Teaching Art in Chicago in Grades 7–9

Quick answer: Build the unit around architecture. Start with basic building forms, then teach plan, elevation and scale, and finish with a group scale model. The Architecture Activities unit for Grades 7–9 covers that sequence, and Chicago's skyscraper history gives students a local reason to care about proportion and facades.

Chicago is one of the easiest places in the country to teach architecture as art. The Home Insurance Building, completed in 1885, is often called the world's first skyscraper. After the Great Chicago Fire of October 1871 destroyed much of the city's center, large parts of it had to be designed and built again.

Schools set their own art course plans within the Illinois Learning Standards, so you have room to shape a unit around the city. This guide gives you a lesson sequence for Grades 7–9, common pitfalls and ideas for differentiation. For resources across other subjects, see our Chicago teaching resources page.

What should Grades 7–9 students learn about architecture in art class?

At this level, students should read and draw buildings as designed objects, not as backgrounds. That means naming basic forms, seeing how a facade is divided into floors and bays, and treating proportion as a relationship between parts.

They also need the vocabulary of architectural drawing. A student who can explain why a plan of the classroom drawn at a quarter inch to the foot fits on one sheet of paper has understood scale.

• Form: the three-dimensional shape of a building or one of its parts
• Facade: the front or main face of a building
• Proportion: the size relationship between parts, such as window height to floor height
• Plan and elevation: the view from above and the straight-on side view
• Scale: the ratio between the drawing and the real object
• Public space: plazas, squares and streets that everyone can use

How can I sequence an architecture unit for Grades 7–9?

Seven lessons give enough time to move from seeing to drawing to building.

1. Forms warm-up: students sketch five everyday objects and reduce each one to cubes, cylinders, cones and prisms.
2. Facade study: from a photo of a local building, students trace the grid of floors and window bays and mark the repeating unit.
3. Proportion check: students measure the photo with a ruler and write two ratios, such as window width to window height.
4. Plan and elevation: students draw the classroom as a plan, then one wall as an elevation.
5. Scale practice: students convert real measurements, for example a 30-foot wall at a quarter inch to the foot becomes 7.5 inches.
6. Model building: small groups build a card model of a simple building from their own plan and elevation.
7. Public space critique: groups place their models around a shared plaza and discuss what makes a space usable and livable.

The Architecture Activities unit on building forms, floor plans, scale and model building follows this order with 9 worksheets, answer keys and slides, so it can serve as the spine of the unit while you add the local steps yourself.

How do I connect the unit to Chicago's skyscraper history?

Start with a date. The Home Insurance Building was completed in 1885 and is often called the world's first skyscraper. Ask students what a building needs before it can go that tall, and collect their answers: a strong frame, a way to move people up, light and air on every floor.

Then give them a facade task. Students choose a Chicago tower from a photo set you prepare, draw its elevation and mark the repeating unit. The Great Chicago Fire of October 1871 is a useful second hook, because a destroyed city center had to be rebuilt block by block. Students can design one small block of their own.

Keep claims about specific buildings to what you can check in a reliable source, and ask students to note where they found each date and name.

What mistakes do students commonly make with plans, elevations and scale?

• Mixing views: a plan with doors drawn as front views. Have students label every drawing plan or elevation before they begin.
• Forgetting scale: no scale bar, or one wall at a different ratio from the rest. Add a checklist line for scale stated and used.
• Measuring by eye: students guess proportions. Ask for two measured ratios on every facade study.
• Decoration first: windows and details appear before the main forms are right. Require a blocked-in outline first.
• Perspective confusion: students try to make an elevation look three-dimensional. Explain that elevations are flat on purpose.

That last point is a good bridge to depth. The Perspective and the Representation of Space in Art series moves from overlap and size diminution to central perspective with vanishing point, horizon and eye point, which is where students want to go once their flat drawings are accurate.

How can I differentiate for English learners and mixed-skill classes?

Architecture vocabulary is new for most students, so pre-teach eight words with a picture beside each: facade, elevation, plan, scale, proportion, column, beam and plaza. English learners can keep a labeled sketch glossary and add words in their home language.

For students who need support, hand out a partly drawn plan with the walls in place and ask them to add doors, windows and furniture at scale. For students ready for more, ask for a short design statement: who uses the building, what the facade communicates and why they chose their proportions.

Sentence frames help during critiques: The facade repeats ___ because ___. This space would work for ___ because ___.

How should I assess the unit, and which resources help next?

Art is not part of the state tests, so assessment sits with you. A three-part rubric works well: technical drawing (plan, elevation, scale), design thinking (proportion and purpose) and reflection (a short written or spoken explanation). Photograph models at each stage so students can show progress.

Typography makes a strong follow-up, since students can design the signage for their own building. The Typography and Hand Lettering unit for Grades 7–9 covers letter anatomy, serif and sans-serif, hand lettering and poster hierarchy. For more studio units, browse the Middle School Art Studio collection.

Art in Chicago: at a glance

Frequently asked questions

What is a good first architecture lesson for Grade 7?

A basic forms lesson works best. Students reduce buildings and everyday objects to cubes, cylinders, cones and prisms, which gives them vocabulary and a way of seeing before any technical drawing. Facade studies and plans follow naturally from there.

Do students need special materials for model building?

No. Card, glue, rulers and safety scissors are enough for a simple model built from a student's own plan and elevation. Foam board gives cleaner edges if your budget allows. Set a size limit so every model fits on a shared table for the public space critique.

How long should an architecture unit take in middle school?

Plan three to four weeks for a seven-lesson sequence with model building. If art meets once or twice a week, merge the facade study and proportion check into one lesson and keep the model and critique, since those carry most of the learning.

Can an architecture unit connect with math?

Yes. Scale drawing uses ratio and proportion, and students convert real measurements into drawing measurements. A shared task with a math colleague, such as measuring the classroom and drawing it at a quarter inch to the foot, reinforces both subjects without much extra planning.

Related reading

• Chicago teaching resources: selected units and subjects