Benjamin A. Gorman
The following classroom lessons are designed to expose the students to some of the elements of architecture. Coupled with viewing the architecture around the New Haven Green, the students should obtain a sense of appreciation and pride. A personal visit to the Green itself not being possible, a slide set is available at the Teachers Institute office which can be used to view the buildings around the Green. The structures illustrate the community’s pride, exist as memorials of accomplishment and testify to our human progress. The students need to be aware of what the structures mean architecturally in order to realize New Haven’s concept of center and to understand their relationship to it. The major objective of these lessons is to give students a starting point in looking at architecture. The parts of the narrative in this unit may serve as teacher reference when visiting the Green of when showing the slides.
Lesson I
Use of Shapes
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Main Concept:
In a sense, the architect is the mastermind of building. The building contains geometric shapes which the architect uses to organize the space. By handling the shapes, the students will realize that these shapes are the building “blocks” of architecture.
Performance Objectives:
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1. Students will become acquainted with some geometric shapes used in building.
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2. Students will arrange the shapes in constructing a facade.
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3. Students will become aware of the problem of proportion.
Activities:
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1. Cut out from one or two blank sheets of paper a number of squares, triangles, rectangles and hemispheres. Make a variety of sizes. Students can be given a dittoed pattern to cut out or copy the shapes from the board.
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2. Arrange the shapes on a colored piece of paper to form a facade of a building of the students’ choice but
not
a house. Note that the space between the cut outs can be used to create the overall image. Keep scissors handy for recutting.
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3. Students should then glue their cutout facades and label the building.
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4. Some outlining may be necessary in order to make stronger contrasts on the facade.
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Follow Up Questions:
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1. Does there exist a building similar to yours? Where? What goes on inside?
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2. What is proportion and why is it important?
Extended Activity:
Define the following terms.
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cornice
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entablature
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pilasters
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facade
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pediment
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column
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steeple
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portico
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frieze
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Lesson II
Tells
a
Story
Main Concept:
Certain values of society are reflected in our architecture; the worth of certain human activities has been represented by the structures that house them. The students can realize that what is of individual value to them and to society has been translated into buildings and can be found at the center of New Haven.
Performance Objectives:
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1. Students will become aware of values that are of importance to our society and in their lives.
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2. Students will identify buildings that reflect these values.
Activities:
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1. Make a list of values; ideas that are important to most societies. For example:
Politics
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Religion
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Work
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Culture
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Possessions
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School
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Authority
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Death
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Money
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Leisure time
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2. For each value, the students should name a building that commemorates the activity expressed by that value.
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3. Distribute Handout I showing an overhead view of New Haven’s center. The students are to match the above list of examples (the values) with the buildings on the handout by writing the value near the building’s name.
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4. Have the students place the street names on the map.
Follow Up:
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1. Discuss New Haven’s beginnings and growth around the Green.
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2. Make a map of the local neighborhood indicating the buildings that illustrate the values mentioned or just list the buildings that exist in the area.
Extended Activity:
Select a neighborhood building that signifies a value under discussion, draw its front and outline in red the distinguishing shapes that make it different or mark it as an important building.
Lesson III:
The Column
Main concept:
Since a number of our civic buildings illustrate the Greek Revival period and its origin is rooted in the Greek concept of a city, the students should become aware of a particular feature of this architecture—the column. It has its own story to relate.
Introduction:
More than for support, the column illustrates human use of a building member to make a visual statement about himself. The form of the column represents our human stance; its upright position symbolizes our human relation to the flat, though undulating, landscape. As we stand independent from the earth, a pillar, a totem pole, a shaft of stone or fashioned column stands as a reflection of ourselves. Practically, columns support overhead protection and allow openings for passage and for the wind to enter but they also serve as a symbol of power. In ancient Greece, the columned porch designated the location where the city’s ruler sat when dispensing justice. Like the pediment above the column, they were used to mark the important places for various civic functions. In Roman times, the column became part of the walls in the triumphal arches and it also served as a pedestal atop which might be a symbol of authority. The medieval cathedral used columns to help visualize the power of God. Over time, the use of columns was not just restricted to civic or church buildings or to mark an event; people of position or power used columns in their homes to symbolize their place in society. A columned entrance or porch on the home of a wealthy merchant or ship captain marked his success in life. It was not just because he could afford to build the columns but because he was a community leader and wanted all to know who he was. A visitor might pause and note that they were entering a special place; one in which an accomplished individual abided. Thus the column can speak to us and for us.
This introduction is a summary of observations made by Kent C. Bloomer and Charles W. Moore in
Body
,
Memory
,
and Architecture
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Performance Objectives:
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1. The students will become aware of the importance of the column in architecture.
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2. The student will understand the column’s use on various buildings.
Activities:
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1. Using the social studies textbook, the students are to find illustrations of buildings and houses that use columns. Make a 1ist containing the page number, name of the structure, its date if given and put a check if it looks like a Greek temple.
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2. Read Handout II and copy the Greek Doric temple with the fables .
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3. Compare it to any picture found in the textbook; note similarities and differences. Why were the columns used?
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4. Memorize the parts of the column.
Follow Up:
Show the slides of the architecture surrounding the New Haven Green or visit and relate the information gained to the buildings.
(figure available in print form)
(figure available in print form)