Ms.

Bolintineanu
Clay Unit Overview and Texture Pendant Lesson Plan
Cielo Azul Elementary School
Kindergarten

Lesson Overview
Students will learn how to handle clay and use several basic clay tools in this introductory
lesson. Students will learn how (and why) to wedge clay, how to roll it into a ball, how to
flatten it, and how to use textured items to leave an imprint on their clay pendant. They will
also learn the basic steps of the clay firing and glazing process while choosing their own
glazes. If time, students will also make beads to accompany their pendants. (If time is a
constraint, teacher may make beads to be fired and glazed for students to add later).

Objectives:
Students will:
1. Wedge their own clay ball to remove air bubbles.
2. Learn how to evenly flatten their pendant using basic clay tools.
3. Choose whether to cut the pendant by hand or use a clay cutter (optional).
4. Demonstrate understanding of basic clay firing and glazing procedures.
5. Use art materials and supplies neatly and safely.

New Mexico Visual Arts Standards Addressed (K-1):

1.1A.2

Explore the use of lines, shapes and other art elements for image making.

1.1B.1

Use a variety of art materials and related skills.

1.1C.1

Take care of classroom art materials.

4.4B.1

Describe the process of creating ones work of art.

5.5A.1

Identify and describe what the student sees in his/her own work and the work of others
(e.g., subject matter, design elements, expressive qualities and materials used in works of art
and in the student's own art).

Preparation:
Samples, handouts, and other guides
Completed samples of a pendant (teacher can wear one)
Posters or white board drawings illustrating different clay techniques and
firing/glazing processes
Glaze samples
Photos of explosions and glaze runoff in kiln

Art Supplies and Materials

Clay
Glaze
Texture tools
Wooden rods for creating holes and etching name
Rolling pin or other flattening tools
Yarn
Beads (optional)
Plastic for covering wet clay
Drying boards
Modeling clay (optional- for students who finish early)

Vocabulary:
Texture: the feel of a surface; to give a surface a rough or raised texture
Wedge: the act of kneading and rolling clay to work out any air bubbles
Fire: cooking the clay at extremely high temperatures to try and harden the clay to
ceramic.
Clay: soft, moldable organic material (earth) that is fired at high temperature and
chemically altered to create functional and decorative ceramic items.
Ceramic: heat resistant, hardened, inorganic material that clay becomes once fired.
Glaze: applied like paint to ceramic but composed of chemical compounds that melt
and change composition to become hard, glasslike, and colorful after firing.
Bisque firing: the first firing of clay that serves to chemically change the clay into
ceramic. This firing is done without glaze.
Glaze firing: After glaze has been applied, this firing serves to chemically alter the
glaze, creating a colorful glasslike appearance.

Lesson Overview
Day 1: Students will watch a demonstration, learning about the basics of clay handling
before receiving clay balls. Each student will receive two clay balls for practice. Students
will practice wedging both pieces of clay and learn about keeping their clay moist to avoid
cracks. Students will flatten, use texture tools to decorate, and add a small hole to their
pendants for stringing yarn through once they have been fired. At the end of the hour, Ms. B
will carve their name and grade into the back of their pendant for firing. If time, students
will be given additional clay to make beads.

Day 2: After the pendants have been fired, students will watch a demonstration and lesson
on glazing. Students will learn how glaze artwork in a kiln, and why you should never glaze
the bottom or sides of your clay project. We will review this concept by looking at photos of
mistakes made by students in the kiln. If time, students will be given additional clay to
make beads.

Day 3: Students will finish glazing. Free art time will be given to students who finish early.
A possibility (material permitting) will be experimenting with modeling clay. Anything
created with modeling clay will be sent home with the student that day.