Cultural Artifacts & Clay Techniques

Who doesn’t love creating with clay in the art room? Clay is always a fan favorite for any grade level. I particularly enjoyed this unit as it combines basic clay skills with a study of cultural arts from around the globe.

Grade 1 students inquired into the transdisciplinary theme of How the World Works while investigating the central idea; how cultures manipulate the natural world. The students explored three basic clay skills while learning about three different cultural art forms.

The first cultural art form the students learned about was a type of folk art from Oaxaca, Mexico called Oaxacan Animals. The students observed and discussed a variety of Oaxacan Animals and their bright patterns to design a turtle in their sketchbooks. The clay skill they began exploring to create their Oaxacan inspired turtles was the pinch pot.  

 
The next culture we began exploring was from our host country of China. Grade 1 students looked at a variety of Ming Dynasty ceramic vessels. We compared shapes, styles, decorative patterns, and discussed the blue and white colors used in these types of designs. The clay skill the students used to create their own ceramic vessel inspired by Chinese pottery was coiling. Using a variety of coiling techniques, they created some very beautiful coil pots!

 
The last cultural art form the students investigated was African Masks. They looked at a variety of masks from different tribes in Africa, comparing shapes, patterns, and color. The students chose shapes and patterns that they liked to design their own African inspired mask in their sketchbooks. The clay skill Grade 1 students practiced when creating their mask was rolling and cutting slabs of clay. Some students even poked holes in their wet clay to ensure that they could add hair or jewelry to their final piece once it was out of the kiln!  

Pinch Pot Turtles

As an introduction to clay this year with my Grade 2 class, we began by discussing pinch pots and clay vocabulary as a stand alone unit. I demonstrated for the students how to create a pinch pot by rolling the clay into a ball and pressing my thumb in the middle. I found this great visual on Pinterest and had it posted in my classroom for reference while the students were creating their pots.

I then showed the students how to slip and score in order to securely attach clay pieces to their finished pinch pot and our beautiful turtles were born! I absolutely love these! 

Diwali

Oh Diwali, the festival of lights! What an amazing and colorful celebration to study about in art class! Starting mid October right up through December, my PYP 2 students have been inquiring into celebrations around the world, their central idea being, "People recognize important events through celebrations and traditions." We investigated this by comparing and contrasting a variety of cultural celebrations around the globe.

In the middle of November we began discussing Diwali and the beautiful Rangoli that is created during this holiday. We watched videos of how Rangoli is made with colorful sand to make amazing symmetrical patterns and designs.

 After videos and class discussion, each student was given a paper plate to create a a symmetrical pattern of their choice. When their drawing was completed and outlined with a permanent marker, the best part began! The students sprinkled "colorful sand" (glitter!) inside their designs with glue. They were careful to make sure their colors were the same on all sides, following their patterns.

We made a wonderful mess and their final Rangoli turned out fantastic!

After our glittery creations were complete, we began discussing clay vocabulary and how to make a pinch pot. Along with new vocabulary the students were also introduced to Diya, the candles or small oil lamps that are part of the festival of lights. After viewing and discussing a variety of photos, the students set off making their own Diya. Once their clay was fired, they painted them with fluorescent colors!