ceramic lesson plans: animals

Above are clay animals by young students.

Title: Ceramic Animals

Topic: learning to work with clay, sculpture

Goals & Objectives:

• Students will model clay with control.
• Students will build upon past knowledge in order to craft an original, three-dimensional artwork.
• Through observation, investigation and discipline, students will create an art object demonstrating the use of the elements and principles of design.
• Students will use ceramic vocabulary when referring to the processes of shaping clay objects.

GLEs:

Strand I: Product/Performance for Sculpture, Ceramics, Other Media

A.2. Select and apply three-dimensional media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas and solve challenging visual art  problems.

Grade 2 - Manipulate paper to create low relief (e.g., curling, folding, tearing, and cutting), Modeling with clay or a similar material:, Roll coils: flatten material into a slab

Grade 3 - Manipulate paper to create forms (in-the- round), Cut a symmetrical shape from a folded piece of paper, Modeling with clay or a similar material:, Create applied and impressed textures

Strand I: Product/Performance for Subject Matter: Functional Art

B. 3. Communicate ideas about subject matter and themes in artworks created for various purposes

Grade 3 - Create a container (e.g., paper box, clay pot, fiber basket)

Strand II: Elements and Principles – Form

C. 1. Select and use elements of art for their effect in communicating ideas through artwork.

Grade 2 - Identify and use geometric forms: sphere, cube, cylinder, and cone

Grade 3 - Identify and demonstrate sculpture-in-the-round

Strand II: Elements and Principles – Texture

D. 1. Select and use elements of art for their effect in communicating ideas through artwork.

Grade 2 - Identify and use actual texture

Grade 3 - Identify and use invented textures

Grade: 2^nd and 3rd

Population: At Ellisville Elementary School there are approximately 100 3^rd graders and 100 second graders. 90% of these students are white and 50% of them are female. Approximately 5% of the students in both grades is African American and the remaining 5% is either Asian, Hispanic or Indian (from India).

Length of Class Period: 55 min.

Frequency of Class Period: once a week

Time Needed: 3 class periods

Facility & Equipment Requirements:

• One computer lap top
• Room with good lighting
• Large tables, approximately ten, each seating four students
• Two sinks
• Dry erase board
• Drying racks
• Cabinets for storage
• Projector for viewing computer video, CDs and DVDs
• Kiln for firing ceramic animals

Resources Needed:

• Download the Mexican folk art article from hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu/outreach/pdfs/mexican_folk_art.pdf
• Power point based upon the article from the Hearst Museum

Materials Per Student:

• Both a large and small paint brush
• A selection of glazes in egg carton, one carton per four students
• A large container of water, one per four students
• A paper towel
• Amount of clay approximating the size of a tennis ball per student is used for the modeling of this object
• A variety of clay printing and modeling tools (wood chips, shells, pencils, clay stamps, etc...)
• Each student will need one burlap placemat to keep his/her working space clean and also to prevent clay from sticking to their counter space while he/she works

Vocabulary/Terminology:

1. pinch - to form clay between the fingers and the palm
2. coil - a rope-like formation of clay
3. slab - a evenly rolled or pressed layer of clay
4. bisque - is clay that has been fired but not yet glazed
5. ceramics - are objects created from stoneware, porcelain or terra cotta
6. clay - soil, water and sand
7. fire - is the name for the heat that is used in a kiln
8. glaze - a glass paint used on pottery
9. kiln - a special oven used for hardening clay
10. greenware - pottery that is not yet fired in a kiln
11. leather hard - the hard condition of clay when it is almost air-dry
12. score - roughen the clay's surface so that a bond may be formed between two surfaces
13. sculpture - a three-dimensional art work
14.  slip - a liquid clay used to glue two pieces together
15. texture - press into the clay surface with objects to create a pattern, design or rough surface

Motivation- Looking and Talking Activity:

•         Tips for beginning potters by Murry's Pottery. This video collection is appropriate for very young students. Murry shows basic techniques, child appropriate language, kind voice, secular presentations, excellent visuals and explanations. (15 videos)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5O2mJELhRg&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Step-by-Step Studio Activity Specifics:

Special Needs Adaptations:

Modifications for the hard-of-hearing or deaf student:

• Student will be seated closer to instructor so they will be better equipped to hear instructions or read lips
• Student will be provided with written instructions so that they read about the discussions and demonstrations
• The instructor may use a amplification devise provided by the school or student’s parents

Modifications for the student with limited vision or blindness:

• Students will be allowed to observe samples of art projects with their hands and for extended periods of time
• Students will be provided with safe tools and one-on-one guidance during a demonstration of the project
• The project may be slightly adjusted to accommodate the student’s limitations or for safety reasons
• Student will be given ample time to exist classroom before large crowds gather outside of the classroom.

Modifications for students with mild brain injury:

• Students will be provided with duplicate instructions for home and school. Student will not need to remember to carry home materials to review.
• Students will be given ample time to exist classroom with a pre-determined aid or peer before the official end of a class.
• Instructor will provide for parent e-mail communication concerning the progress and needs of their student.
• Student may be given special seat assignment in order to enable his participation in class appropriately. Specific peers may be better equipped to articulate projects visually for this student.

Health & Safety Concerns: There are no health and safety concerns for this project.

Cleanup Time & Strategy: Students will be instructed to put away art materials neatly in their containers, clean off their tables, and recycle their trash two minutes prior to dismissal.

Assessment: Fill out the formal scoring guide included below according to age appropriate standards.

all articles and lesson plans are copyrighted 2011 by Grimm