The author's inspiration for this lesson for her fifth- and sixth-grade students came from an article on Peruvian-style retablos in the December 1998 issue of SchoolArts. She wanted a multicultural theme for a three-dimensional assignment that incorporated many art-making and higher-order thinking skills. She prepared a packet or kit for each student--a large plastic bag all of the pieces they would need to construct their retablo. I pre-cut each piece out of foam board, although older students could cut the foam board themselves using T-squares and X-Acto knives. She also included a write-up on the history of retablo making and several worksheets.