Curated OER
Native American Storyteller Figure
Third graders explore cultures that use clay figures in the art of storytelling. They discover the importance of cultural history being passed through generations. They also form their own storyteller from a clay figure.
Curated OER
Who am I Mobile: Ceramics
A getting-to-know-you activity that is perfect for the beginning of the year! Kids craft their portrait out of clay, then make a mobile by dangling ceramic representations of things they love. This project builds self-awareness, motor...
Curated OER
Horse Character: Ceramics Lesson
Animals oftentimes elicit various characteristics which make them symbolic or representative of human feeling, action, or emotion. The class creates horse characters out of clay to show character action and symbolism. This is a great...
Missoula Art Museum
Dance with Your Fingers, Draw with Your Toes
Pair dancing, music, and art into one elementary lesson. Using the work of Henri Matisse and Rudy Autio as inspiration, kids spend a few days listening to music that fits the moods of various pieces of art, then work on their own...
Curated OER
A Garden of Learners
Students decorate a clay pot with a variety of craft and clay materials and a craft stick with their photographs. They decorate and label their clay pot with their name, school, year, and designs, then sculpt fruits and vegetables using...
Curated OER
A Sculpted Fiesta Feast
Fifth graders study the Mexican History. In this World History lesson, 5th graders create a traditional Mexican feast using sculpting clay and paint.
Curated OER
Barns and Silos
Students build a barn or silo out of clay. In this sculpting lesson, students plan and design a barn or silo and follow step-by-step directions in order to create their finished product out of clay.
Curated OER
Octopus Project: Ceramics
Kids make an octopus out of clay. They practice their sculpting and modeling skills such as pinch pot and slurry technique while sculpting an octopus.
Curated OER
Sculpting a Modern Hero
Sixth graders examine the sculpture of the Greek hero Herakles (Hercules). In this Ancient History instructional activity, 6th graders discuss how heroes were depicted and what it meant to be a hero in ancient Greece. ...
Curated OER
From Mud to Masterpiece: Individual Clay Mosaic Relief Murals Inspired by Rudy Autio's Public Murals
Students create clay mosaic relief murals as analysis of Abstract Expressionism. In this clay art lesson, students analyze the abstract expressionist art of Rudy Autio and create their own clay mural using fire clay and glazes. Students...
Curated OER
Transformation
Students discover visual arts by participating in a sculpting activity. In this artistic expression lesson, students examine some of the more famous sculptures in world history by utilizing the Internet. Students utilize clay, paper...
Curated OER
Friendship Portraits
Students explore sculpture. In this lesson about sculpting, students create a portrait bust. Students choose a classmate to make a bust of and apply all of the necessary elements to their bust. Students will have a better understanding...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan: A Miniature Game
Art inspires art, as children work to understand artistic forms that come from the imagination. They analyze the installation piece, Fox Games and then discuss the design process. They then use clay to create imaginative dioramas,...
Curated OER
Modern Figure Sculpture
Alberto Giacometti is a renowned sculpture, made popular by his "tall, gaunt" figures. His sculptures have been interpreted in many ways: representing isolation, Holocaust victims, or of one standing against adversity. Giacometti says...
California Academy of Science
Fish Forms
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you can add art to any lesson! While little learners are discovering why fish have specific body parts such as, scales, fins, and gills, they start making three-dimensional fish forms. Children...
National Gallery of Canada
Reading Sculptures
Consider the elements and principles of design closely while examining works of art. Learners select an image from the provided pieces to write about in relation to the elements and principles of design. They then sketch and sculpt their...
Polar Trec
Identifying Sea Ice
Sea ice contains 17 sub-types based on age and various characteristics. Scholars observe ice floating in a simulated ocean and record their observations. Then, they view photographs of different types of sea ice and learn to...
Curated OER
Plates Everybody Can Make
Young scholars create hand-built plates. In this sculpting lesson plan, students use textured slab molds and plate drape molds to create a plate. Young scholars use texture tools and paint to design their plate.
Curated OER
Creative Glass Casting
Learners carve clay and create glass art. In this glass casting lesson plan, students use a kiln to fire up clay and make glass into the clay sculpture they created.
Curated OER
Biography of Robert Arneson
Students read and analyze the clay sculpture art of Robert Arneson and create their own clay sculpture. In this clay sculpture lesson, students create a three-dimensional relief sculpture of a face and experiment with creating emotional...
Curated OER
Dinosaur Party
Students explore dinosaurs. In this dinosaurs lesson, students view a PowerPoint presentation and write 2 or 3 facts about their favorite dinosaur. Students sculpt a figure of this dinosaur using modeling clay. Students...
Curated OER
Theme Sculptures: Offering Reconciliation
Students create 3-dimensional works in clay. In this sculpture lesson, students discuss a theme and create a sculpture based on that theme. Students express personal ideas and feelings through the arts.
Curated OER
Sculpted, Painted Balsa-Foam African Masks
Students create an African mask. For this African art lesson, students use Balsa-Foam and acrylic paints to construct an African mask. Students carve out the facial features and seal it with a coat of Gesso.
Curated OER
Texture Sculpture
Students explore a variety of everyday objects and group them according to their textures. They create a clay portrait, learning how to manipulate the material and tools to create different textures.