The Making of Pottery
"Looking into the Past"

Summary:
This activity gives the student the opportunity to be creative while studying the difference in form and function.

TEKS:
The student will be able to:

Science

(6.2,c) analyze and interpret information to construct reasonable explanations from direct and indirect evidence

(6.3,d) evaluate the impact of research on scientific thought, society, and the environment

Social Studies

(6.15, b) describe some traits that define cultures

(96.19,a) explain the relationships that exist between societies and their architecture, art, music, and literature

Materials:

• Broken pieces of plain and designed pottery
• Hand lens
• Tan clay
• Water base paints (various colors)

Procedure:

1. Have students observe the pottery pieces using the hand lens. Determine if the piece is functional or stylistic.
2. After carefully examination of pieces, have students create their own pottery
3. Give each student a piece of clay
4. Have student mold clay into pottery. (The design and style is student choice)
5. Clay may be baked or seat out overnight/several days to dry
6. Using water paints and design to pottery.
7. Have students exchange pieces of pottery
8. Students will evaluate exchanged pottery

Questions:

• What do function and style mean?
• How would you tell the difference between the pieces of pottery?
• What type of pottery did you create?
• Was your piece functional or stylistic?
• Evaluate the exchanged pottery using the following criteria:
  Good Fair Poor
  Identifiable
  Design
  Appearance
  Function

Evaluation:
Written answers to above questions, lab procedure check list, product and rubric

Expanding the Lesson:
The lesson may be expanded my doing tests to determine if pottery will hold water.

By having students piece broken pieces together to try to recreate pottery.

Back to Looking into the Past

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Revised: December 22, 1999