1. About Us
   1. History
   2. Foundation Reports
   3. Board & Staff
   4. Contact Us
2. Collection
   1. Search Collection Online
      1. Artists List
      2. Thematic Groups
   2. Collection in Focus
      1. Recent Aquisitions
      2. Conservation Notes
      3. Objects in Depth
   3. Terra Collection Initiatives
   4. Collection on View
   5. History of the Collection
   6. Loans/ Rights & Reproductions
   7. Browse Collection
3. Grants
   1. Exhibition Guidelines
      1. Guidelines
      2. Deadlines
   2. Academic Program Guidelines
   3. Public Programs Guidelines
   4. K-12 Education Guidelines
      1. Guidelines
      2. Deadlines
   5. How to Apply
   6. Grants Awarded
4. Scholarship
   1. Fellowships
   2. Symposia
      1. Past Symposia
   3. Publications
5. K-12 Education
   1. Teacher Lab
      1. About
      2. Tools
      3. Classroom Projects
      4. Participants
      5. Apply
   2. Resources
   3. K-12 Grant Program
6. Calendar
7. News
   1. Press Releases
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9. Europe
   1. European Programs
   2. TFAA Europe Library
   3. European Calendar
   4. Contact Us
10. Chicago
    1. Featured Programs
    2. Collection in Chicago
    3. Chicago Calendar

About the Terra Teacher Lab

The Terra Teacher Lab is a year-long professional-development program that introduces Chicago Public Schools teachers to the history of American art and ways to promote critical thinking and enrich the social studies, language arts, and art curricula with American art. Offered in partnership with the DePaul Center for Urban Education and the Art Institute of Chicago, the Teacher Lab consists of:

A Summer institute (8 days) during which participants receive lessons in American art history from specialists and collaborate to develop in-depth lessons incorporating American art for the first semester of the school year.

Saturday follow-up sessions (5) during the school year in which teachers report on their experiences with integrating American art into their instruction, examine student work growing from the program, and plan lessons for the second semester as well as a field trip to the Art Institute of Chicago.

A culminating event at which teachers present their projects to the larger education community.

For further information about the Terra Teacher Lab, contact Jenny Siegenthaler, Program Officer and Teacher Lab Director, Terra Foundation for American Art, 312 654 2253, siegenthaler@terraamericanart.org.

Teacher Lab Tools

This site offers a variety of resources developed for and through the Teacher Lab during the past several years, including curriculum-development and assessment tools used in the program, graphic-organizers for student use, and recommended publications and Web sites for learning about American art.

Classroom Projects

A selection of lesson plans developed by Teacher Lab participants is presented on this site. Created for a variety of school subjects and age groups, each uses American art to help students think and make connections.

Teacher Lab Participants

More than 100 Chicago Public Schools teachers have participated in the Teacher Lab since it began in 2005. A list of program graduates is presented on this site.

How to Apply

The Teacher Lab is open to teachers and librarians who work in the Chicago Public Schools system. Program details and an application are available on this site.