Clay Vessels. Education Resource Kit Prepared by Harbourfront Centre School Visits Educators. School Visits Programme Grades 2-12

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1 Clay Vessels Education Resource Kit Prepared by Harbourfront Centre School Visits Educators School Visits Programme Grades

2 Welcome to Harbourfront Centre! Thank you for choosing to visit Harbourfront Centre! We offer programmes that are interactive and fun, and that appeal to a variety of learning styles. Harbourfront Centre is an innovative, non-profit cultural organization which provides internationally renowned programming in the arts, culture, education and recreation, all within a collection of distinctive venues in the heart of Toronto's downtown waterfront. We trust that you will enjoy your stay with us, and that we will see you again in the future, whether for another school visit, or for one of our many other exciting events. The Structure of Your Visit When you arrive at Harbourfront Centre, you will be greeted by one of our representatives. At this time, payment will be taken care of. You will then be introduced to your instructors for the day, and taken to your classroom. Your class will then receive a brief introduction to Harbourfront Centre and then your program will begin. Clay Vessels Using a variety of techniques (slab, pinch pot, and coil), students will create their own clay vessel. They will learn about the history and the use of clay vessels around the world, from Greek amphorae to contemporary craft. How to use this Kit This kit has been created to compliment our program and give you an opportunity to extend your classes learning across the curriculum. This kit includes: Pre-Visit Activities: The pre-visit activities are useful for activating your students prior knowledge of the topic of your visit. They will introduce your class to some of the topics that will be covered in order to make some of the discussions even richer. On-Site Assessment Tools: During your visit you will have the opportunity to stand back and observe your students. We have provided some tools here to help you assess their learning. Post-Visit Activities: These activities will give you the opportunity to capitalize on the excitement that your students will feel towards the topics explored during their visit to Harbourfront Centre. The activities will make a number of cross-curricular connections, and will provide further opportunity for assessment. Links to Learning: This section will provide you with a variety of resources that will be helpful to you should you decide to continue exploring the topics covered in your visit. 2

3 Pre-visit Activities The following lessons are for use before your visit to Harbourfront Centre. The intention of these lessons is to activate the prior knowledge of your students and to briefly introduce some of the ideas that will be covered during your session. These activities, of course, are not mandatory, but will enrich the discussions that your students will engage in with our instructors, and the overall Harbourfront Centre School Visits experience. Activity #1 Overview Students will learn what a vessel is and will identify vessels that are used in their everyday lives. Curriculum Links The Arts Visual Arts Social Studies Heritage and Citizenship Traditions and Celebrations Social Studies Heritage and Citizenship Ancient Civilizations Canadian and World Studies Materials needed Chart Paper Vessel Search Worksheet Activation 1. Explain to your students that they will soon be going on a trip to Harbourfront Centre and that while there, they will participate in a program called Clay Vessels. 2. Ask the students to tell you what they know about clay. Record their answers on chart paper. 3. In the program, they will use clay to create vessels. Ask students what they know about vessels. They might not be able to think of anything, in which case you can ask what they think a vessel might be. You can point out one thing that they know already, which is that they can be made from clay. Record their thinking. Exploration 4. Tell the students that a vessel is a hollow receptacle, or container, that is often used to hold liquids. 5. Now that they know exactly what a vessel is, ask if they can think of any examples. Have a couple simple examples ready to show the students (a mug, a jar, etc.). Record their responses. 6. Explain to the students that they will now be doing a vessel search. Show them the Vessel Search worksheet and explain that they will be looking around the class to find example of vessel and will be recording what they are and what their use or function is. You may want to set out a few extra examples if there are not many around the class already. They can also take time to think of vessels they have seen in other places and record those as well. 7. Students can work individually or in pairs to complete their work. Allow them time to move around the classroom and record their thoughts. Closing 8. Have the students gather back together in a group. Ask them to find a partner (or if already in partners, join up with another pair), and have the students share their ideas with the other students. 9. Have students share something that their partner had on their list that surprised them, or that they did not think of themselves. Extension Return to the chart paper from steps 2 and 3. Use a different colour marker to add their new learning to the existing lists. 3

4 Have students continue their search at home. Assessment Assess for participation, prior knowledge of the topic, and understanding of the information discussed. Activity #2 Overview Students will discover the uses of vessels throughout history and will start to plan what they would like their vessel to look like. Curriculum Links The Arts Visual Arts The Arts - Drama Social Studies Heritage and Citizenship Traditions and Celebrations Social Studies Heritage and Citizenship Ancient Civilizations Canadian and World Studies Resources Vessel Planning Vessel Info Cards Activation 1. Review what a vessel is with the class and ask them to provide you with some of the common examples explored in the previous lesson. Ask them to tell you about the form of the vessel (what it looks like, its features), and then to tell you about the function of the vessel (what it is used for) 2. Explain that vessels have been used throughout history and have had many different forms and functions. Tell them that they will be exploring vessels from a few different cultures. Exploration/Artistic Expression 3. There are three different info cards provided in this package. Your approach to them will depend on the grade that you teach or the abilities of your students. The info cards can be used for shared reading, guided reading, or independent research. Provide groups of students with the information cards. Their task is to read the information and make note of the form of the vessels and the function. 4. Once the class has established the form and function of their vessels, explain that they will create a short dramatic skit to present the information to the class. This will mostly focus on the function of the vessels. Explain that the scene should be silent or mimed, and that everyone needs to be a part of it. 5. It would be useful to demonstrate this to the class. Take 3 students aside and tell them that they should curl up and pretend to be seeds. As you walk by you will mime watering them, and they should slowly grow from a seed to a plant. This simple example will help the students understand what their short scene might look like. 6. Give groups time to create their short scenes. Circulate to help keep the groups focused and to do any troubleshooting necessary. 7. For younger students, you may wish to have them express their ideas visually through drawing, or through tear art (ripping small pieces of construction paper and creating a picture using the pieces). Closing 8. Students can present their scenes to the class. Have the audience guess what the function of the vessels were in that culture. 9. Provide students with the Vessel planning sheet. Explain that they should think about the form and function. Also, explain that this is a first draft, because when they learn more about vessels 4

5 and techniques for creating them on their trip, they will be making another sketch. Assessment Assess ability to take information from the materials they have read and express them in another fashion Compare their original sketches to their final plans made during the trip to see if they have incorporated the techniques they learned. 5

6 Vessel Search Name: Date: A vessel is a hollow receptacle, or container, that is often used to hold liquids. Search around your classroom for vessels. Draw them below, and write their function. 6

7 Info Cards Egyptian Canopic Jars Used in the funeral rituals to preserve the viscera (organs) of the deceased after embalming. These vessels were normally made of wood, pottery, faience, cartonnage or (precious) stone. Each jar was dedicated to a specific deity, often referred to as a son of Horus, and contained the embalmed remains of specific organs. Ancient Greek Vessels The colourful vases and pots of the ancient Greeks have survived in large numbers and are today highly prized as collectors' items Ancient Greeks made pottery for everyday use, not for display; the trophies won at games are the exception. Most surviving pottery consists of drinking vessels Painted funeral urns have also been found. Ancient Peruvian Vessels The Moche culture reigned on the north coast of Peru in the years A.D. The most popular vessel form was the traditional stirrup spout vessel Animals and plants of the coast and scenes of human life and mythology were the decorative motifs of the Moche ceramics The scenes of the paint-decorated ceramics are easily interpreted as ceremonial in nature The most important of the religious rituals of the Moche culture was apparently the sacrificial ceremony, in which prisoners of ritual war were sacrificed to gods. 7

8 Vessel Planning Name: Date: It s time to create a rough draft of the vessel you will make during your trip to Harbourfront Centre! Take some time to sketch out what you would like your vessel to look like, and what it might be used for. Form: What will your vessel look like? What will your vessel do? 8

9 Onsite Assessment Tools The following rubric will provide you with an opportunity to observe and assess the participation level of your students during your visit to Harbourfront Centre, as well as to assess the work that they have completed. Take a chance to observe how well students are picking up on the concepts and techniques that are being covered. 9

10 Clay Vessel Rubric Criteria Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Interaction in Group discussion never able to respond to direct questions; never volunteers point of view rarely able to respond to direct questions; rarely volunteers point of view responds occasionally to questions; occasionally volunteers point of view responds frequently to questions; routinely volunteers point of view Listening Skills student does not listen when others talk, and follows few of the instructor s directions. student does not listen when others talk, and sometimes follows the instructor s directions student listens when others talk, and often follows the instructor s directions student listens when others talk, and always follows instructor s directions Use of Techniques Applies few of the skills, concepts and techniques taught. Applies some of the skills, concepts and techniques taught. Applies most of the skills, concepts and techniques taught. Applies all (or almost all) of the skills, concepts and techniques taught. Use of Materials Uses tools, equipment, and materials correctly only with assistance Uses tools, equipment, and materials correctly with frequent assistance Uses tools, equipment, and materials correctly with only occasional assistance Uses tools, equipment, and materials correctly with little or no assistance 10

11 Post-Visit Activities The purpose of these activities is to extend on the learning that took place during your visit to Harbourfront Centre. They are a great opportunity to capitalize on the excitement and passion that your students are likely feeling about the topics they have experienced. Here you will find some structured activities, as well as extension ideas. Activity #1 Overview Students will write a creative history of their vessel explaining its form and function. Curriculum Links The Arts Visual Arts Language - Writing Social Studies Heritage and Citizenship Traditions and Celebrations Social Studies Heritage and Citizenship Ancient Civilizations Canadian and World Studies Materials Needed Clay Vessel Writing Organizer Sheet Activation 1. Ask students to reflect on their experience at Harbourfront Centre. Ask them to explain what you mean by the terms form and function. 2. Ask students to tell you about some of the different vessels that they learned about. What cultures made vessels, and what did they use them for. 3. Ask the students how they think the vessels were discovered. Who found them and how did they know what they were? Let them know that they would likely have been found by archeologists and they would have studied the culture to find out more about the vessels. Creative Writing 4. Explain to students that they will be playing the role of an archeologist and writing about their vessel. Another option is that students can write about someone else s vessel. 5. Remind students that they learned about how the form of a vessel can affect the function. Ask them to give some examples of this. 6. Tell students that they should pretend that they are archeologists and they have found their clay vessel. They can use the Writing Organizer sheet to get their ideas going, and then write a report to present to their fellow students. 7. Allow students time to plan their writing and complete their assignment. Closing 8. Have students present their ideas to the class. The can do this in role as an archeologist presenting their findings to colleagues. Extension Have students set up their vessels and their writing around the class as if it were an art gallery or museum exhibit. Invite other classes to come and see their work. Assessment Assess for understanding of elements covered throughout the lessons and during your trip to Harbourfront Centre. 11

12 Further Extension of Learning Painting Take a closer look at how vessels were painted or decorated throughout history, particularly Ancient Greek and Ancient Peruvian. Have students attempt to paint their vessel in a style they enjoy, or come up with a modern twist. Procedural Writing Have students write the procedure that they followed to create their clay vessel. Have them focus on the techniques followed when working with clay. Research Have students choose one of the cultures discussed throughout the clay vessels unit. Have them conduct further research on the following questions: How do the study of clay vessels and other artifacts teach us about different cultures? How has the creation or use of clay objects changed over time? 12

13 Writing Plan Name: Date: Pretend you are an archeologist! You have discovered an ancient clay vessel. Use the questions below to write a report to share with your colleagues. Where was your vessel found? How did you discover your Vessel? Who created the vessel? How was this vessel used? 13

14 Links to Learning Internet Contemporary Vessels: Stephen Merrit: Clay Vessels Sandra Zeiset Richardson Research Material: Pottery Brief description and history of pottery. Ancient Egyptian Pottery Ancient Greek Pottery: For Kids pottery/greekpots.htm Ancient Peruvian Vessels Videos *available through TDSB Media net Title Clay (973959) Physical Copyrighted 1997 Sound; 13 minutes Producer International Telefilm (2314) Audience Primary (K-3), Junior (4-6), Intermediate (7-8) (PJI) Synopsis We use objects made of clay everyday. How does clay change from muck to beautiful bowls and plates, and model, or even houses? We watch a potter working on a wheel to make a pet feeding bowl, and see how it is fired to make it hard. Why does it have to be fired? An experiment shows that clay would be useless for holding water if it was not fired. The program ends with a song that takes us on journey through the home to look for clay objects. Books The Kids 'n' Clay Ceramics Book: Handbuilding And Wheel-throwing Projects From The Kids 'n' Clay Pottery Studio Author: Kevin Nierman, Elaine Arima Published:February 1, 2000 ISBN - 10: ISBN - 13: It's a fact: most kids love mucking around with clay. And the spread of glaze-it-yourself pottery shops ''round the country has made it easy for young artists to fan the flames of their creativity in the fire of a kiln. Now, any child can find creative fulfillment -- and gloriously messy hands -- in these step-by-step, illustrated pages. Readers will learn how to set up a ceramics studio, make cool gifts and family heirlooms, and fashion their wildest dreams from a simple lump of clay. Extended Learning If you or your students are interested in continuing to work with clay and the creation of sculptures, check out the camps, courses, and workshops that are offered right here at Harbourfront Centre! Courses & Workshops: Camps: 14