Boy oh boy, was this the most brutal (and rewarding) lesson in elementary-level ceramics. This probably should have been obvious, but the more clay construction options a child is confronted with, the more destructive tendencies they will exhibit. Clay is very forgiving to those who know how to fix and shape it - conversely, it is very relentless with the fledgling hand.
BIG IDEA: CORAL REEFS [how they are disappearing and what we could do to help them out]
The students were forced to make democratic decisions during this project: they had to vote on which coral reef component each tablemate would do, how to divide the clay, and then how to design the actual diorama. I was really impressed by their cooperation!
BIG IDEA: CORAL REEFS [how they are disappearing and what we could do to help them out]
The students were forced to make democratic decisions during this project: they had to vote on which coral reef component each tablemate would do, how to divide the clay, and then how to design the actual diorama. I was really impressed by their cooperation!
Students dividing clay equally amongst the tablemates.
Most tables utilized the "pie piece technique", but some just threw their hands up in the air and said, "WE JUST CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT!", at which point I would just ask them to go to a pie table and ask for advice.
Some mistakes (or what I found to be more "careless tendencies") we had to discuss:
So even though a few pieces cracked in the kiln (or on the way to the kiln), the final product ended up turning out just great. The students were excited about working together, proud of their work, and constantly communicating.
Next task to tackle: How to make sure they close their bags during the storage period.
Next task to tackle: How to make sure they close their bags during the storage period.