Louisiana was the first state in the nation to produce a statewide architectural heritage education curriculum. Known as Louisiana Studies in Historic Preservation, its goal is to provide the state’s children with a sense of appreciation, pride, and stewardship for Louisiana’s historic buildings. In doing so, it also assists teachers in meeting the Department of Education’s Social Studies Standards (see links at left). The curriculum’s ten units (see links at top of page) are statewide in scope. They include: French Creole Heritage The Age of Mechanization The Acadians African American Life Plantation Life Downtown Louisiana Pioneer Settlement The 20th Century Victorian Era Caring for Our Heritage The units deal with building types found throughout Louisiana as well as those limited to specific areas within the state. Thus, the curriculum has elements that teachers in each city, town, and parish can use. In addition, the materials can be adapted for students of any age. An outline (see link at left) showing how the material can be woven into the Social Studies curriculum is provided. It aligns the architectural chronology with the chronology of the state’s history and culture. Because architectural styles and building types often remain popular for long periods of time, there is some overlapping. Each unit contains four parts: A short background narrative including “Fun Facts” to capture students’ interest. An EZ Content Blueprint which presents the material in a teacher-friendly format. A lesson plan (including a short bibliography) Activities designed by a classroom teacher A guide to field trip planning (see link at left) is also provided. A word on styles: Some Victorian styles reached Louisiana only in small numbers. These less popular styles are not discussed in this web site. In addition, styles popular after the 1930s are not included because scholars consider it too soon to fairly evaluate and interpret these styles and the events with which they are associated. Louisiana Studies in Historic Preservation was first created in 1989/1990 through a partnership between the state Department of Education and the Division of Historic Preservation, a sub- division of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Office of Cultural Development. Later, the partnership expanded to include the Educational Technology Program at Northwestern State University’s College of Education.