Heritage curriculum unit designed for upper middle and high school students

Heritage education is an effective strategy for teaching students about the importance of local history and its relation to state and national themes. The proposed Indiana heritage curriculum unit was designed to incorporate the local built environment into the upper middle and high school classroom. Six lessons have been designed within the unit to help teachers implement heritage education, while fulfilling existing Indiana Academic Standards. Supplemental information, including Power Point presentations, informational handouts, and suggested activities, have been designed to successfully guide lay teachers through the objectives stated in each lesson presented. Through a weeklong session with Mr. Charles Bennett and his eighth grade students, the proposed unit was piloted at Speedway Junior High School in Indianapolis during a weeklong session. The successful implementation and methodology used to create the heritage unit has been documented in the following text of the creative project. In addition, background research and conclusion chapters have been included to establish the need and validate the successful implementation of the heritage education curriculum unit proposed.Department of ArchitectureThesis (M.S.H.P.