kINDERGARTEN

Students will find six basic shapes – square, circle, triangle, hexagon, rectangle, ellipse (oval) – in architectural drawings by John Desmond, a modern architect based in Hammond, Louisiana. The drawings will allow students to become familiar with the style of modern architecture and its reliance on simple geometric shapes.

Lesson – Geometric Shapes
Length of Lesson: 30 minutes

Architectural Principles
Design is accomplished by composing the physical characteristics of size, shape, texture, proportion, scale, mass and color.
Visual relationships are determined by light, shadow, edges and contrast.
Visual thinking is a key to awareness of the built environment.

Materials
Handouts of architectural renderings (included) for each student
Crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc. to mark shapes in each of the renderings

Activity
1. Introduce the concepts of modern architecture – form follows function, lack of extraneous ornamentation, and bold use of geometric shapes.
2. Introduce the work of John Desmond – Graduated from Hammond High School in 1937 and Tulane University with a degree in architecture in 1941. Practiced architecture in New York where he learned about modern architecture and returned to Hammond in 1953. He built over 100 buildings in Hammond including houses, churches, schools, and civic buildings.
3. Introduce the two-dimensional shapes and their names. These shapes create every modern building.

4. Distribute handouts to each student; instruct students to trace the shapes they see in each architectural drawing. Compare the shapes students find with answer key sheets. Work in groups to see if students found any undiscovered shapes.

Teacher’s Evaluation
1. Observe the students’ ability to find shapes in the architectural drawings.
2. Review the shapes traced in the handouts; students should be able to draw, recognize, and identify shapes in architectural drawings.