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Given the importance of ancient Greek art, allow two to three weeks of class time. Sculpture and architecture, often combined, should be the main focus of these weeks, although the ceramic arts and vase painting should not be neglected. The text includes goldsmithing, city planning, and painting proper, but these topics are less likely to appear on the AP* exam.

A clear understanding of the elements of Greek architecture is fundamental when preparing for a test on this unit. Pages 163–166 in the text will be especially helpful at review time. The amount of terminology introduced in this chapter is intimidating, but students will meet the terms frequently throughout the year, and the best policy is to learn it at the beginning.

Assign students a project to design their own Doric temple. They should decide how many columns will grace the façade of their temple and design a program for the sculptural elements in the two pediments, metopes, and interior frieze.

Students should begin by doing research on a real Greek city or town from this period and then choose an appropriate god to whom the temple will be dedicated. After deciding the size of the temple, students must use their knowledge of Greek mythology to pick meaningful stories for the sculpture.

The Parthenon is dedicated to Athena, and the text also covers the Temple of Zeus from Olympia, so students should be encouraged to pick other deities. Apollo, Ares, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Artemis, Persephone, and even Hades are possibilities.

If students have some artistic ability, they could be asked to provide illustrations or schematic diagrams explaining which scenes will be used in which part of the temple. Pay close attention to how students solve the problems presented by the awkward triangular space of the pediment, and how they use the continuous band of the frieze to spark their imagination. You might duplicate and distribute blank pediments and metopes to be filled in.

After students have designed their temples, have write them description of how the space was used, what religious ceremonies took place there and at what times of year, and how these cermonies were carried out. It is important that students understand that the interiors of the temples were their least used feature. The majority of the ceremonies were held outside, in front of the temple's façade.