Objective: To introduce Greek Architecture and to explain the architect's graphic conventions of plan, section and elevation.
Activities: The team realized early on the in order to create such a large model of the Parthenon they would need to find something else for the students to work on at their desks while the model was being assembled with a small group of students each week. The team discussed different temple types and the elements which went into creating the Greek orders. The team explained the plan, section and elevation and discussed the terms associated with Greek temples. We handed out a list of vocabulary words and asked them to learn them by the next week.
Vocabulary: Parthenon, Athens, ancient, Acropolis, column, Doric, Athena, Statue goddess, temple shaft, capital, entrance, pediment, sacred limestone, marble, myth, architect, architecture.
Materials: slides, architects drawings, handouts.
Objective: To introduce the Parthenon, and the project of creating the model.
Activities: We decided that the scale of the Parthenon would be projected by the size of cardboard paper towel rolls. A plan to scale was made to fit these cardboard tubes. We described the Parthenon and the unusual number of columns along each side. Each student made at least one column by rolling an image of fluting around the tube. They then glued it to a capital (made from 3" Styrofoam balls cut in half) and an abacus (made from 4" x 1/8" squares of Styrofoam) Then the students then each took turns over the next 3 weeks gluing their columns in place on the larger plan. We tested them on the vocabulary introduced the week before.
Materials: cardboard paper towel rolls, 3" Styrofoam balls, 4" Styrofoam
squares, 4' x 4' corrugated cardboard to mount the plan onto.
Objective: Listen to the story of Athena and create a pediment with a story of your Greek myths.
Activities: We read the them the story of Athena and spoke about the uses of sculpture in Greek temples to portray stories. We handed them each a triangle of white paper (1 -1/2' wide and the students were "invited" to create their own pediment images, using stories from Greek myths. We drew pictures all over the board to illustrate some of the gods and then they began to slowly fill in their pediments. These pediments became the beginning of individualized temple facades. Next we had them make small drawings of their own personal gods and goddesses which I took back to the office and enlarged. We tested them by showing floor plans of several temples and asked if they could tell which was the Parthenon. We repeated the spelling test so that the kids could continue to fallow the terms which were being used.
Materials: photocopies of pediments, cardboard, colored pencils, pens.
Objective: Finish the temple facades and create your own Greek god.
Activities: The team made copies of the Parthenon's front facade and cut them into sections to make it easier for the students to identify the parts. I handed out instructions that directed them to cut out the sections (steps, columns and entablature) and re-assemble them onto a cardboard backing covered with blue paper to represent the shadowy interior. We gave them back their enlarged gods and had them color them in with colored pencils and give them names, then placed them between the middle column of their temples, so that it seems that the gigantic statue peers out from deep inside the building. These were topped off with their pediments. These projects ended up as beautiful, funny, charming displays. We repeated the spelling test so that they could continue to build their vocabulary.
Materials: photocopies of temple fronts, colored pencils, pencils, scissors.
Objective: Try and see the relationship between ancient forms and modern buildings.
Activities: Once these projects were completed and I was sure they had this image pretty well fixed in their minds, I handed out a penny and a nickel to each student, gave them the colored pencils, and asked them to make rubbings of each side of the coin until they could tell me why I was asking them to do so. Eventually they saw that Monticello and the Lincoln Memorial and were modeled on the Parthenon and the latter actually houses a gigantic statue of Abraham Lincoln in a scale comparable to the statue of Athena. We repeated the spelling test so that they could continue to build their vocabulary.
Materials: pencils, colored pencils, coins, paper
Subject: Measure out the real height and width of the Parthenon.
Activities: The team rolled out adding machine paper and they measured the length of the Parthenon. The team gave each student 3 yards of adding machine paper and the task of measuring and labeling ten feet on the paper. The team placed each of ten foot sections along side one another until they totaled the width = 101' and the length = 228'. We continued build their vocabulary by testing them on new terms introduced last week.
Materials: adding machine paper, yardstick, string.
Subject: glue columns, pediment, walls inside
Activities: The team put the entablature along the tops of the columns. Next we put in the walls to form the two rooms. The teacher brought in colored foil one day and we decided that if the ancient Greeks could have guilded Athena's room, they certainly would have, so I used the gold foil for that part of the interior. Pericles would have loved it.
Materials: cardboard, gold foil
Subject: Finishing, roof, roof tiles
Activities: Next came the rafters, these were cut to support four roof panels approximately 16" square. The roof tiles were added by gluing strips of red tickets. Marcy wrapped the tickets in around pencils to represent alternating curved pantiles. Even though many of many of the tiles were put on upside down, the redness and delicacy of the roof is just beautiful, and really brought the whole thing together. After the roof was on the kids placed scale figures around the model. An adult figure was 2-1/2" high which made the scale of the model 1"=2'-0" The final booklet contained plans of different temples, plans an
Materials: cardboard, red tickets, glue, pens, colored pencils.
Teacher: Marie Covin
Architects: Wayne Chang
Assistant: Marcy Abhau
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