High School Ceramics LP 1 | ArtEd 302

Title of Lesson(s) Nature Formed Ceramics (3 Lesson Plan)

Teacher(s) Bobby Taylor, Jade Browning, Bailey Bryan

School St. Thomas Moore High School

Grade Level(s) 9-12th Ceramics

Date to be taught 10/15/2019-10/23/2019

Big Idea that drives Lesson/Unit:

Being in nature, taking inspiration from nature, and connecting to nature, is something that is often
referenced by artists, philosophers, spiritual leaders, and many different people from all areas of life, across
the globe and throughout time. This universal connection to nature is easily experienced in an art context.
As artists, we can look to nature to inform our art and our research.

Key concepts about Big Idea:

● Nature

Fine Arts Goals Met by the Objectives:

● Cr2.2.la - Students who meet this standard understand how artists and designers balance
experimentation and safety, freedom and responsibility while developing creating artworks.
○ Explain how traditional and non-traditional materiels may impact human health and the
environment and demonstrate safe handling of materials, tools, and equipment.
● Cn11.1.la - Students who meet this standard understand how people develop ideas and
understandings of society, culture, and history through their interactions with analysis of art.
○ Describe how knowledge of culture, traditions, and history may influence personal
responses to art.

3-4 Essential Questions:

● What form, texture, function, are you inspired by in nature?
● How can you combine natural elements into something constructed with clay?
● What things in nature do you feel connection to?

Vocabulary Acquisition:
● Slab: A ball of clay flattened by first keeping your hand flat and placing one hand on top of another
if you need to press down on the clay ball using the palm of your hand-keep pressing until the final
slab looks like a thick pancake.
● Ball: A lump of clay formed into a ball by first squishing it between your hands to make it as round
as you can, then while keeping your hand as flat as you can, roll the clay in circles against the table
with the palm of your hand-keep rolling until you get a round ball.
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● Clay: A finely-grained natural rock or soil material that combines one or more clay minerals with
possible traces of quartz, metal oxides, and organic matter. They are plastic due to particle size and
geometry as well as water content, and become hard, brittle and non-plastic upon drying or firing.
● Wedge: process of working out the clay to remove air pockets. Performed by moving the clay,
forming a “ram” shape and moving it back and forth.
● Fettling knife: knife tool used in ceramics to cut, trim, and shape forms.
● Nature: - class definition

Key Artistic Concepts:

● Slab
● Additive / Subtractive ceramics
● Form
● Texture
● Juxtaposition
● Artists as researchers

Artmaking Materials Needed:

● Paper (student sketchbooks)
● Pencils
● Pieces of nature to reference off (Twigs, leaves, etc.)

Contemporary/Historical/Multicultural exemplars

Kate Malone | Pippin Drysdale | Karen Swyer

● Kate Malone
○ Texture
○ Color
○ “Nature is my main inspiration.. of the sea, the land and most recently the magma
underground … I also look towards history, travel and people for ideas and variations. It is
frequently a ‘melt’ of these many factors that might all together inspire an idea.” -Kate
Malone
● Pippin Drysdale
○ Color
○ Landscape
● Karen Swyler
○ Simplicity
 High School Ceramics LP 1 | ArtEd 302

○ Inspiration from nature shown in form

Procedures:
● DISCUSSION: (10-20 minutes) (Jade Leading) (This lesson follows along the premise that before
our first teaching day, we have already given them a handout of the assignment and relevant vocab)
○ Schedule: Today we will talk about ceramics and how it correlates with nature, look at
some art pieces, and roll out our slabs.
■ (5 minutes) First we will introduce ourselves again, have students go around and
introduce themselves, and introduce our assignment.
● As a reminder (or introduction if you were not here last Thursday) We will
be making cups made from slabs. Building from slabs is another hand
building technique to add onto what you’ve learned previously with coils,
and pinching. We are going to make cups inspired by a reflection and a
response to nature. We are going to ask that you consider the natural world
you encounter, the trees, the flowers, the plains, anything existing in the
natural world (the things that exist beyond mans control) and use this as
inspiration for the cup you will make.
■ (5-10 min) Next we will present the slides of examples from artists, forms in
nature, connection to nature (spiritual, physical, historical, etc). Making sure to
point out the ways they can add texture to their cups, juxtaposition, and consider
the elements of art both in nature, and on the cups their making.
● A slide will be dedicated to Historical/Multicultural exemplars
● During the slide presentation, we will ask them questions relating to
technique, elements of art, how they feel a connection to nature, where
they feel it and what that experience is like. Instead of pointing out just
how an artist was able to make a form, shape, or texture, we will first ask
them to consider how this must have been done.
● Before they sketch out their design we will mention when making your
piece, think about whether you want it to offer functionality or have it
communicate more of the aesthetics of nature.

○ Key Concepts
■ There exists in nature, all principles/elements of art.
■ Nature is all around us and deep within us. Therefore, nature can take many forms
and serve many purposes. By incorporating nature with ceramics we hope for
students to make a connection with it.
■ Clay comes from the earth!

○ Show teacher made exemplars

○ Kate Malone
○ Pippin Drysdale
○ Karen Swyler

● DEMONSTRATION: (10 minutes)

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○ (Bobby) I’ll demonstrate the process of how to make a clay slab.

■ I first show them my sketch/design of my cup.
● I can talk about my thinking process and how I came up with my sketch
● VERY IMPORTANT TO MENTION: When making your piece, think
about whether you want it to be functional, or if you want to focus on
aesthetics of nature.
■ I’m going to start with about a softball amount of clay. I’m going to wedge this
clay to make sure any air pockets are out of them.
■ I’m going to move the clay onto a piece of canvas (if they have them), so that it
doesn’t just get stuck to the table. With the ball of clay, I flatten it out on the canvas
by pressing down with the palm of my hand.
■ I’m going to place one stick on either side of my clay, to determine the thickness
of my slab. This will make sure my slab stays a consistent thickness. I then form it
into a slab by using a rolling pin to make it more smooth. Clay does shrink in the
kiln, but we don’t want our cups to be too thick. 3/8th is a good level to be at.
■ I cleaned up the edges by cutting them away with a fettling knife.
■ Now that I have my slab I’m going to move the slab onto a board. I’m going to
wrap my slab in plastic, to make sure it doesn’t get too dry by Thursday. I’ll put
my name on it and leave it on the rack for Thursday.

● DESIGN/WORK SESSION: (15 minutes)

○ Overall Goal(s) for the day:
■ We want to have our slabs rolled out today, so that on Thursday they are leather
hard and ready for us to start constructing. If you have not finished or started a
sketch, you can do so if you finish your slab, otherwise it will be homework to
bring in on Thursday. It is alright if you don’t know what your final piece will look
like because we will all start from the same place- with a slab.
○ Time reminders at (10 minutes & 3 minutes)
○ While students are working: Walk around and ask questions about what they’re thinking
about. This is also a good time to gain a little more knowledge about who they are. Assist
in any questions about slab rolling.

● CLEAN UP: (2 minutes)(Bobby)

○ Make sure to wipe down your areas and put tools away.
○ Make sure your slab is on canvas, and not directly on a board, or have your slab completely
wrapped in plastic on the board, so the board doesn’t suck all the moisture from your slab.
○ Make sure to have your name either taped onto the plastic or somewhere visible so we
know whose slabs are whose.
○ Make sure you grab your sketchbooks
○ If you have reference objects make sure they are put back to where you got them / make
sure you are leaving nothing behind

● CLOSURE: (3 minutes)(Bailey)
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○ Finishing thoughts : Last Thursday we gave you a handout asking you some guiding
questions about our project. Could someone share any thoughts you have about those? To
remind you they asked about how art, people and yourself connect with nature.
○ What did you learn about ceramics today that you didn’t know before?
○ What might be some possible disadvantages while working on your slab/cup?
○ For next class we want you to bring in an object from nature to consider for adding texture
to your piece. You might consider texture in nature now as you are designing.