When the author traveled to the city of Barcelona, Spain to see the still-unfinished La Sagrada Familia in person, she marveled at the magical genius of Antoni Gaudi's masterpiece. Inspired by Gaudi's whimsical tile work and cathedral towers, the author developed an art project that engages students in a creative experience, which combined art…

Both Greeks and Romans placed the building of temples and sanctuaries high on their list of architectural priorities, as these structures were a source of public pride. The temples were built as shrines for the all-important gods and goddesses of the ancient world. The Parthenon is a great example of this. The frieze on the Parthenon shows scenes…

Five- and six-year-olds know a lot about their own homes. Besides school, home is probably where they spend most of their time. But have they ever really thought about their space? Using students' knowledge of their current space will help them design new spaces and think about all the areas that surround them. In this project, students design…

This article describes a clay project for students studying Greece and Rome. It provides a wonderful way to learn slab construction techniques by making small clay column capitols. With this lesson, students learn architectural vocabulary and history, understand the importance of classical architectural forms and their influence on today's…

Louisville, Kentucky is an eclectic town of architectural styles from Greek revival to Renaissance Revival to Post modernism, not to mention an entire street dedicated to artsy mom and pop stores. Louisville is second only to the New York City Soho district in terms of the number of its cast-iron facades. Many of these building's fronts have…

This article describes how the author teaches a fourth- and fifth-grade unit on architecture called the Art and Science of Planning Buildings. Rockville, Indiana has fine examples of architecture ranging from log cabins, classic Greek columns, Victorian houses, a mission-style theater, and Frank Lloyd Wright prairie-style homes. After reading…

The splendor and beauty of stained glass punctuates any room. In this article, the author describes a cross-curriculum project which incorporated the French classes' research and written study of France in the Middle Ages. For the project the author suggested Sainte-Chapelle which is considered a reliquary and was built by Louis IX to house the…

At the NAEA conference in Minneapolis, Carpenter and Sessions asked, "What are we teaching, especially about ceramics?" Art educators are often criticized for leaving out historical context when teaching studio art. In this article, the author offers guidelines, based on national and state art standards, and share the results of teaching…

This resource kit, for secondary teachers of art, social studies, and the humanities, presents an art appreciation activities program that spans the visual art history of the United States. The kit is organized into nine chronological sections that follow the history of art in the United States: (1) Native American Art (prehistory to the present);…