Lesson Plan. “The Fall of the House of Usher” (toward middle of unit)
Architectural concepts (from seminar notes):
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1. Narrative: the ability of a building to represent ideas other than shelter and practical function.
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2. Empathy: a way of making a building happy, sad, imposing (abstract); the theory serves as a framework for design (concrete).
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3. Facade: the front of a building. The facade is an indication of what lies beyond.
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I.
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Discuss architectural terms with class
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II.
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Draw a house facade on the blackboard as it might be drawn by a child. Indicate how elements of the facade (windows, door) can take on facial characteristics (eyes, mouth). This point should be kept in mind during the reading.
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III.
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Class will read pp. 7-12 aloud; deal with vocabulary difficulties as they arise.
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IV.
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Discussion:
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A. What comparisons between the facade of the House of Usher and a human face does the narrator make? What overall quality does the facade/face possess?
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B. How are the House and the family tied together?
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V.
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Distribute copies of line-drawing of Conte School (from previous lesson).
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The narrator felt that, if he could just rearrange the features of the House of Usher’s facade and landscape, the picture would be less threatening.
Let’s see what you can do with Conte. Decide on a quality you’d like the building to express. Draw the elements you’d use to express this quality—don’t forget the importance of color! Your rendering can be realistic or fantastic.
