Mosaic

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/mosaic

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the cultural significance?Served religious, narrative, symbolic, and decorative functions across diverse civilizations
2. Where did mosaics first appear?Mosaics started in Mesopotamia around 3000 BCE, where clay or stone pieces were pressed into mud bricks.
3. How do artists make the tiny pieces called tesserae?Tesserae are cut from stone, glass, or ceramic using hammers, chisels, or special tools, then arranged carefully.

Tesserae: The small, individual pieces of material (stone, glass, ceramic) used to form a mosaic image or pattern.
Smalti: Opaque, richly colored glass, often with a matte finish, historically significant in Byzantine and Roman mosaics.
Trencadís: A type of mosaic technique using broken ceramic tiles, famously employed by Antoni Gaudí.
Andamento: The visible flow or direction of the tesserae, which contributes to the overall design and texture of a mosaic.