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mural, it is important that they first explore the historical, cultural, and social background of one or more murals and/or mural artists, the various types of murals, and the intent of different muralists throughout time.
By investigating the work of Richard Haas, students will become familiar with traditions in mural making and be able to make logical connections between art and social studies (the history of a selected site), mathematics (drawing grids), and science (how optical illusions are created).

Author Pam Stephens is an elementary art specialist in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District.
Students who submitted questions for this article are Amyn Alwani, Dhruvi Patel, (grade 5) and Salena Thorburn (grade 2), Midway Park Elementary, HEB ISD.

References

Architectural Illusions by Richard Haas, exhibition catalog, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA.

Battersby, M. (1974). Trompe L'Oeil: The Eye Deceived. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Chambers, K.S. (1993). Trompe L'oeil At Home: Faux Finishes and Fantasy Settings. Rizzoli.

Haas, R. (1981). Richard Haas; an Architecture of Illusion. Rizzoli.

Murals, Take-5 Study Prints, Crystal Productions, Aspen, Colorado.

Painting the Town: The Illusionistic Murals of Richard Haas, Direct Cinema Ltd., Santa Monica, CA.

• The arts are fundamental components of all cultures and times.
• The arts teach us that all we think or feel cannot be reduced to words.
• When students are engaged in the arts they have the opportunity to "be smart" in different ways.
• The arts develop the brain.
• The arts provide avenues of achievement for students who might not otherwise be successful.
• The arts develop a value for perseverance and hard work.
• The arts are a necessary part of life.
• There is a strong relationship between the arts and academic success.
• The arts offer alternative forms of assessment and evaluation.
• The arts can be a "feel good" alternative for students who turn to drugs and other destructive means to "get high."
• Goals 2000, the National Assessment, and the National Standards for the Arts call for art-based education for all children.

DEVELOPING YOUR UNIT AND LESSON OBJECTIVES

Think about what you want your students to know and be able to do through your unit. We recommend that you restrict the length of your unit to three lessons and limit each lesson to one or two art objectives. You don't need to include the kitchen sink - units can become encyclopedic before you know it. Over the scope of the unit, include at least one objective for each of the four art disciplines (art making, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics) as they naturally overlap in your three lessons.

For example, objectives could include:

Students will communicate interpretations of artworks about ____________supported with compelling reasons (art criticism).

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the ways artworks that depict __________reflect the times, places, and cultures in which they were created (art history).

Students will respond to artworks about __________ with beliefs about their meaning and value supported by persuasive reasoning (aesthetics).

Students will draw upon universal human experiences of __________ to express personal meaning through art making (art production).