Landscape, Art, and Ecology

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 24.01.09

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction – How did we get here?
  2. Unit Overview
  3. Philosophy of Art Instruction and Demographics
  4. Background and Cross Curricular Approach
  5. Content and Learning Objectives: A Brief History of ‘Modern’ Pittsburgh
  6. Teaching Strategies
  7. Classroom Activities
  8. Appendix on Implementing Pennsylvania Arts Standards
  9. Notes
  10. Bibliography

Traces of the Past: From Landscape to Cityscape

Christopher Snyder

Published September 2024

Tools for this Unit:

Guide Entry to 24.01.09

Every city was, at one time, not a city. The evolution of any landscape into a cityscape can take years, or decades, or even centuries. Ever since moving to the city of Pittsburgh over two decades ago, I've been drawn to the intersection of how history, both positive and negative, has shaped the evolution of our city, whether it be the neighborhoods where I have lived, the neighborhoods that I have taught, or the multitudes of neighborhoods that I drive through on my way to and from work. How did we get here? What did it look like before? What will it look like many years from now?

Once known as The Gateway to the West and always in flux, Pittsburgh is a hodgepodge of diverse neighborhoods shaped, separated, and brought together by economical and industrial impacts along with geographical and topographical influences. This unit will use visual sources, maps, photographs and paintings, to delve into how these factors shaped who we are as a city, who we are now as a city, and who we plan on becoming in the next ten, hundred, or thousand years.

(Developed for Visual Art, grade 5; recommended for Social Studies, Science, and History, grades 4-12)

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