PBS
Civil War: Face Jug
Students examine African American art. In this African American history lesson, students research face jugs created by African American freedmen after they watch a video about the artifact and its significance. Students then create...
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Greek Vase Painting Project
Students identify the cultural context of ancient Greek, and especially Athenian, vase painting and the range of vase painting depictions of daily life and mythology. They experience the artistic and technical process of creating Greek...
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The Harlem Renaissance: Black American Traditions
Students examine the time period of the Harlem Renaissance. As a class, they are introduced to five artists and discuss their art and techniques. Using the internet, they also research the philosophers of the time period and how...
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Handbuilding With Joan
Students discover the three basic handbuilding techniques used in beginning pottery: pinch pot, coiling, and slab work. After a lecture/demo, students try their hands at making pottery using the three different techniques.
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Clay Animal Sculptures
Pupils create their own clay sculpture with imaginary or realistic animal features. After drawing at least three sketches, they complete an animal sculpture brainstorming activity. They identify functions of pre-Columbian animal...
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Developing Contrast Through Clay Construction
Students combine forms made with different construction techniques in order to create and enhance the element of contrast in clay compositions.
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Creative Clay Houses
Students demonstrate knowledge of working with clay and design and make creative houses and other buildings out of clay.
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Marshland Ecosystem
Students classify animals based on their physical characteristics and eating habits. In this animal identification lesson plan, students investigate the life forms shown on a Parisian ceramic basin, and discover ecosystem the artist was...
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Sides of a Texas Quarter
Students study the meaning, symbolism, and value of U.S. coins, especially the quarter. They research Texas symbols online and create a design for the obverse and reverse sides a Texas quarter in a choice of media.
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Pieces of the Past
Seventh graders compare and contrast the way of life of Native Americans in Texas and around the country. As a class, they brainstorm about the uses of pottery today and use broken pieces of pottery to create an artifact. In groups,...
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Puebla Patterned Pots
Sixth graders examine and discuss the characteristics of tin glazed earthenware pottery of Colonial Mexico. They design and create their own Talavera-style plate by applying the concept of radial symmetry.
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Totem Poles
Students create outdoor totem poles by creating masks and designing an outdoor painting in the woods. In this totem poles lesson plan, students study Native American culture.
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Creating Sacred and Ritual Masks Within the High School Pottery Classroom
Students research sacred masks and what they were used for. They are to create their own sacred mask and present them to the class.
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"IMPRESS"ive Pinch Pot Vases
Students discover and perfect basic construction methods and decorative methods of clay and glaze. They create vases using the pinch method and stamping and impressing methods of decorations. They glaze their pots with pre-made glazes.
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Contour Drawing Shells
Students develop skills in shading and create eye movement through the use of lights and darks. They show five principles of shading while drawing shells and bones.
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Clay Personality Boxes Lesson Plan
Students create cut slab boxes from clay using the slip and scoring technique. They impress a surface texture into the clay. Students decorate their box to represent themselves in some way.
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Fun and Funky Teapots
Students examine many different teapots from different cultures and time periods. They create their own teapot and decorate it. They discuss how to make their teapot unique.
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Hands-on History of Pottery
Students make pottery in the same evolutionary order as archeology indicates. They begin with simple pinch pots and then move to plain coil pots, manipulative decoration, and surface decoration. For each type of pot they discuss the...
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Creating an Autobiographical Amulet Necklace
Students create their own personalized amulet necklaces after viewing images of artifacts from different cultures.
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Traditional Coil Vessels with Sgraffito Decoration
Students examine different types of coil vessels that show different cultures. They design and create their own coil vessel. They decorate the coil vessel using the sgraffito decorating technique.
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A New Approach to Developing Images on Clay
Students make story telling plates or tiles based on David Stabely's technique. They are shown slides of original work contemporary artists who are using nontraditional approaches to the clay surface. Students are shown work that David...
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Starfish Project
Students discuss ocean waters, tides, tide pools and the animals which live in the tide pools. They practice the push and pull method with a chink of clay to create a starfish from clay. They apply texture and decorate the starfish...
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Pablo Picasso - Slab Construction
Learners create a three or four-sided vessel incorporating abstracted faces on each side. Vessels should be irregular in shape. They demonstrate skills and craftsmanship in working with clay and explore hand-building methods of construction
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Draped Slab leaf bowls
Students explore beauty in nature, explore the structure of the leaf and purposes of the leaf. Students study the draped slab forming technique
and demonstrate craftsmanship in handling clay.