Vocabulary

Start by setting up a Vocabulary Treasure Hunt in the first section of your architecture notebook. Put a copy of the word list in the binder and have your student get acquainted with the terms. Have them keep an eye out for these words over the course of this study and mark down where they found the term.

Depending on their age and ability, they can write out definitions as they come across them or look them up in a dictionary. Set a goal to find a certain number of the words and offer a treat or prize for reaching it.

Dig Deeper: Make individual pages that illustrate and define each vocabulary word for your notebook.

Architectural Glossary (watch for these words in the recommended books and movies – treating it like a “treasure hunt” would be fun! – if you’re looking them up in a dictionary, keep in mind that some of these have non-architectural meanings as well):

Ambulatory
Arcade
Arch
Baldachino
Basilica
Buttress
Capital
Choir
Clerestory
Cloister
Compression
Dome
Eaves
Embrasure
Entablature
Façade
Finial
Frieze
Fresco
Gargoyle
Keystone
Mezzanine
Minaret
Mosaic
Narthex
Nave
Necropolis
Niche
Obelisk
Parapet
Piazza
Pinnacle
Portcullis
Portico
Pyramid
Rampart
Reredos
Rose Window
Sacristy
Span
Spire
Steeple
Tension
Tracery
Transept
Turret
Vault
Ziggurat

A very helpful glossary of Architectural Terms relating to Sacred Architecture, go to www.catholicliturgy.com and click on “Art and Architecture” and then “Architecture Features”.