The European Renaissance

Travel Period: The European Renaissance

Travel Location: Western Europe

Travel Dates: 1400ce - 1600ce

Mission Due Date: May 11, 2012

Fantastic news! We know that a few months ago you all had to flee Medieval Europe because of wars and disease. Our sources are telling us that some amazing things are starting to happen to turn the tide and end the European Dark Ages.

Our sources say that if you really want to understand this European Renaissance you have to go to Florence, Italy. Of course there are some other great centers of culture developing (Madrid, Spain; Brussels, Flanders; Venice, Italy; London, England; or Paris, France), and you could choose to visit any of them, but we encourage you to focus your travels in Florence, Italy.

Report back on what you see. Blog about this great "rebirth" in painting, sculpture, architecture, politics, government, religion, knowledge & education, humanism, literature, science, math, commerce, trade, etc! Amaze us with your tales of festivals, working with artists, dealing with merchants, debating laws, building great buildings, the sky is the limit! Choose something (or somethings) that you will truly enjoy about this amazing time, and then enlighten us with your tales.


Be sure to complete your travels and submit this form by Friday, May 11, 2012.

New "Travel Period" Missions

TTI is proud to offer a new style of Time Travel Blogging. Instead of giving travelers specific missions and tasks to complete, we are now simply going to send you to a specific time and place. Travelers will determine what they will see and do. Travelers will also determine what type of posts and how many posts they will write during the "Travel Period."


A "Travel Period" is defined as the time between the start of the mission and the due date of the final posts. Travelers should use this form to keep track of their missions. Travelers should also submit the form before 4:00 on the day the mission is due. Forms can either be printed out and placed in the turn-in basket, or they can be e-mail/shared with Sr. Volpe (ffoxpps@gmail.com).


Travelers should attempt to accumulate a total of 50 points during the travel period. The number of points possible are determined by the type of post and its quality (as a piece of historical writing). Travelers can also gain points by using vocabulary words and commenting on the posts of other travelers.


Furthermore, we offer each traveler a chance to create their own option for earning points. It is highly encouraged that travelers contact Sr. Volpe for permission to earn points using the "other" option BEFORE they plan to do so.


Your first "Travel Period" will begin this week! Good luck, and good travels.

M10: Japan or China

Due: April 5th-A Group / April 11th-B Group

LOOK TO THE LEFT TO CHECK OUT THE NEW REQUIREMENT TO USE AAAWWUBBIS or FANBOYS IN YOUR COMMENTS!

Using the story arc, write a 5-paragraph blog post that demonstrates character change. Select ONE of the following problems, you may slightly modify the problem to meet your traveler's needs:

• Attend Samurai school. (Historical Task: Describe the training and the beliefs needed to become a Samurai.)
• Members of the ruling aristocracy are confused by their falling power, and the the subsequent rise of the warrior class. Attend a formal dinner with some aristocrats who discuss the new governing system. (Historical Task: Describe 
• the values, social customs, and traditions prescribed by the 
• lord-vassal system consisting of shogun, daimyo, and samurai.)
• Your home country/planet has sent you to Medieval China to bring goods and ideas from China to your home; the citizens in your home country/planet are not really sure what to do with what you've brought them. (Historical Task: Analyze the ways in which Chinese inventions (such as gunpowder, the compass, and printing) affected China and the rest of the world.)

Include 2-4 hyperlinked vocabulary words from weeks 22-26.


If you choose to use dialogue, make sure you properly format it (new line for each speaker, quotation marks). Also make sure that the dialogue is unified together based on topic (just like a paragraph).

M9 Medieval Japan: Cultural Achievements

Due: March 15th-A Group / March 23rd-B Group

Using the story arc, write a 5-paragraph blog post that demonstrates character change. Select ONE of the following problems, you may slightly modify the problem to meet your traveler's needs:

• Prince Shotoku has assigned you travel to China or Korea and find a cultural trait to bring back to Japan. (Historical Task: Describe how one cultural trait was culturally diffused into Japanese culture.)
• Japanese leaders are meeting to debate where to establish a central government: they ask for your advice. (Historical Task: Describe and analyze the physical features of Japan and determine where the best place for a central capital would be.)
• You have been invited to visit the home of a Japanese aristocrat during the Heian period (794 to 1185CE). (Historical Task: Describe the Golden Age of literature, art, and drama in Japan during the 9th, 10th, and 11th centuries.)

Include 2-4 hyperlinked vocabulary words from weeks 20-24.


If you choose to use dialogue, make sure you properly format it (new line for each speaker, quotation marks). Also make sure that the dialogue is unified together based on topic (just like a paragraph).