Will and I discussed scheduling and school protocol as he had several questions regarding his upcoming attendance. We then discussed Italian Renaissance writers, namely Castiglione and Machiavelli. We read excerpts from authentic texts and discussed the overarching themes of each text, highlighting effect each text had, and the context of the time (class/aristocracy; gender roles; politics/power). We then began a study of the Renaissance’s influence as it spread north. We discussed the causes and significance of the spread of the Renaissance, particularly as it pertains to financial gain, intellectual enlightenment, and the spread of the Arts. We created a graphic organizer to track the artists and thinkers significant in this time period who were Dutch, German, Flemish, English, French, and Spanish.