Lesson Overview:

When researching sites all over the world, historians and archeologists value the discovery of the smallest shard or entire pieces of pottery as evidence of the civilization that existed in a given place. The magic of seeing the clay rise from the spinning wheel immediately captures the imagination of every student. After discussing the inherent qualities of clay; availability, malleability and potential of permanency, they will examine examples of wheel-thrown pieces and compare them with similar pieces which were mold-made. Illustrations of many utilitarian as well as sculptural shapes will be examined in order to give the students some grasp of the scope of the throwing technique.

Length of Lesson:

Eight 45-minute class periods

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• explain the significance of clay pieces for our understanding of various world cultures.
• state the fundamental reasons why clay artifacts have been found in most archeological sites.
• give an opinion as to whether a piece of pottery can be considered fine art.
• recognize the differences between mold-made and wheel thrown pottery.
• select a color and apply the glaze appropriately to the inside and outside of the pot.
• glaze during the firing process.
• briefly explain the chemical change which takes place within the clay body and create a small cylinder or bowl-shaped piece of pottery.

Supplies:

• Potter's wheel
• Natural clay
• Bucket of water
• Basic set of clay tools
• Pottery glaze
• Pitcher and bowl for pouring glaze over piece
• Sponges
• Kiln
• Aprons
• Space for drying students' work

Instructional Plan:

Note: It is possible to teach three students within one 45-minute class period. With that schedule, the project takes approximately two months to complete with a class of 24 students.

Introduction: Historical Background

Ask the children to imagine that they are living thousands of years ago during the cave era and think of what those people who were the first artists on earth used to create. They should come up with such things as sticks, rocks, branches, grasses, leaves, water, berries, and even blood from animals. Ask them to imagine what they would use instead of paper for painting projects and what they would use to make a sculpture or something that would hold food or water, such as shallow rocks, shells, wood, hides, leaves, etc. Explain that archeologists look for bits and pieces of pottery, tools, etc., to construct an idea of who lived in an area at a given time, and what they made. Storage, burial, and even garbage pits buried under layers of earth can show information about how people lived. China's long history of culture is enriched by an abundance of relic resources. Hundreds of ancient cultural ruins of different historic periods have been found in tombs as well as in scattered historical sites. From caves to villages, sites have been identified which revealed thousands of articles considered important relics, indicating what ancient people made and used in their everyday lives. The worldwide distribution of clay, in addition to its workability partially explains why clay has been found in nearly every historical archeological site around the world. Different types of clays are appropriate for different types of pottery. Explain how clay came to be used when someone discovered how it could be squeezed and shaped into any kind of object and became very hard when it was dried in the sun. From that knowledge it was a small step to the building of an open fire, a pit or underground kiln to advance the technology associated with this art.

As people learned to fire clay they realized that it also became hard and waterproof. Unglazed pieces were made for a long time before the discovery of glazing techniques. Prior to the Han Dynasty in China, 206 B.C.-A.D. 220, pots were typically unglazed. Pottery made before that time, appeared to be partially glazed due to ash falling on the shoulders of the pieces during firing. The fusible ash melted to form a thin glaze. As trade with the Near East developed, Han potters learned to add lead and other metals to formulate actual glazes. Today, the basic chemistry of glazes includes Bases, Intermediates and Acids. When these are combined according to specific formulas, solubility and fusion along with various colors develop. When subjected to heat, clay undergoes a chemical change as the heat drives out moisture at the molecular level and causes the clay to harden to the point of vitrification, after which the clay can never return to its original soft state.

Demonstration

Teacher demonstration will precede teacher-directed instruction while the student is working on the wheel. This is a totally hands-on activity. It becomes an on-going project if a classroom has only one potter's wheel.) Distribute the Vocabulary handout. Demonstrate how to easily shape a ball of clay into a bowl by pushing one's thumb into the ball and squeezing the clay between the thumb and fingers while turning the clay piece round and round, until a small bowl has been formed. Explain how the invention of the wheel made it possible for one to make many pots faster than by squeezing them by hand. Show examples of wheel thrown pots and compare them to other examples of hand-built and mold-made ware. Briefly explain that the arrival of the industrial revolution about one hundred years ago, brought with it the concept of mass production. Factories made pottery in molds in order to create a product for the mass market. Since then, artists have continued to create works of art by using and combining all techniques.

Explain the controversy that has developed among art critics concerning the legitimacy of considering articles made of clay as being worthy to be classified as examples of fine art. In some circles, only painting and sculpture receive that evaluation. Introduce the criteria, including the application of the elements and principles of design combined with artistic integrity and imagination, normally applied to painting and sculpture, in order to engage the students in a discussion applying them to pieces of clay work.

Demonstrate how to throw a pot to a small group of students before letting them try it individually. A small cylinder will be thrown becoming a small bowl type form. While each student throws a pot for the first time, the teacher should brace the opposite side of the pot with his/her hands and talk them through the four steps. The four steps are: (1) centering; (2) opening and flattening the bottom; (3) raising the wall; and (4) finishing the lip (or top edge). The teacher cuts the pottery piece off the wheel with a wire and lifts it onto a tray to dry. After they have been fired one time, a colored glaze will be applied and they will be fired a second time. Explain briefly the chemical changes that take place in the clay and in the glaze during the firing process.

Procedure:

1. Throw (with great force) the ball of clay into the center of the wheel so that it sticks. (Step One)
2. Place both hands around the ball, pressing in and down as the wheel spins until the ball of clay does not wobble in any way. (Step One)
3. Push both thumbs simultaneously into the center of the ball to create a hole. (Step Two)
4. Keeping the left hand in the same position as for centering. The middle fingers of the right hand pull the clay toward the right side of the ball making a flat bottom. (Step Three)
5. The third-hand position has the index finger of the right hand wrapped around the end of the thumb to form a wedge tool resting on the outside of the wall at the wheel head ready to assist the left hand to pull up the spinning clay. (Step Four)
6. The middle two fingers of the left hand are positioned inside the pot directly opposite the knuckle of the right hand.
7. Slowly the student pulls the clay up a few inches, trying to keep an even pressure between his/her two hands.
8. Repeat this step until the wall is about 3 to 4 inches high and about as thick as the little finger.
9. Using the thumb and middle finger of the left hand as a mold, place them over the edge of the pot on the left side while forming and firming the lip with the index finger of the right hand placed against the left hand. (Step Five)
10. Reduce the speed of the wheel to remove the pot by sliding a length of wire under the base.
11. With dry hands use the index and middle finger of each hand to lift the pot off the wheel and onto a nearby tray or surface for drying.
12. Scrape remaining clay off wheel and wipe dry with towel before putting the next ball of clay on the wheel head for the next student.
13. Hands and tools must be washed in a bucket of water before going to any sink as residual clay will stop up any drainage system.
14. After the bucket of clay becomes filled with clay, pour the surface water outdoors and reprocess the clay in the bucket.
15. After about a week, when the clay pieces have thoroughly air-dried, place them in a kiln and fire them slowly to the prescribed temperature for the clay.
16. To glaze a pot, first pour liquid glaze inside the pot. Revolve the pot around until the walls have been completely covered, then pour excess glaze into a bowl.
17. To glaze the outside of the pot, hold it upside down with fingers of one hand. To cover the pot completely, pour the glaze from a pitcher held in one hand while you rotate the pot with the other hand.
18. Again, after drying thoroughly, place the pot in a kiln, being careful to keep any glaze from touching the kiln shelf, and fire again to the prescribed temperature for the glaze.

Assessment:

Assess the degree to which the students meet the following criteria:

• The student can differentiate the characteristics of a molded or hand built pot from a thrown pot.
• The student can state the fundamental reasons why clay artifacts have been found in so many cultures.
• The student can briefly discuss the significance of the clay artifacts to our understanding of world cultures.
• The student will have created a small cylindrical or bowl-shaped piece of pottery on the wheel.
• The student will have applied the glaze coating with care, keeping the bottom of the pot free of glaze.
• The student can explain the basic chemical changes in the clay which take place during firing.
• The student can explain the basic chemical changes in the glaze which take place during firing.
• The student will have cleaned the tools and wheel appropriately at the end of class.

Sources:

Print:

• Christy, Geraldine and Pearch, Sara. A Practical Course in Basic Pottery Techniques. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1998.
• Cosentino, Peter. The Encyclopedia of Pottery Techniques. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2002.
• Davis, Don. Wheel-Thrown Ceramics. New York: Lark Books. A Division of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 1998.

Web:

• Hoboken Pottery: Making Pots
  http://www.hobokenpottery.com/makingpots.htm
• Old Farmhouse Pottery
  http://www.farmpots.com/studio.htm

Authors:

• Jean Lois Perry, Educator
  Germantown Elementary School
  Germantown, TN