Wednesday, May 28, 2014

5th Grade Clay Tiki Mugs





Tiki Cat!

Without having a student teacher this year, I actually was able to fit in a 5th grade clay project! It had been a couple of years since I had done clay with 5th grade simply because I ran out of days in the school year.  

 For this project, I went back to a lesson I wrote several years back about tiki mugs. They were easy to construct since 5th grade students had done slab construction in 4th grade. The big educational addition to this project was the idea of both additive and subtractive sculpture with a slab form. 

 Students all designed their own tiki faces and used a variety of clay tools to create the finished mug. Students who were most successful used loop tools to carve away details for their mugs. The loop tools just make wider and deeper lines than our other clay tools. They wind up being more visible after glaze has been applied. 

 Download my lesson plan!

at

9 comments:

  1. ArtMuseMay 28, 2014 at 4:17 PM

    These are great! I have a few questions though...when the slabs were rolled out did the students begin creating their faces when the slabs were flat or did they roll them first and then begin adding and subtracting the pieces? If they rolled the slabs into the mug shape first, did any of the kids have trouble keeping the mug shape while carving the face?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Zach StollerMay 29, 2014 at 10:12 AM

    Thanks! The slabs were rolled first before anything else was done. Once they were rolled, the can was removed and the bottom was put on. Once the bottom was on, the mugs retained their shape pretty well. I let the clay dry out slightly to help with that, too. I also kept the cans out so they could put one in while they were working.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ArtMuseMay 30, 2014 at 8:37 PM

    Ahh, I see, thanks for the help!

    ReplyDelete
  4. tovias8June 9, 2014 at 3:11 PM

    These are awesome! I want to go back in time to have time make these this year. But my fifth graders will love it next year! Thanks for sharing, your site is phenomenal.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousApril 10, 2015 at 3:18 PM

    Would you be able to share your tiki keynote ?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Zach StollerApril 10, 2015 at 3:35 PM

    Sure. If you send me or leave your email address I'll send it to you directly. I've never had success posting the Keynote as a file. It doesn't do well with Google docs.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Rosewood Elementary ArtSeptember 30, 2015 at 9:45 AM

    I would love to see your Tiki Keynote .... my 6th graders drew their own tikis and will now translate that into a tiki mug! rkunnen@jpsonline.org

    Awesome project!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AmyJanuary 28, 2018 at 4:01 PM

    I can't wait to try this great lesson! Would you share your keynote?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Zach StollerJanuary 30, 2018 at 2:22 PM

    Amy,
    If you send me your email address, I'll send over the Keynote!

    ReplyDelete