Ceramics

Classroom Application

Hand Building/Pinch Pots

Age: Elementary students

Creating pinch pots would be a good lesson for elementary aged students at any grade level. For younger students (k/1st grade) this is a good introduction into the physical work with clay- how it feels, shapes, etc. The instruction and complexity of skill for a pinch pot is accessible to kids of any age, they need a ball of clay, a hard work surface and their hands!

Pinch pots can be any size so this is a good lesson that uses little clay and allows for an entire class worth of work in the kiln.

Once the pinch pots are created and fired, they can also be painted or glazed, adding a color lesson and generally fun element for the kids.

My Experience

Challenges

Working with clay on the wheel was challenging for me because it was a brand new experience. I struggled balancing how much water to have on my hands and, by default, in the clay. I also struggled sticking the clay to the wheel so it wouldn’t move once I began throwing. The too-much-water issue was probably the reason it wasn’t sticking. I also didn’t slam the clay onto the wheel hard enough to make it stick.

Another challenge I discovered with throwing was in shaping the clay once I created a hole in the center. I was struggling to apply even pressure as I pinched between my fingers. I also struggled with maintaining a shape I wanted, instead my bowl turned into a plate as it continually got wider.

Surprises

It was surprising how few instructions were required for both wheel throwing and pinch pots. I feel that to succeed in working with ceramics it’s mostly about practice and becoming familiar with the materials than following instructions. That being said, wheel throwing was a challenge for me but also has a sharp learning curve once some time is put in.

Wheel Throwing

Age: High school students

Wheel throwing is more complex when it comes to physical dexterity and instruction. It is messy and requires more tools and clay to navigate. Wheel throwing also requires a throwing wheel. Due to all of the required skills and materials, this is a good lesson for upper grade levels.

Wheel throwing is also more open ended then the pinch pots would be. This method has a sharp learning curve, so students can achieve a sense of success after failure and frustration pretty quickly.

This method would open up a series of potential lessons around ceramics. Once students have a few classes worth of learning and mastering the skills and have created general bowls, pots, cups, they can move on to more complex work.

One interesting lesson prompt could be to combine two objects into one with clay (example: an animal + a teacup).