ceramic lesson plans: pinch pots with animal features

Drawing of simple pinch pot ideas.

Title: Ceramic Pinch Pots With Animal Features

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 K - Uses scissors with control, Modeling with clay or a similar material to create a sphere

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 – Shapes

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

Grade K - Identify and use shapes, Categorize shapes as large and small

Grade: kindergarten and 1^st

Population: At Ellisville Elementary School there are approximately 110 first graders and 100 kindergarteners. 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: two class period

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 porcelain ceramic pinch pots

Resources Needed:

• "Children of Clay: A Family of Pueblo Potters" by Rina Swentzell
• 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) 
• Video from theartproject by Chad Brown
• Sample illustration for the chalkboard/interactive whiteboard at top of the page

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: The teacher will demonstrate the process of first making a pinch pot and then adding on animal features.

Step-by-Step Studio Activity Specifics:

1. Roll the moist clay ball between your palms.
2. Use your thumbs to make a shallow dent no deeper than ½ inch into the clay ball.
3. Remove your thumb and insert it again into the shallow hole slowly and push deeper into the clay ¼ inch.
4. Remove your thumb and insert it again into the hole slowly pushing deeper into the clay approx. ¼ inch deeper.
5. Remove your thumb.
6. Hold the clay ball with your left hand if you are right-handed or with your right hand if your are left-handed.
7. Insert your dominant hand’s thumb into the hole and wrap your four remaining fingers over the top of the clay ball. Keep these fingers together and pinch with your thumb on the inside of the hole towards your fingers. This will make the interior wall of the clay ball thinner as you gently turn the ball while pinching slowly. Teachers can demonstrate this movement also at this time by using a plastic, transparent cup to show students what they can only feel (not see) while pinching into clay. See photo just above Step-by-Step for reference.
8. Once the hole is widen enough to fit both of your thumbs into it, switch to pinching with both hands simultaneously. Wrap both sets of four fingers around the clay ball and continue to pinch and turn until your ball looks more like a pot. (The teacher may refer to this step as “driving a car” for very young students.)
9. Once the walls of the pot are an even thickness, (approx. ½ inch) shape the bottom of your pot by gently tapping it on your desktop to form a flat surface.
10. Divide a second lump of clay into five equal parts. Use all of the clay up until it is gone.
11. Roll all five lumps into five smooth balls.
12. Turn pinch pot upside down.
13. Scratch the bottom.
14. Fill the scratches with drops of water.
15. Press four of the five balls into the scratches to create four feet on the bottom of your pinch pot.
16. Turn the pot right side up.
17. Scratch the edge of the top.
18. Fill the scratches with water droplets.
19. Press the fifth ball into place where ever you wish the head to go.
20. Form tail, ears, and any other features and then attach in the same way.
21. Carve in facial features.
22. Your teacher will fire the pot.
23. Glaze three coats of every color in order to properly cover ceramic pots.
24. Try not to apply glaze to the bottom surface edges of footed pots if it can be helped.

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: The informal assessment is made during class. The teacher watches the students closely during class and grades them for their participation, dexterity  and enthusiasm.

Student rolling out "legs" for her pinch pot animal.

pinch pots in kiln after firing

all articles and lesson plans are copyrighted 2011 by Grimm

sample clusters by kathy grimm

      Above is an example of an unorganized cluster that I drew for either a Incan, Myan or Aztec cultural unit.  In order for students to develop this graph, they must first select a topic. In art class this topic could be about an art movement, an artist, a particular culture or even a collection at a museum. After labeling the topic in the center of the graph, students then draw “rays” and write attributes they associate with their topic on or below the lines representing the design elements of a sun or the web-like structure of a spider web.

      Below, I’ve included a sample of an organized cluster. Organized clusters include more topics and subcategories. Both types of clusters may be used by art students to brainstorm about how they will design a project, assess the information they have viewed in a Power Point, film or heard in a lecture. Clusters are also excellent tools to use with students learning a new language. With a combination of pictures and words students can remember unfamiliar vocabulary or record words they need to know for tests or papers.

      Clusters may be also used in small group discussions or may be used by the teacher while having a large group discussion. Teachers may call on students to give ideas about a topic and then write these on a cluster organizer posted on the board at the front of the classroom as the students vocalize their opinions and/or correct answers. 

Effigy Pots Lesson Plan

Effigy Head Pot (mid - 14th - 15th century) from the St. Louis Art Museum.

 

Type of Lesson Plan: Object-based Lesson Plan

Topic: Effigy Pots

Goals:

• Students will develop sculpting skills necessary to creating a three-dimensional medium.
• Students will learn about pottery techniques and designs from Meso-American cultures.

Objectives:

• Students will be able to produce a 3-dimensional pot using both sculpted clay and paper pulp within the same artwork.
• Students will be able to compare and contrast a variety of pottery images from two or three different cultures of people after viewing the effigy power point.
• Students will be able to describe “how” effigy pots reflect the cultures of those artists who created them.

Missouri Show-Me Standards: FA 5, FA 4, FA 1

GLE’s:

Strand V: Historical and Cultural Contexts – Prepare and contrast artworks from different historical time periods and/or cultures

A. Grade 6 – Identify works from Pre-Columbian Americas

A. Grade 8 – Identify works of art from Native American

Strand IV: Interdisciplinary Connections – Explain the connections between Visual Art and Communication Arts and Social Studies

A. Grade 6 - Explain how American artworks reflect the cultures in which they were created

Strand I: Product/Performance – Select and apply three-dimensional media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas and solve challenging visual art problems

A. Grade 7 – Create an in-the-round artwork by joining two or more surfaces using a layering material

Grade Level Targeted: Middle School (7-9)

Number of Class Periods: four or five 55 minute class periods

Facility & Equipment Requirements:

• The teacher will need a kiln or an oven depending upon the type of clay the students will be working with
• A variety of covered baking sheets to transport clay and fire it
• A computer for viewing the power point presentation on effigy pots

Resources needed for teaching lesson:

• “Effigy” power point
• Teacher sample projects
• Woodworking glue in specific

Materials Per Student:

• A variety of tools used to mark/manipulate the clay
• A small amount of low-fire or even oven bake clay about the size of the student’s fist
• A small recycled bottle made of glass or heavy plastic, preferably with a handle
• A roll of masking tape
• 2 cups of paper pulp clay, prepared in advance

Vocabulary Terms:

1. Effigy Pot– An effigy pot is a sculpted, three-dimensional vessel representing either a person, animal, or god. Effigy pots may or may not have religious purposes depending upon the beliefs of the artist/culture in which the vessel originated.
2. Low-fire Clay – Low-fire clay is heated between 1700-2000 degrees before it matures. It does not often shrink, is soft to work with, is less durable and it will absorb liquids.
3. High-fire Clay – This clay, porcelain or stoneware, matures at temperature above 2000 degrees, is rigid, more difficult to work with, and is also very durable.
4. Sculpt – To sculpt, is to shape any medium into a new form.
5. Mesoamericans – These are the ancient peoples of North and South America. This group includes the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Astec and Mayan cultures of people as well as any other ancient peoples who once occupied any part of the American continents prior to the 16^th century.
6. Native American -  These people are the indigenous peoples of North America who have occupied the North American continent for thousands of generations. Some of these natives were at one time descendants of Mesoamericans, others may have ancestors who crossed the Bering Strait that joined Siberia to Alaska. Native Americans have lived in the Americas prior to it’s discovery/settlement by European explorers in the late 1400s.
7. Seed Pot – Seed pots are clay vessels fashioned by Native Americans to store seed safely for later use in planting. These pots are usually fashioned after a beast or have a animal/insect depicted on the surface of the pot. of some Seed pots have  tiny openings at the top of the pot in order to keep seed from exposure to the elements, in a dark, dry place, and from spilling easily. The natives did indeed insert one seed at a time through the tiny opening as these were harvested from their plants.
8. Press Mold – A press mold has only one side and it is used to replicate a three-dimensional image in clay.
9. Pierce – To pierce the clay is to stab into it with a dowel or sharp object in order to create a tiny opening.
10. Symbols – Symbols in clay are marks, illustrations, or sculpted areas that are associated or resemble something or someone else other than the clay itself.

Step-by-step activity: First I will share a power point (slide show) with my students before actively demonstrating the following art assignment. During this presentation the students will be asked to share their reactions and I will also teach them the vocabulary terms.

1. Make certain the bottles are clean and dry before beginning this project.
2. Cover with a single layer, the entire outside of the bottle with masking tape. Then set the bottle aside for later use.
3. Sculpt from the clay the facial features that you would like to apply to the bottle.
4. The instructor will place the completed faces on a cookie sheet and bake these in the oven or kiln depending upon which clay he has chosen for the project.
5. On the second day, students will then glue the clay features to the surface of their bottle with wood glue and apply the paper pulp mache to the surface surrounding the mask.
6. Students will then watch a power point presentation and return on the following day to finish applying the rest of the pulp to the outside of the bottle.
7. The bottles must then dry again over night and on the third day, students may attach a felt piece to the bottom of their bottles to keep surfaces from being scratched by their artwork.
8. Wood putty may then be pressed into any crevices the student desires to fill and then it must be sanded before painting.
9. On the fourth day, students may sand out any imperfections and paint their bottles with fast drying acrylic paints.
10. Then a acrylic sealer may be applied by the students with a large soft brush.

Cleanup Time & Strategy: Cleanup time allotted 5 minutes

Assessment: I will be using an informal assessment and will also take notes during the completion of the projects. The grades will be posted online for the students and their parents to view at a private rubrics site hosted by their school district. Below is a list of criteria that I will be looking for while assessing the student's grades on this particular project:

• The student successfully sculpted a face out of clay materials and formed it to fit a curved surface properly.
• The student applied paper pulp evenly across a curved surface, filled it with wood putty afterwards and sanded it down to create a smooth texture.
• The student painted and sealed their effigy pot efficiently.
• The student demonstrated his knowledge of the vocabulary discussed during the power point presentation by conversing actively with the instructor and his peers when asked to.
• The student turned their assignment in on time.

Start with a glass jar or bottle.

With masking tape and crushed newspapers,
shape and tape the effigy around the bottle

Glue the clay features on top of the masking tape as well.

Make sure you look at your effigy
from many different angles in order to
determine the proportions of your creature.

Make sure to add tape to the bottom of the bottle as well.
You will need to glue a piece of felt to the bottom to prevent scratches!

I have added a thin even layer of
pulp to the entire effigy pot.
This will be put in the sunshine and allowed
to harden over night, before I paint the surface.

 

All lessons and teacher examples copyrighted by Grimm, 2010
The top photograph is by the Saint Louis Art Museum, used by permission.

"America's Ancient Cities" published by National Geographic
Society in 1988 contains articles about:
The Eastern Woodlands, The Plains and the Northwest,
 The Southwest, and A Golden Age in Mesoamerica.

         

       Do you need to incorporate literacy with your art assignments? I keep many volumes in my library for this very purpose. I recommend "America's Ancient Cities" for this particular assignment. These articles published by National Geographic are excellent resource material to teach 7th - 12th grade cultural studies.