Eighth graders explore symbolism in Renaissance art, use ceramics vocabulary, and demonstrate craftsmanship in working with clay.

After watching a video of Native American artist Maria Martinez create art out of clay, learners will create burnished coil pots similar to those made by artist, Kerry Moosman. This lesson plan includes a supply list, web links,...

Whether it is a protagonist, antagonist, hero or heroine, characters are a must in any story. Learners analyze a character from a narrative they are reading, then use that character as inspiration. They create a ceramic bust depicting...

Animals oftentimes elicit various characteristics which make them symbolic or representative of human feeling, action, or emotion. The class creates horse characters out of clay to show character action and symbolism. This is a great...

Geometric shapes are used in math and in art. Learners discuss the various names, dimensions, and attributes of geometric shapes, then apply that knowledge to design a vase. They use 3-D shapes to make a cubist-style vase out of clay.

Students compare the characteristics of a fired porcelain sculpture to the clay used to create it. They discuss the physical and chemical changes that occur in the clay as it is heated and then create their own clay sculpture. This...

Use Native American tradition to create the context for making different cultural representations of pottery. Practice using geometrical shapes painted on the pottery, research different patterns found on Native American pottery, and...

Sixth graders inspect various clay pots. They create their own pots and paint them in the horror vacui design.

Eighth graders use draped slab and slab method to create a relief sculpture, adding coil and slab decoration. They study facial features and form them in clay. They study symbolism in Renaissance relief terra cottas.

A high school unit focuses on a discipline-based study of artworks from many times, places, and cultures. Addressing historical works of art as well as modern techniques, the unit illustrates how a traditional organizational...

Students make pottery in the same evolutionary order as archeology indicates. They begin with simple pinch pots and then move to plain coil pots, manipulative decoration, and surface decoration. For each type of pot they discuss the...

Students examine new vocabulary associated with ceramic processes. They watch demonstrations of different techniques. They complete a crossword puzzle to help them with the vocabulary.

High schoolers investigate Medieval art Gargoyles/Beasties and creatures used for animation films, design an original monster, and create a hollow clay form using hand building techniques.

Sixth graders create a slab project based on sun images throughout history.

Students explore how to form clay by pinching to create a bottle with an elongated neck

Learners take a field trip to a local woodland to find pieces of clay. Once they are back in the classroom, they dry the clay throughly and turn it in to clay slip. They watch a PowerPoint presentation on basic art terms and create...

Students examine the process of evaporation. They observe how when clay dries, the water evaporates and how the weight of the object decreases. They complete a worksheet to complete the lesson plan.

Students research sacred masks and what they were used for. They are to create their own sacred mask and present them to the class.

Students study the design elements of Art Nouveau, its sources and development. They create art projects in ceramics and glass that exemplify the focus of Art Nouveau as a decorative style.

Sixth graders examine and discuss the characteristics of tin glazed earthenware pottery of Colonial Mexico. They design and create their own Talavera-style plate by applying the concept of radial symmetry.

Students discover the three basic handbuilding techniques used in beginning pottery: pinch pot, coiling, and slab work. After a lecture/demo, students try their hands at making pottery using the three different techniques.

This site boasts 5,000 pages of information about pottery! You'll find extensive lists of potters and examples of their artwork. Thousands of photographic examples to use as references or inspiration!

Site contains photos and instructions on how to make: pinch pots, coil pots, pressed coil pots, slab pots, handles, and how to use a pottery wheel. The directions are simple and easy to understand.

Chinese ceramics were first exported in large quantities during the Song dynasty. Chinese porcelain influenced the ceramics of importing countries, and was in turn, influenced by them. View pictures and read about the history of Chinese...