Ceramics Lesson!

Ceramics

Ceramic Art is an art form that dates back thousands of years and is still an art practice that is used today.  You can make so many different things with clay ranging from hand building forms to wheel throwing.  It's pretty messy and requires students to literally get their hands dirty. Working with clay can be a very meditative and relaxing for students. Some schools are fortunate enough to have the facilities and equipment in order to teach ceramics classes.  However, it's important to know how to properly use and maintain a kiln because if something does go wrong it can be a big problem.  But, once you learn how to use the equipment you can be firing ceramics pieces in no time!  

Some key lessons that I would want to do with my students if I were teaching ceramics would be...

- Pinch pots/ Pinch pot forms

- Slab Building

- Coil Building

- Wheel Throwing

- Figurative/Abstract Sculpture 

Let's say I did the lesson on Wheel Throwing.  This is a project that should be introduced later on in the semester after the students have gotten a feel for the clay and have better control over it.  With Wheel Throwing it's all about how you control the clay.  It takes ALOT of practice and some students will hope to just pick it up immediately, but this is hardly ever the case.  They will need to spend a sufficient amount of time to get the hang of throwing and if possible designate some studio time after school so that students can get in some more hours practicing.  

Unit Objectives 

Students will be able to know how to wedge clay properly, learn to center clay on wheel, how to raise walls of clay, how to use throwing tools properly.  Students will produce five 5 inch bowls that are relatively symmetrical.  Students will also know the safety guidelines for using the equipment

Key Concepts 

Students will gain an understanding of how to properly use the wheel and kiln.  Students will produce bowls.   

Day 1

- Go over some of the safety rules for the using the wheel and kiln. Show students some artists who do wheel thrown pottery.  Show students a throwing video and than do a throwing demo to give them two different ways that they can throw on the wheel.  Show students the correct posture, how to control their speed and how to center the clay.  If their is time have students go ahead and hop on the wheels and practice centering the clay.  

Day 2

- Demo with students how to add a opening and how to raise the walls and how to make a bowl form.  Demonstrate how to remove their clay from the wheel once they are done. Have them get on the wheel and practice how to raise their walls.  

Day 3-5

-Devote another several class days to just throwing, letting the students get alot of practice getting used to how to use the wheel and work with the clay.  Assist students that need help or seem to be struggling to make their bowl forms.  

Day 6

- Depending how well students do making their bowl forms and are able to start making their bowl forms and if their clay is its greenware state, around this time you can show students how to load kiln and get ready for their first bisque.  Talk to students about the glazes and show them what glaze choices they have.  Have them go ahead and decide what glazes they would like to put on their bowls.  

Day 7

- By this time the bisque firing should be done and the students should be able to start glazing their bowls.  Show them how to wipe bottoms of bowls.  Students should finish glazing and these bowls will go into the kiln to be fired again.  

Day 8

- Remove all bowls from kiln. All five bowls will be due at the beginning of class and their will be a critique on everyone's bowls.  

Robin West 

Monika Patuszynska