activity you will be making a parachute based on the designs of Leonardo Da Vinci
First you will need to do some reading from Gavin Menzies’ book 1434 (they same guy whose website was on the last page)
This reading is attached in the pdf below (parts 1 & 2)
I have taken the most important information from this 288 page book and shortened it to 6 pages (…This means DO NOT complain about how long it is!)
Each of the 4 "sections" of the parachute's material will be covered with information you gathered from the 1434 readings and class discussion. In the end you will have a working parachute that may prove that “Knowledge can Float” (well, at least as much as a parachute will allow it too).
First you will need to do some reading from Gavin Menzies’ book 1434 (they same guy whose website was on the last page)
This reading is attached in the pdf below (parts 1 & 2)
I have taken the most important information from this 288 page book and shortened it to 6 pages (…This means DO NOT complain about how long it is!)
Each of the 4 "sections" of the parachute's material will be covered with information you gathered from the 1434 readings and class discussion. In the end you will have a working parachute that may prove that “Knowledge can Float” (well, at least as much as a parachute will allow it too).
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After you have done all the readings you will need to read the instructions for creating the parachute- also attached in a pdf below. These pages are from Maxine Anderson’s Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions.
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Covering the Parachute material
Part One –
On the INSIDE of the parachute “pages” you need to summarize each of the sections from the 1434 reading. This means there should be 7 sections
1. The Introduction
2. The Emperor’s Ambassador
3. Columbus and his Maps
4. Leonardo da Vinci and Chinese Inventions
5. Leonardo, Di Giorgio, Taccola, and Alberti
6. China’s Contribution to the Renaissance
7. Europe becomes Mistress of the World
Part Two-
On the Outside of the Parachute pages you are going to put the answers to these very simple questions below. Since these are the most “important” learning points from this assignment I want them to be the most accessible to you, to the teacher, and to anyone else who wants to look at them. (Write the question and the answer.)
1 What are the current beliefs about the Renaissance?
2 What is the book 1434's new "theory" about who "ignited" the Renaissance?
3 How were the Chinese best "prepared" to provide the information which started the Renaissance?
4 How does Leonardo's work provide a good example of the transfer of information from China?
5 How did Chinese maps help European Exploration?
On the INSIDE of the parachute “pages” you need to summarize each of the sections from the 1434 reading. This means there should be 7 sections
1. The Introduction
2. The Emperor’s Ambassador
3. Columbus and his Maps
4. Leonardo da Vinci and Chinese Inventions
5. Leonardo, Di Giorgio, Taccola, and Alberti
6. China’s Contribution to the Renaissance
7. Europe becomes Mistress of the World
Part Two-
On the Outside of the Parachute pages you are going to put the answers to these very simple questions below. Since these are the most “important” learning points from this assignment I want them to be the most accessible to you, to the teacher, and to anyone else who wants to look at them. (Write the question and the answer.)
1 What are the current beliefs about the Renaissance?
2 What is the book 1434's new "theory" about who "ignited" the Renaissance?
3 How were the Chinese best "prepared" to provide the information which started the Renaissance?
4 How does Leonardo's work provide a good example of the transfer of information from China?
5 How did Chinese maps help European Exploration?
does_knowledge_float_instructions_printout.pdf | |
File Size: | 259 kb |
File Type: |
Gavin Menzies book description & review
http://www.gavinmenzies.net/index.asp
In 1434, Gavin Menzies offers a stunning reappraisal of history, presenting compelling new evidence on the European Renaissance, tracing its roots to China
In this provocative, highly readable history, Gavin Menzies makes the startling argument that China provided the spark that set the Renaissance ablaze. Based on years of research, this marvellous history argues that a Chinese fleet, official ambassadors of the emperor, arrived in Tuscany in 1434, where they met with Pope Eugenius IV in Florence. The delegation presented the pope with a wealth of knowledge, from a diverse range of fields: geography (including world maps that the author believes were passed on to Christopher Columbus), astronomy, mathematics, art, printing, architecture, steel manufacturing, civil engineering, military weaponry, surveying, cartography, genetics, and more. This gift of knowledge sparked the inventiveness of the Renaissance, including da Vinci’s mechanical creations, the Copernican revolution, Galileo’s discoveries, and more
In this provocative, highly readable history, Gavin Menzies makes the startling argument that China provided the spark that set the Renaissance ablaze. Based on years of research, this marvellous history argues that a Chinese fleet, official ambassadors of the emperor, arrived in Tuscany in 1434, where they met with Pope Eugenius IV in Florence. The delegation presented the pope with a wealth of knowledge, from a diverse range of fields: geography (including world maps that the author believes were passed on to Christopher Columbus), astronomy, mathematics, art, printing, architecture, steel manufacturing, civil engineering, military weaponry, surveying, cartography, genetics, and more. This gift of knowledge sparked the inventiveness of the Renaissance, including da Vinci’s mechanical creations, the Copernican revolution, Galileo’s discoveries, and more