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A conversation about using clay as a teaching tool
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Archive for the ‘Ideas for the Classroom’ Category
Monday, October 11th, 2010
This lesson plan will be demonstrated at the Florida Art Education Association 2010 Conference by Rosanne Sloane and Joyce Go on October 14, 2010 at 4:45pm located in Forum East 2.
2010 FAEA CONFERENCE INFORMATION
October 14 – 16
The Florida Hotel
Orlando, Florida
NOTE: This figurative sculptural lesson plan includes three worksheets and several wonderful pictures to help you follow along. To view the worksheets, click on the links provided below. To view the photographs in full size, simply click on the individual photograph. The clay used in this lesson plan is Laguna Mexo White clay (click on this link for details). Enjoy!
LESSON PLAN INFORMATION
Figurative sculpting in Laguna Mexo Clay requires no kiln as it’s self-hardening!
Use a twist tie or pipe cleaner armature to teach about animals, emotion, skeletons (wow, spooky), figurative proportion, or basic 3-D design. When the armature is refined, use Laguna Mexo Clay to flesh out the sculpture. The pieces then air dry. Construct your own masterpiece to see how special non-toxic additives in the clay make it dry into a durable object that your kids can display with pride!
LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
1) Evaluation rubric for the figure sculpture
2) Keep your Eye on the Work worksheet-1
3) The figure sculpture art style worksheet
 
Tags: arts, classroom, conference, FAEA, Rosanne Sloane, Self-Hardening Clay, students, teaching, twist tie, workshop
Posted in Ideas for All Ages, Ideas for the Classroom, Lesson Plans, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, May 31st, 2010
Introduction by Julie Brooks, Laguna Clay Creative Director
Craig Hinshaw is one of the nicest people I have encountered in the ceramics field. His book, “Clay Connections,” available from Laguna Clay Company is a wealth of information packed into a friendly, lively heavily illustrated format. I got so excited about this lesson that I headed to the lab to work with Juan to see which Laguna products would work best. After a few more test runs we’ll be posting details about Laguna products that will work well with Craig’s lesson plan.
Lesson Plan: Empty Bowls & Colored Clays by Craig Hinshaw
Each year the Michigan Art Education Association sponsors an Empty Bowls luncheon (more details below) at its annual conference. For many years I have taken fifth grade bowls to the conference. But one year the dates slipped up on me and I only had a week to get the bowls made, dried and fired – hence the following lesson which created beautiful bowls and only necessitated one firing.
I have always prided myself in taking quality student bowls in which every bowl, or almost every bowl have been selected by one of the over 500 art teachers all attendance. I tell students second best isn’t good enough when giving of your time and talents to help those less fortunate. The following single firing method fit the bill.
Before working with the fifth graders I rolled out slabs of a white clay and a terra cotta. This was before I got a slab roller and used a large rolling pin and canvas board. Once the bowls were dry I brushed on a clear glaze and fired them to cone 04.
Final Note: I always have the students address a postcard to themselves back at school which I stamp. These are taped to the students’ bowls so the art teacher who selects their bowl can write them a note. Once, a keynote speaker at the conference wrote a student and called them a heroe! That left a lasting impression on me and hopefully my students.
Materials:
- Terra cotta
- White clay
- Rolling pins or 1 ¼” wood curtain rods cut to 8” lengths
- Pin tools
- Bowls to function as a drape mold
- Clear glaze
Empty Bowls
Empty Bowls was begun by two Michigan art teachers as a method for their students to raise money for the less fortunate. Students make bowls and a soup luncheon is held. For a fee, usually around $20 participants are served a simple meal; soup, bread and a drink and get to keep the handmade bowl.
The name Empty Bowls comes from the sad fact that at meal times, many around the world have an empty bowl. For more information about this wonderful program, please visit www.emptybowls.net.
Tags: bowl, clay, colored clay, craig hinshaw, student, teacher, terra cotta
Posted in Ideas for the Classroom | No Comments »
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Event:
California Art Education Association (CAEA) Conference Los Angeles 2009
Friday, November 13 & Saturday, November 14, 2009
Workshops:
Presented by Ann Fuerst, Ph.D.
1) All Roads Lead to Timbuktu 3-D: repoussé
2) All Roads Lead to Mud 3-D: clay
Ann’s travel experiences around Africa influenced these two workshops. The presentations included all types of realia, jewelry, a headdress, earrings, a pendant, gold, silver, doors, clothing, outfits, and material. We saw photos from Ann’s travels, as well as important how-to videos filmed in Africa. Literature resources were noted as well. Copies of the lessons plans were given to us on CD. Designs for the doors and the garments were given to us along with all of the needed materials for actually creating the art with our own two hands.
While working with Ann, I was able to create several different types of African art using clay. These are several different projects that can be applied depending on grade-level standards.
All Roads Lead to Timbuktu projects included several art forms, including:
1. We used a mold to press clay into and create a pendant of a leaf.
2. We rolled out a piece of clay and stamped the astrological symbols into it to create a tablet.
3. We cut out a shape from aluminum foil and then pressed it and placed it onto the cloth door.
Download the All Roads Lead to Timbuktu Lesson Plan>>> (includes historical background and photos)
All Roads Lead to Mud explained the art of using clay to create designs on cloth. We applied the mud in two ways: hand painting and stencil. The stencils were made using X-rays. One possible project as Ann showed participants is to use clay and create a puppet and then use this mud-on-cloth technique to create an African-influenced outfit.
Download the All Roads Lead to Mud Lesson Plan>>> (includes historical background and photos)
VIEW A SHORT VIDEO ABOUT MAKING MUD CLOTH>>>
Photos from the 2009 CAEA Conference Workshop with Ann Fuerst, Ph.D.:
Tags: africa, caea, clay, conference, metal, workshop
Posted in Ceramics Around the World, Ideas for the Classroom | 1 Comment »
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
Reflections by Jennifer Koons from California Art Education Association (CAEA) Conference Los Angeles 2009
Workshop: People Who Make Change: California History (Twist Tie Armature) By Lynette Henderson, Ken Sakatani & Edie Pistolesi held on Friday, November 13, 2009
This workshop showed one way to develop students’ art skills and foster creativity while demonstrating their understanding in other curricular areas. The objective for this seventh grade project was to use the principles of design, scale and proportion in creating accurate miniature human figures and accompanying props. The armature of the figures was created using twist ties. This basic art skill can be taught in all grades and applied based on grade-level standards. Next, it is recommended to use clay, in particular, Laguna’s Paper Clay, to mold around the twist ties. One aspect the presenters emphasized was using clay to create two distinct buttocks.
Examples of projects done by students of the presenters included some excellent renditions of scenes from popular literature stories like Charlotte’s Web and Where the Wild Things Grow. On a Historical/Social Science emphasis, projects included important historical figures and events like the Chinese immigrant laundryman who influenced the 14th Amendment with his court case. Students wrote about their projects and created a California History Museum.
As part of the CAEA workshop, we used twist ties to create the armature and form a human figure. Our task was to balance it and make it stand up. “Pay special attention here to how the heel is formed,” Lynette instructed. We then used candy wrappers to create clothing for the figures. We were encouraged to use recycled items to decorate our figures. Laguna’s Paper Clay would be a great accompaniment to this project as it will enhance the possibilities! Now rather than having students simply write and draw about history and literature, they can actually recreate three dimensional scenes using this simple technique.
We Want to Hear from You
If you have created figures using twist tie armature and clay or if you have taught this lesson with your class, please comment and send us your photos (include “Twist Tie Art” in the subject line) to upload.
View the Complete Twist Tie Armature Lesson Plan>>>
Tags: ceramics, classroom, figures, paper clay, twist tie
Posted in Ideas for the Classroom | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Reflection by Jennifer Koons from California Art Education Association (CAEA) Conference, Los Angeles, 2009
Workshop: Paper Clay in the Classroom sponsored by Laguna Clay Co., Friday, November 13, 2009
Project: Paper Clay Totem by Presenter David Gilbaugh
What are the benefits of using Laguna’s Paper Clay in the classroom?
- less dust
- no firing needed
- lightweight
- attach pieces easily
- mural projects
As we discussed in this workshop with David, there are many benefits of using paper clay in the classroom. There are many types of paper clay: a high fire, a low fire, a white or buff, as well as many varieties in texture. Pieces made using the low fire paper clay can be fired to 1850 degrees Fahrenheit, but they do not have to be fired. They also have strength as unfired pieces. What a benefit for teachers interested in using clay but with the limitations of no kiln on site. Ceramic pieces made using the high fire paper clay can be fired between 2151 to 2300 degrees Fahrenheit.
What’s it made of and why does it work?
The clay part of paper clay is made of alumina, silica, talc and other additives like feldspar, potassium and sodium. Kaolin is the purest form of clay. Paper fiber is added to hold Laguna’s Paper Clay together. This is what makes the paper clay so agreeable. The water is able to wick in and out through the paper fibers, similar to a straw, making it easy to use for students. It can be common for students to work on the same piece over a lengthy period. Paper Clay lends itself to sculptural work. The paper pulp oxidizes in the firing, therefore kiln ventilation is an essential factor. It was also suggested in the class that paper clay can be one of the best raku materials where high thermal shock is a factor.
The lesson plan presented using Paper Clay was the Paper Clay Totem. The attached lesson plan with California Standards for grade levels 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 8th outlines vocabulary, materials, motivation, procedure, directions, assessment and extensions. Basically, the PVC pipe is sunk into a 5 quart bucket to form the base. Then Laguna’s Paper Clay is used to create cylindrical shapes that surround the pipe and can be stacked on one another. Figures can be attached and symbols carved to add details on the cylinders and tell a story. Finally, the class’ totem pole is glazed and then it can be fired. The beauty of paper clay is that if no kiln is available, when the piece is bone dry, it can be painted with acrylics and still preserved. A decorative piece of artwork is created, but keep in mind that when it is not fired, it is unsuitable for food or drink consumption.
To make attachments easier, David says, “The magic is in the slip.” He makes his slip with paper clay and water. Then he adds a defloculent like sodium silicate. Use heavy wire tools to score both sides of the ceramic piece and the attachment. This should be done on bone dry pieces. Add it together once they are wet and count to seven. Yes-seven seconds! One common mistake David cautioned us about was squeezing out all of the slip when attaching two pieces together. Leave a thirty secondth of an inch and don’t smoosh out all of the slip.
The educators in the workshop talked about how students feel when a piece they had been working on for a long time gets broken. Some students are just devastated. Another benefit to using this paper clay is that because of the paper content, if…or when it gets broken…as we saw David demonstrate when he dropped one of his totem pieces that were unfired, the paper clay breaks into bigger chunks. It doesn’t shatter typically so in some cases, it can be repaired. David has even repaired his paper clay molds when they break, versus having to throw the mold away when it is made with other material without paper pulp.
Thick versus Thin?
Where’s the strength in paper clay? Some participants have experienced rolling out paper clay nearly as thin as paper and then cutting it with scissors. Of course, the normal caution is there for the frailty in anything too thin, but the capabilities of Laguna’s paper clay seem to stretch our imagination.
Classroom Management
A major issue talked about during David’s class was mold, not just any mold, but that smelly dark mold that can permeate clay made with paper pulp. Laguna’s Paper Clay only has a 30 day warranty, but David has been able to store his paper clay for up to 6 months in a dry, cool spot, like his garage, without any mold invading. We talked about mold issues, especially with pieces worked on over one month. One option is to squirt a disinfectant over it. Wait 3-5 minutes and then wipe away the growing mold and disinfectant with a cloth. We discussed the safety issues of using diluted bleach and the regulations in a classroom. To retard mold, store the clay in a cool place. Another way to retard mold is to let the piece dry.
As far as behavior management with throwing clay, educators talked about creative ways to establish norms. One policy that seems to have positive results is when students know the standards of behavior and the consequences. No airborne clay and all clay is always used appropriately are norms of behavior. No warnings!! Some possible consequences suggested by participants include being suspended from the class or an end to projects.
Planning on using the Totem Pole project in your classroom? View some of David Gilbaugh’s tips for classroom management.
What Do You Think About Paper Clay?
If you have experience using Paper Clay, please share with us. We would love to post photos and lesson plans of any projects where educators are using Paper Clay. What are some of the benefits you and your students have experienced using Laguna’s Paper Clay?
Tags: classroom, conference, david gilbaugh, paper clay
Posted in Ideas for the Classroom, Questions for Readers | No Comments »
Thursday, October 1st, 2009
We were the luckiest school in our district, because we were the only one with a kiln. This opened up a new world of possibilities. (If your school doesn’t have a kiln, what are some ideas on how you can problem solve that issue and get your students’ ceramic pieces fired?)
With a kiln onsite, now, art education began with pinch pot history and technique. Throughout the year, students gifted their plates/bowls but by the time, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day rolled around at the end of the school year, the touch it takes to make a pinch pot had been developed by students. Years later, parents have returned and commented how they still have the pinch pot their child made years before.
What types of problems have you encountered with making pinch pots in an elementary classroom? What solutions are working?
Posted in Ideas for the Classroom, Questions for Readers | No Comments »
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