Clay...

Foolishly, I planned clay lessons for both 7th and 8th grade at the same time. If I taught all ceramics in a ceramics designated space this wouldn't be such a disaster. As of today, my room has been the d-zone (dusty, dirty, and delicate)for 7 school days.

I am extremely fortunate to teach in a building that has a functioning kiln.  This is not the case for some of the other schools in my district.  I am also extremely lucky to have access to a slab roller and a great collection of glazes.  So despite the mess, I feel very fortunate to be equipped to provide my students with this experience. 

The 8th graders have been working on a hand-built slab mug during this project.  The mug is a common project that I have done with classes in the past.  This year, I decided to add some fun to the mug by incorporating a sculpture in the bottom of the mug - I can't take credit for this ingenious idea as I saw it first on Pinterest...  Each student was asked to identity a "Personal Demon" - a personality trait that challenges them in behavior or thought.  The students created sketches of the demon that made use of symbolism.  The results are both enlightening and humorous.  We are still drying out the clay to prepare for firing so I don't have photos to share yet.  I'm really excited about this activity and look forward to its completion.