Ceramics/Lesson plans
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Lesson plan for ceramics-slab construction
Unit: ceramics-slab construction Lesson: personalized clay bank-tennis ball-shaped banks Grade level: middle school
Lesson objective:
- Student search internet images for inspiring themes for their claywork
- Students learn how to personalize their claywork
- Student will learn sculpting techniques
- Student will learn how to assemble and glaze a recognizable figure from a slab of clay
- Student will learn how to roll out clay to then be formed around a tennis ball to create a clay sphere for the base shape of the clay bank
- Student will learn how their creativity can be used to create a functional sculptural object
Materials
- Clay
- Clay tools
- Practice paper
- Rolling pins
- Guide sticks
- Tennis balls
- Glazes/under glazes
Motivation
- Show student examples of contempary ceramic slab construction
- Review forming techniques. Demonstrate slab construction and use of the tennis ball
- Show students how to draw up their design plans for clay bank construction
Construction
- Make thumbnail sketches of the ideas for bank. Select one to use for construction. Make template for base actual size.
- Decide the size the bank is going to be.
- Assemble slab. Wrap clay around a dry tennis ball and roll it on a smooth surface until it is as smooth.
- Cut tennis ball out of rolled slab and remove. Stuff two halves of clay with crinkled news print and seal halves together and blend until smooth.
- Using the designed pattern sheet, form the various parts of the themed bank. Using scoring techniques and slip to join appendages. Add clay features to resemble the sketched model.
- Use an xacto knife to cut out a coin slot for the bank to have functionality.
- When bank is completed, set out to dry for atleast a week.
- Biske fire
- Glaze with desired colors, remebering to use three coats of glaze to insure uniform coverage
Vocabulary needed:
- Modeling: to plan or form after a pattern
- Slab Construction: A build term referring to construction placed on a slab as its foundation.
- Slip: potter's clay that is thinned and used for coating or decorating ceramics
- Score: a slight surface cut used to join clay