Students see how French artists used imported lacquer panels in their furniture. They explore Asian lacquer panels and create their own Asian-inspired lacquer panel design. They incorporate their classmates' designs into a new furniture...

Explore American Federal design as it pertains to furniture, architecture, and influences on modern style. By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to recognize Federal design, its place in history, and how it has influenced...

Find everything you need for a two-week home construction simulation project for your high school economics class. They come up with the plans for a custom home including the cost per square foot, interest rate, mortgage term, down...

Students investigate historic furniture.  In this art history activity, students compare and contrast two chairs from different periods.  Students create a collage from images of the past.

Students complete a design for their bedrooms. They design a floor plan for their bedrooms including convenient traffic zones and good use of space. They include fabric swatches or examples of wallpaper along with notes on theme and...

Students observe and explain continuity with the past in contemporary furniture design.

Students investigate the history of cabinetry and furniture, specifically the Renaissance period.  In this art history lesson, students investigate photographs of the Renaissance Revival/Aesthetic Cabinet, and examine the small...

Learners evaluate visual arts by creating furniture designs. In this three dimensional art lesson, students utilize the web to examine different artist renderings of furniture, sculpture and architecture. Learners utilize paint to create...

Learners examine how decorative motifs are adapted to other types of objects by craftsmen and artists. They examine photos on the Illinois State Museum website, discuss design elements, adapt a motif to a line drawing, and transfer a...

Young scholars investigate many of the relationships that contribute to the look and design of decorative arts objects.

Students create a design for their ideal school. They work in groups to design a part of the school and put the designs together to create one complete school design.

Students consider how other countries and cultures influence furniture and home furnishings. They create a design plan for a particular room using the influences of a particular country.

Students create their own "gift drawings" that are inspired by the dreams and visions of the Shakers. In this gift drawings lesson plan, students learn the history of the Shakers, make their own drawing, and practice elements of design...

Students review and apply architectural history and identify selected architectural features and styles of the Americal Federal time period. They write down the information on their outline from a PPT presentation included with lesson. ...

Learners are be able to analyze primary sources (photographs) for evidence of Ancient Egyptian culture and design meaningful objects. They are grouped in pairs and instructed to choose someone that they admire, either living or...

Students are introduced to the American Contemporary period in design. As a class, they examine the various types of design techniques used in this period by watching a PowerPoint presentation. To end the lesson, they sketch their own...

Students examine the form and function of furniture in New Spain, explore the origins of marquetry, and discover the influences of other countries on marquetry in Puebla, Mexico.

First graders compare the everday lives of school-aged children in the United States and Japan by comparing the houses they live in. They discuss how traditional Japanese houses are designed with a feeling of opennes to the outdoors and...

Students compare/contrast the role of merchant to that of his modern-day business counterpart. They role-play that they are 18th-century merchants, and write persuasive letters to sell French beds for clients.

Students identify the difficulties and benefits of a utopian community. They examine their own ideas of utopia and research an example of one such community that has had an impact on our own culture.

Students explore cultural history by participating in an arts and crafts activity. In this weaving lesson, students identify the many cultures that used weaving methods and local plant life to create baskets and other useful tools....

Third graders study the White House and the First Family by doing Internet research.

Students observe, record, and present knowledge of their local built environment while conducting a walking tour of their community. They develop written and photo journals, drawings, time lines, graphs, and charts to engage in...

Students examine the Ancient Roman culture focusing on how they decorated their homes. As a class, they watch a PowerPoint presentation and complete an outline. Individually, they draw their own sketch of a Roman chair using...