Education 3604

Ceramics Sculpture Mini Teach

ART 6 Ceramic Vessels and Sculpture - Desired Results

Established Goals TRANSFER GOAL Skills to extend from Grade 6 to Grade 7 Art

Students will gain the skills needed to design and assemble ceramic

Students will: sculpture and vessels.
Students will be able to plan and sketch ideas for 3D sculptures.
1)Construct
ceramic vessels or MEANING
sculpture where
surface, form, scale Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions:
and volume
interplay will understand .
Students Students will
keep considering

2) Create clay U1 Interplay between the surface Q1 When creating functional

objects that detail, form, volume and scale in objects, which important elements of
express personal ceramic vessels and sculpture reflects design would you incorporate?
identity and a visual language
Q2 What types of imagery, designs,
meaning.
U2 How to construct and assemble patterns or personal expressions will
3) Implement clay clay pieces to create ceramic forms you use to add meaning to your clay
tile and relief work?
U3 Explore and examine the
surface treatments
relationship between form and Q3 How many ways can you use
before glazing
function in ceramic vessels and your sketchbook to enhance your clay
(using slips and
sculpture work?
underglazes)
U4 - Examine the role of audience and
4) Experiment with
viewing spaces for functional and
formal and
sculptural objects
informal spaces
and audiences for
finished art work. ACQUISITION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

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 Students will know Students will be skilled at

The vocabulary of ceramic processes
including:wedging, slip and score,
leather hard, greenware, bisque, fire,
kiln, underglaze, glaze
A basic understanding of types of clay
and firing ranges
How good ceramic vessels and
sculpture incorporate elements and
principles of design
That objects reflect a cultural, social
and individual context
How to roll slabs and coils, create
templates, pull, stretch, manipulate
and properly join together clay pieces.
How to carve, incise, stamp and alter
clay surfaces
How to apply slip and glaze to green
and bisque ware.
How to observe and critique ceramics
using language specific to the
material.

Summary
This is a disciplinary unit with a focus on clay as a material for sculptural and functional
purposes. It will introduce some new concepts to a grade 6 class which can be built upon
for the following years. The focus is on teaching an understanding of clay as a material and
demonstrating specific skills to successfully create ceramic objects. Because of clay being a
process dependent material, it will take several days or even weeks to cover each lesson. All
stages of planning, designing, building, refining, embellishing, drying, firing, glazing and
placement of the finished pieces will be explored. Though this exploration, the personal
identity of the maker will emerge in the content and meaning of the sculptures or vessels.

How does the unit address conceptual domain?

During this unit students will receive slide and lecture/discussion style presentations that
touch on the historical context of ceramics. This is not a unit based on the history of pottery
but it would be useful bring in a small amount of basic information to inform the
contemporary work. Students will receive a more in depth survey or contemporary ceramic
vessels and sculpture. The aim here is to engage in the motivation of the students to see
that this is not a medium that is restricted by historical context, rules or perceptions. Indeed,
by structuring the unit to address form, surface and imagination, the students will be
encouraged to apply their current visual interests, whether is be grafitti, drawing, textiles,
painting, printmaking, stencilling or assemblage to this medium. Slides such as the following
will be presented and discussed: Link

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How does the unit address the psychomotor domain?

During this unit student will receive foundational, direct instruction on the properties of clay,
slip, underglaze and glaze materials. There will be a pedagogical focus on the acquisition of
physical skills with the material. Each class will be structured around an exploration of one
of the above processes. Several classes will focus on the clay construction processes.
Through demonstrations, student will walk through a number of techniques including pinch
pot forms, slab built forms, coil built forms, attaching pieces, volumizing, creating surface,
texture, drawing, sgraffito and the construction of pieces such as handles, lids, knobs, and
sculptural elements. Initially it is expected that students will copy and imitate the techniques
being demonstrated. I will take this into account in planning and deliberately expose
students to a gradual increase in the difficulty of the demonstrations. Doing this will give the
students a repertoire of forms and techniques to use to express their own identity in clay.
We will spend one class exploring the fundamentals of good design in functional and
sculptural objects. We will touch on such formal aesthetic principles such as: balance,
negative space, scale, volume, form and surface. Every class will contain a majority of the
time as hands on studio work. The only real way to make this knowledge their own is
through direct exploration. It is my expectation that most students will reach the taxonomy
level of articulation with many of their skills. Depending on the student, and where they
begin, I would expect to see some naturalization or unconscious mastery of some of the
skills. Students will learn first hand the processes of creating, attaching and drying their clay
work. They will be assessed both formatively and summatively on their psychomotor
development through several strategies as the development of skills is fundamental to clay
as a material.

How does the unit address the affective domain?

Throughout the projects with in this unit, students will be asked to not only display
competency and precision with clay, they will also receive instruction on engaging the
affective domain. At its highest level, it will instruct students to integrate their beliefs, ideas
and attitudes into their work. By incorporating a sketchbook/learning log students will be
asked to respond to demonstrations, lecture slides and peer critiques to light a fire of active
participation in their learning. The sketchbook will become a tool of both formative and
summative assessment. I will respond to students through the sketchbook and create a
dialogue of evolution through exploring the technical and imaginative properties of clay.
Through directed questioning, students willing to commit to their art practice, will experience
organization of their exploration experience by comparing and relating it to other
understanding. In the second lesson of this unit, a story book entitled The Lost Thing will be
used to spark the imagination help students to integrate ideas, beliefs and identity into a
sculptural object of their own making.

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Rationale
This is the motivation piece. We will not suggest any historical context or meaning into the
work. Rather, students will be encouraged to use the unit to gain skills, discover their own
sensibility with the material and express ideas and aspects of their own identity. In the slide
and lecture presentations on ceramic sculpture and pottery, special consideration was made
to engage grade 6 students at this age level. The integration of graffiti, drawing, and hip hop
with ceramics is intended to spark interest and displace some misconceptions.
Contemporary pottery can definitely be viewed in its relationship to many other art mediums
and movements. In addition, focussing on contemporary artists will demonstrate the
expansive possibilities of clay. Although there is some focus on functional pots (mugs) they
are being shown as examples of responding to the surface of a form and as examples of
good functional design.

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Summarizing Paragraphs
Lesson One: In lesson one students will create one (or more than one) pinch pot mug. They
will look at slides and we will discuss some successful form and surfaces. We will touch on
the elements of good design and discuss the role of form and function. Students will watch
a demonstration of the proper techniques for creating their form, their handle and attaching it
and in doing this begin to develop confidence and skill with the material. The lesson spans
two days, the second day will focus on addressing the surface in an interesting and
expressive way. Students are creating a personalized object and with that are encouraged
to use the clay surface as a canvass for the expression of their own unique identity. This
lesson scaffolds to the next by offering very basic knowledge about ceramic construction
techniques. It introduces the realm of contemporary ceramics and hopefully opens up
students understandings to the huge array of possibilities in creating clay forms and detailed
surfaces. Students will begin to think about the role of form and function and explore some
variations of the two. This lesson assumes that students accept that visual mediums have
their own vocabulary which play an important role in reflection and expression of work.

Lesson Two: In lesson two, students will listen to a reading of The Lost Thing, by Shaun
Tan, while looking at the artwork from the book. The teacher will then direct a conversation
about what lost things could be, where they come from, and how to bring them into
existence. This will help the students to start thinking about sculpture as something more
than just representational, but that it can depict something from their imagination. The
students will then sketch out a lost thing from their imagination. They will participate in a
very simple critique that involves the students walking around the room and looking at each
others work, then telling the class about one thing that they liked or thought was interesting
about another students sketch. They will then use the skills learned in the previous lesson to
create a lost thing out of clay.

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Lesson Three: In the third lesson students will create a vessel form, with volume, using a
template of their own creation. It is a continuation of work where students will begin to
achieve a level of naturalization with some of the skills that were introduced in the beginning
of the unit. Working with the clay, slip and scoring, cutting, pressing and smoothing will
become adapted to new uses and some students will begin to feel some level of mastery.
During the template process discussions of the elements of good design will be expanded
on. By having the students design their own unique vessel form, their engagement and
motivation will be high as they have moved well beyond the imitation level of psychomotor
acquisition of skills. As students practise their ability will grow. The lesson will take place
over the course of two days. The second day, students will draw and paint underglazes onto
their bisque fired piece. I will give some direction to explore ideas through drawing with a
sketchbook assignment and students will be prepared to draw those ideas on their vessel.
As they are becoming more familiar with the vocabulary of the medium and they grow in their
ability to speak about their intention and use clay as a means to express their ideas, interests
and identity.

Evaluation Methods
Sketchbook/Learning Log

Sketchbooks will be used for personal exploration and planning. They will also be used as a
learning log. It is here that student will begin their exploration on the three GLOs of this unit:
Experimenting with the different representational formats of clay vessels vs sculpture. They
will begin to express the vocabulary of ceramic processes and art criticism. In addition I will
be able to observe the students grappling with the relationship between form and function. I
plan to use it for both formative and summative assessment.

Assessment for learning: Each week I will have the expectation that students are sketching
and writing their learning, even in a very brief way. This strategy encourages engagement
and commitment. Several times in the unit I will give students a direct question relating to
idea development to be answered either through writing or sketching.

Assessment as learning: I will also offer up the learning journal as a way to have an ongoing
dialogue with students regarding their creative evolution. With this tool I aim to steer the
student towards self directed learning of their own creative interests.

Assessment of learning: At the end of the unit, I will ask students to choose three different
days or entries for their sketchbook that I will evaluate based on a wholistic rubric that
emphasizes participation, commitment and growth which will serve as one of the marks to
calculate their final mark.

Critiques/Sharing/Peer Review

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Critiques will be used as a way to give formative feedback on work in progress and also to
gauge how well students are observing each others work. During critiques all students will
give peer feedback using a sticky note format. We will have specific instructional time
dedicated to establishing peer critique skills and guidelines. Critiques attendance and
participation (having work completed for the critique) will be graded on a rubric.

Critiques allow for a valuable opportunity to develop the skills required to speak about
intentioned process in artwork. It also develops active listening and looking skills as
students observe one anothers work. the work that is being viewed can be in progress and
that is perfectly acceptable as long as the student can speak to that.

Assessment for Learning: The process of viewing others work and being required to offer
insight and comment on it is a learning activity unto itself. The process of speaking about
ones own work and articulating specifics, even if the work is not completed contributes to
learning.

Assessment as Learning: I will grade the presentation of the work and the students ability to
speak about it coherently. I will ask some directed questions and gauge whether the student
appears to be able to defend their choices, even if they go against conventional rules (Eg
exaggerated pieces for a specific communicative effect)

Explain Thinking

This is a tool that I will be using throughout the lesson in a variety of ways. I will ask students
to explain back to me the critical information after demonstrations and lectures. I will meet
with students individually during each class to ensure that they are clear in their
understandings and objectives. It will be used as a formative assessment to aid student
learning and progress.

To help inform my teaching throughout the unit, I will use a class list and checkmark system
to record what m students can display of their knowledge through explain thinking. This will
inform my teaching and help me to plan lesson and pace.

Assessment for Learning: As students engage in explain thinning through their ceramic
building and surface processes, and talk about their ideas they will be informing themselves
in a concrete way. Explain thinking will give students the opportunity to practise their
vocabulary and idea explanation and I will engage in active listening and relationship
building.

Assessment as Learning: The students ability to self direct their learning will grow through
explain thinking. Through this dialogue, I will be able to gauge students ability to self assess
the knowledge that they are gaining and it becomes an integral part of the learning process.

Self Assessment

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Students will be asked to assess themselves, their ideas and their work relating to all of the
learning outcomes. Sometimes this will be a directed journal or sketchbook entry,
sometimes it will be during explain thinking, and other times it could be a specific self
assessment that I give out to be completed. Along with explain thinking, it will be my most
used formative assessment tool. In all of these case I will be asking the student to look at
and assess specific elements of their creative work, their understandings and the
demonstration of their skills with the material.

Self assessment provides time for students to process and learn. Frequent self assessment
ensures that the focus stays on learning. It teaches students how to self monitor, especially
when it is informed by clear criteria. Students who self monitor are developing the skills
need to be lifelong, independent learners.

Assessment for Learning: The strategy of self assessment will give students times to process
new information and to learn during teaching time

Assessment as Learning: By involving students in this process I am hoping to increase

student engagement and learning and have them become very comfortable with
independent learning.

Assessment of Learning: During the critique of the final work, I would ask students to write
down or tell me what they would choose as the mark on their final work. I would use this in
the reflective comments that I give them regarding their work for the unit and if taken
seriously, perhaps include it as a consideration in my own evaluation.