Name_________________________________ Period______

Potter’s Wheel Rubric

Objectives:
• After watching the demonstration video and the live
demonstration of throwing on the wheel, build a bowl
using the wheel throwing techniques. Wedge clay, center
clay, pull the sides. (Refer to the diagram below!)
• Your goal is to create a bowl no thicker than a quarter
inch that has an even circular circumference, has smooth
walls, and is approximately 2-4 inches in diameter.
• You will have three consecutive class days for your bowl building attempt. In that time, if you
make more than one bowl, turn in your best one.
• After each attempt, you are responsible for cleaning the ENTIRE potter’s wheel machine
including the surface of the wheel, the yellow plastic splash guards, the surface of the
machine, your clay tools, and the floor around you. Failure to do so will result in the loss
of an entire grade letter on this assignment each day clean up was not deemed
thorough enough.
• Initial the bottom of your bowl with a needle tool. Make sure to place your bowl on the correct
class period’s shelf.
• 24-48 hours after your bowl’s construction, use the sanding tools to smooth its surfaces. Do
this over a trash can.
• Apply three coats of an underglaze background color, three coats of your design (also
underglaze) and then three coats of the gloss-finish overglaze. In total, your bowl must have
a minimum of three colors showing in its final design.
• Turn in your bowl after it has been fired and cooled in the kiln.
Concept Exceeds (4) Meets (3) Approaching (2) Experiencing
Difficulty (1)

Wall thickness Thin (1/4” or less) Somewhat thin Thick (1/2”-1” Very thick (>1”)
(1/2”-1/4” thick) thick)

Shape/ Consistent and Somewhat Lumpy or Very lumpy or

Construction smooth bowl walls consistent and inconsistent bowl inconsistent/ bowl
smooth bowl walls walls; centering was not centered/
was off bowl explodes

Creativity of glaze Superior design/ Well designed; Little or adequate No design shown;
design creativity; used used two or three design shown; used one color of
more than three colors of glaze used one or two glaze
colors of glaze colors of glaze

Glaze Perfectly glazed/ Well glazed; used Somewhat poorly Poorly glazed/
thoroughness evenly applied three coats of glazed; used less smeared/ parts not
glaze; used at glaze, but applied than three coats of glazed/used one
least three coats of unevenly glaze, and applied coat of glaze
glaze to create unevenly
vivid, even color

Student Reflection:

What I did well on this piece was

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This piece was a challenge because

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One thing that I will remember for next time is

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Did I clean up my all potter’s wheel equipment EVERYDAY?

Why is this important?
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Total Points*: _______

15-16 = A
13-14 = B
12 = C
10-11= D
0-9 = F

*Total points including any points subtracted from total due to not properly cleaning potter’s
wheel equipment.