A WORKSHOP FOR EDUCATORS
(recommended for grades 6-12)
Saturday, March 8, 2025
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
New College of Florida campus (Google Maps)
Facilitators:
Dr. Carrie Beneš (New College of Florida)
and Dr. Laura Morreale (Washington, DC)
Co-PIs of the Sfera Project
Catalan Atlas by Abraham Cresques, Majorca, ca. 1375 (modern copy)
This Sfera Project workshop is designed to introduce middle- and high-school educators to Renaissance history and digital tools for its study by focusing on three key learning activities: map interpretation, digital mapping, and collaborative transcription, all of which will enhance participants’ understanding of world history in the Renaissance and before the European Age of Exploration.
The workshop will provide educators with practical skills and pedagogical strategies to enhance their history, geography, and/or social studies curriculum.
Coast of the Levant, from Laiazzo (now Yumurtalik, Turkey) to Larissa (now Al'Arish, Egypt): Ravenna, Bib. Classense MS 242, f. 22v.
9:00 - 9:15 AM: Welcome, Introductions, Housekeeping (CEB)
Opening remarks and introductions
Overview of the day's agenda and objectives
Housekeeping details
Session 1A: 9:15 - 9:45 AM: What is the La Sfera Project? (LKM)
Origin story of La Sfera
Outcomes and achievements
Current components of the project
Pedagogical possibilities and applications in the classroom
Session 1B: 9:45 - 10:15 AM: Welcome to Florence, 1425! (CEB & LKM)
The Mediterranean and the Renaissance: Why is La sfera significant?
Key figures and events associated with the text
Relevance to the history of literature, book technology, European exploration, and the history of science in the Renaissance
10:15 - 10:30 AM: Coffee Break
Session 2: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM: Working with Premodern Maps (CEB)
Introduction to world maps from the period 1000–1500 CE
Thinking interpretively about maps: what do maps do, and how do they do it?
Discussion on integrating premodern geography into classroom curricula
Session 3: 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM: Finding Places in La sfera / Digital Mapping (CEB & LKM)
Introduction to digital mapping tools and techniques
Hands-on activity: Locating places mentioned in La sfera
Creating digital maps to visualize historical journeys and locations
Discussion on integrating digital mapping into classroom activities
12:30 - 1:30 PM: Lunch (provided); informal networking and discussion
Session 4: 1:30 - 2:30 PM: Collaborative Transcription: How and Why (LKM)
Importance and benefits of collaborative transcription in the classroom
Practical demonstration of transcription tools and platforms
Hands-on activity: Transcribing a passage from La sfera
Strategies for incorporating transcription projects into the curriculum
Session 5: 2:30 - 3:00 PM: Discussion and Project Planning (CEB)
Open discussion on the day's activities and learning
Participants to brainstorm and plan potential projects using the digital tools, approaches and materials presented
Sharing of ideas and feedback
Q&A session to address any remaining questions
The southern coast of Turkey from Rhodes (left) to Tripoli, Syria (right): Paris, Bib. nationale, Bib. Arsenal MS 8536, f. 76r (sideways).
Here are some of the Florida state standards to which the materials from this workshop will be useful and relevant:
Grade 6 Geography
Standard 1 (Understanding maps as representations of the world, including terrain features and landmarks of ancient civilizations)
Standard 6 (using the 6 essential elements of geography, esp. comparing ancient maps with modern ones)
Grade 6 World History
Standard 1 (Using historical inquiry skills and analytical processes to interpret primary and secondary sources)
Grades 9-12 Geography
Standard 1 (Using and analyzing maps from a wide variety of sources)
Standard 6 (Using geography to interpret the past and present, and plan for the future; geography as narrative)
Grades 9-12 World History
Standard 1 (Using historical inquiry skills and analytical processes to interpret primary and secondary sources)
Standard 2 (Understanding the transition from the medieval to the modern world)
Standard 3 (Understanding intercultural exchange and the contributions of premodern Islamic and African civilizations)
Standard 4 (The Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, and the Age of Exploration; esp. the Italian city-states)
Grades 9-12 Humanities
Standard 1 (The historical, social, and cultural contexts of artistic production)
Standard 2 (Critical analysis of artistic products)
Standard 3 (Impact of trade, communication, science, and technology on cultures)
AP, IB, and AICE Instructors: The workshop will be particularly useful for educators teaching advanced courses that emphasize the contextual analysis of primary sources, such as European History, World History, and Art History.
The topography of the Middle East, from the Black Sea (left) to the Nile (right): Florence, Bib. Medicea-Laurenziana, MS Ashburnham 1106, f. 15v-16r.
Participants should bring laptops or tablets for hands-on sessions
Comfortable attire is recommended for interactive activities
Lunch will be provided; please let us know on your sign-up form if you have particular food needs
Professional Development Certificates will be distributed at the end of the day
For further information, please contact Dr. Laura Morreale [lmorreale3@gmail.com] or Dr. Carrie Beneš [benes@ncf.edu].
World map ca. 1425:
Florence, Bib. nazionale centrale, MS II.II.83, f. 204v.