How has your life changed as a result of the computer? During your lifetime, the advent of the computer has probably made some activity easier or more fun than it had been previously. The Internet and video games may have impacted your daily life as it has for many young people throughout the world. In the near future, you may not be able to imagine life without them!

Change in the lifestyle due to advances in technology is the basis of many fantasy and historical fiction plots which often make use of time travel scenarios to create interesting conflicts. Characters from one time period suddenly find themselves interacting with people of another era, as well as trying to live without the conveniences of their own time. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain is an interesting example of this type of literature. The "modern man" from Twain's time finds his perspective and ideas quite different from those of the medieval people he finds around him.

One of the major changes in lifestyle and worldview occurred from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Although this change took place over the course of a little more than a thousand years, its legacy was enduring.

Develop a series of six journal entries (three from each of two different journals) which will illuminate the experiences of a particular class of person who lived during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Use specific details from each time period in the journal entries to add realism and to highlight the changes that occurred from one era to the next.

Each student author should choose one of the following character types for this research:

merchant	monk
knight	peasant
craftsman	nun
noblewoman	child
scholar/student	artist

Your product will be a series of six entries from two different journals (three entries from a medieval journal and three from a Renaissance journal) which include details that reflect the changes in lifestyle and worldview that occurred between the two time periods.

Click here for an example of historical fiction written in journal format.

As you look at the task above, list as many questions as you can that will help you to understand and investigate this topic. THINK ABOUT...

What do you already know about the two time periods?

What do you need to know to begin your investigation? You will need:

• basic information about the lifestyle of this character type during the two different time periods
• information about the changes that took place between the two time periods
• how these changes might have impacted this particular character type.

Use this subtopic list to aid in developing your subtopics for research.

Now that you have crafted your questions, you need to develop a plan for locating your information.

• You must use multiple resources in a variety of formats to ensure complete and reliable answers to your questions.
  
• Survey the world of resources - a generic list of possible resources
  
• For a calendar, planning sheet (My Search Plan), and a variety of tools to record your notes, click here: Research Planning Tools.
  
• As you use your various sources, be sure to take effective, detailed notes. Paraphrase the main ideas to avoid plagarism.
  
• Remember to cite your references. Check the MLA guidelines and examples for citing resources, however, your school may use a different format.
  

In order to create effective journal entriest, you will need to have background on both the lifestyle of a character during both time periods as well as the changes that occurred from one period to the other.

• Use a pre-designed web to record your notes on lifestyles.
  
• Use a pre-designed web to record your notes on changes.

Gather information from a variety of sources, including encyclopedias, books, magazines, Internet websites, and electronic databases.

• Remember the essential question guiding your research:
  
  How did the developments of the Renaissance shift perspectives about personal identity?

• Sort your research findings using your note cards or graphic organizer.
  • Do you need to rearrange the information in different categories?
  • Can you condense or combine the information?
    
• Sift through your notes, eliminating those that do not answer your questions. Can you throw away material which is not useful, is repetitive, or does not answer your questions?
  
• Analyze your results.
  • Have you taken sufficient notes to answer all of your questions in detail?
  • Do you need to develop new questions to adequately cover your topic?
    

Use one of these tools to help you identify additional research needs:

• Checklist
• Notetaking inventory form
• Working outline form
  

• Synthesize your findings. Synthesis is the act of pulling your research and ideas together to form new meaning.
  • What new insights have emerged about your energy source?
  • Which facts are the most compelling and would have the greatest impact on your audience?
    
• Evaluate the effectiveness of your research for the task.
  
  • Have you gathered sufficient details about your character's lifestyle to write convincing journal entries?
  • Are your details organized in the right categories or sub-topics to make sense for your audience?
  • Which facts are the most compelling and would have the greatest impact on an audience?

• Recall your task and product.
  
• Gather all of your notes and decide which information you will use from your research to include in your journal entries. Keep in mind that you will need to show a changes in lifestyle and perspective which occurred between the two periods.
  
• Plan your journal entries using this planning sheet.
  
• Create your rough draft of your journal entries.
  
• Create your Works Cited page.
  • Check the MLA guidelines and examples for citing resources. Your school may use a different format, so check with your teacher or library media specialist.
    
• Use the self-check column on the journal scoring tool to make sure that your assignment is complete before submitting it for peer response.
  
• Submit your work to a fellow student for peer response.
  
• Submit your work to your teacher for final evaluation.
  

Take time to think about the research process you just completed.

Story of my research process...

• What changes did you make to your original plan?
• What worked and what didn't work?
• What did you learn about yourself as a researcher?

Follow these guidelines to help you to prepare your reflection.