Leonardo da Vinci T

he tittle “Renaissance Man” or polymath is used for an ingenious, multi-talented person who is great at many different things. The idea of titling someone a “Renaissance Man” came from a time of history called the Renaissance which lasted from about 1400 to about 1600. During this period, people studied and elaborated on the ideas of Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers. The era was inspired by a general belief in both human and individual potential. One of the most

celebrated people alive during this time was Leonardo da Vinci. He was most famous as a painter, but he was also a scientist, engineer and mathematician. Leonardo has consistently been referred to as a "Renaissance Man" by historians. His attitude and motivation is perhaps best outlined through his own words:

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things

happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”

-Leonardo da Vinci

While there is no doubt Leonardo was alive during the Renaissance, was he a polymath as the title suggests? Do you think Leonardo is worthy of his title “Renaissance Man”? Evaluate the worthiness of his title by reading some of his achievements below. Place a check in the appropriate box.

Renaissance Man? You Decide! 1. Among his works, the Mona Lisa is the most famous, most recognizable

painting in the world, and The Last Supper is the most reproduced religious painting in history.

2. He conceptualized flying machines, a tank, concentrated solar power, an adding machine, and the double hull ship. He also outlined a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics.

3. He made important discoveries in anatomy, civil engineering, optics, and hydrodynamics, but he did not publish his findings ,and they had no direct influence on later science.

4. Leonardo's drawing of the Vitruvian Man (shown

right) is regarded as a cultural icon, being

reproduced on items as varied as the euro coin,

textbooks, and t-shirts. It’s purpose was to show

the proportions of the human body.

5. Leonardo was an expert painter, sculptor,

architect, inventor and engineer. He was even a

town planner and

cartographer (map maker).

6. In order to learn more about how the body

worked, Leonardo dissected corpses and sketched

his findings in notebooks.

7. Leonardo invented the machine gun, diving

suit, parachutes and helicopters.

Common Core Literacy

Copyright © 2014 Instructomania, Pavlovich

Leonardo da Vinci: A renaissance Man?

Copyright © 2014 Instructomania, Pavlovich

Use his accomplishments as evidence to support your opinion.

Supporting Fact #1 Write evidence in the form of a quote from his

accomplishments (on previous page) that supports your

opinion/topic sentence:

“_____________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

____________________________________________.”

This quote demonstrates that Leonardo was/was not

worthy of his title because________________________

______________________________________________

_____________________________________________.

Do you think Leonardo da Vinci was a polymath, worthy of the title “Renaissance Man”? Write a topic sentence below

that details your opinion._____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion: Write a two sentence conclusion below that best

summarizes your opinion the achievements of

Leonardo da Vinci. Remember, your conclusion

should reflect your topic sentence/opinion, but

have more detail.

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

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Supporting Fact #3

Who is the most worthy of the title “Renaissance Man or Woman” of the people you know? Detail his/her abilities to

support your answer.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Common Core Literacy and Writing

Supporting Fact #2 Write evidence in the form of a quote from his

accomplishments (on previous page) that supports your

opinion/topic sentence:

“_____________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

____________________________________________.”

This quote illustrates that Leonardo was/was not worthy

of his title because_______________________________

______________________________________________

_____________________________________________.

Write evidence in the form of a quote from his

accomplishments (on previous page) that supports your

opinion/topic sentence:

“_____________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

____________________________________________.”

This quote reveals that Leonardo was/was not worthy of

his title because_______________________________

______________________________________________

_____________________________________________.