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PDL Renaissance Series
 The Renaissance Series are
designed to stimulate and challenge students' reflection and expression through
the integration of art and core academic skill areas. This series is primarily designed for
"talented and gifted" middle-school students (but adoptable for older
learners). All programs in this series
are available at "no cost" to PDL member schools as a classroom resource, but
all can function as an online cyber course to reach students outside a
classroom setting. Further, the PDL can
assist in assigning a virtual resident artist (minimal cost) to collaborate
with school faculty in guiding student work and development of a high quality
final art product. This series was
developed with grant support from the U.S. Department of Education
We believe the PDL
Renaissance Series represents highest quality technical craftsmanship and
instructional excellence. This series is planned to meet the needs of gifted
and talented students in grades 6 to 8. Any unit in this series can serve as a
part (or in totality) as the instructional experience for students identified
for "gifted and talented" services. These units offer interactive instruction,
drill and practice, and problem solving activities aimed at helping learners
create one or more products that are original,
creative, and authentic.
The General Description
offers a brief outline to help parents or students select a program relevant to
their interest. The Practitioner Outline provides more information for
administrators and teachers to understand the study unit.
Registered and Enrolled Members Access: CLICK HERE
PDL's Renaissance Series:
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What is Beauty? The Mathematical Basis of the Arts
We know it when we see it. We know it when we hear it; yet how do we define or qualify beauty? A respected theory in the early twentieth century suggested that the clearest way to explore this question is through the language of mathematics. This course is based on this concept. The idea of using mathematics to understand art influenced people like George Gershwin, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Earle Brown, and Quincy Jones. Activities to grasp this concept are naturally simplified for young learners; it subscribes to the idea that mathematics can help students appreciate the arts more fully.
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Patriotism Expressed Through Song
 Learning activities are highly individualized. The ability to access certain parts of this program at any time or in any order should stimulate the learner to investigate course concepts. It does not matter if a student does not play an instrument. Self-paced interactive activities allow the student to be in total control. Feedback is given on every prompt; students learn by doing. The software provides help when it is needed. Terms and concepts are explained; additional reference books are not necessary.
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Composing a Fanfare
 In composing a “Fanfare” students will gain a deeper understanding of the creative and expressive process through musical composition. Skills related to this task will also reinforce and develop competencies in history, problem solving, and comparative analysis. Additionally, students will be exposed to a variety of higher-level technology applications.
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Thinking through the Arts
 “I like it! I hated it! Why?” The answer to these questions can be found in the exciting on line course entitled Thinking Through Arts. Students can vote for their favorite image, picture, or painting, react to exciting music, and create group poetry and much more all in pursuit of understanding the complex responses humans have to art. This series integrates critical thinking, reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills into a study of aesthetics. Sequential lessons lead students through a number of experiences and activities beginning with the definition and understanding of aesthetics, progressing through an understanding of their own response to art, and finishing with the creation of an original work of art.
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Escher’s Waterfall Comes to Life Arts
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Copy of Escher’s 20th century Print
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Students will be challenged to make art come to life. Have you ever viewed a drawing and wondered what it would look like if it were real? After viewing M.C. Escher’s “Waterfall,” students will design and create a real sculpture that actually can move water (upwards). They will experiment with paddle wheels, pumps, or other hydraulic devices to transfer water from one point to another, creating a “living” sculpture.
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