Of earth, water, and fire: World pottery traditions

In this lesson, a photo analysis activity helps students learn about pottery traditions from around the world. Students discuss how these traditions are similar to and different from one another.

A lesson plan for grades 6–8 Visual Arts Education and Social Studies

By Eric Eaton

In Seagrove, North Carolina, a potter works in his studio. North Carolina is one of many places in the world with a rich pottery tradition. (Image source. More about the photograph)

Creating a “habit of learning”

Photo analysis activities have become an increasingly important part of my teaching. Students need to be given opportunities to analyze photographs, political cartoons, paintings, etc. to help them look at such media more critically. Doing in-depth analysis of photographs can help students better connect to and understand the world around them.

Visual analysis should not be done in isolation, but throughout the year in various units of study in addition to other topical lessons and activities. After introducing this learning tool and having students complete several photo analysis activities, students will begin to create a “habit of learning” and will look at things more critically and analytically on their own.

Always encourage students to provide evidence for their observations just as you would in their essay writing and in-depth research.

Making connections

Teachers may include comparisons and contrasts of other cultures and their pottery methods, designs, and techniques. Examples are readily found on the internet and in book resources.

Integrating social studies and the arts

I like to engage students in hands-on and kinesthetic activities as often as possible. I also like to integrate the arts into my lessons. The pottery project is optional, but is a good way to provide an alternative way to engage students while learning about the cultures of distant and not-so-distant places.

Learn more

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• A magic carpet ride: Exploring carpet weaving in India: In this lesson, a photo analysis activity helps students learn about carpet weaving in India. Students discuss how this tradition compares to the weaving traditions of other cultures.
• Threads through South America: Weaving in Ecuador: This lesson for grade six takes a look at the weaving and textiles created in the Andes of Ecuador in and near the town of Otavalo. In addition to learning about Ecuadorian weaving, students may also create their own woven artifact.

Related topics

• Learn more about Asia, Colombia, India, Mexico, Nepal, North Carolina, South America, arts, crafts, culture, geography, photograph analysis, pottery, social studies, visual literacy, and world cultures.

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In this lesson students will analyze and discuss the pottery traditions of various world cultures through a photographic journey showing various aspects of the pottery-making process. Students will consider similarities and differences in pottery-making and pottery styles in India, Colombia, Mexico, Nepal, and even North Carolina. This lesson is not an in-depth study of pottery and pottery styles, but rather a general overview of pottery and how cultures around the world share similarities in their cultural expressions through art and craft.

This lesson focuses on the middle grades social studies curriculum and includes goals from the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for language arts and visual arts. It may also be incorporated into upper elementary, visual arts classes, and any study of world cultures.

Learning outcomes

Students will:

• gain a better understanding of how traditional arts and crafts are still important parts of global cultures today
• learn how, despite cultural and political differences, common traditions and activities exist around the globe
• learn to analyze photos to learn the traditions of global cultures such as India, Mexico, Colombia, Nepal, and North Carolina

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

One to two class periods (approximately 60 to 90 minutes; longer if extension activities are included)

Materials needed

• Pottery traditions photo analysis worksheet
• Pottery images:
  • Colombia:
    • Earthenware pot collection in Medellin, Colombia
  • India:
    • A potter at work near Jodhpur,India
    • A potter near Jodhpur, India, turning the wheel with a stick
    • Potter in India
  • Mexico:
    • Clay pots in Irapuato, Mexico
    • Assorted pots in Irapuato, Mexico
  • Nepal:
    • Child and pottery in Nepal
  • North Carolina:
    • A potter working in Seagrove, NC
    • Pottery workshop
    • Clay grinding and clay grinder of modern pottery
    • North Carolina pottery center in Seagrove
    • Cherokee woman and pottery
• Computer with projector and internet access to project photos or student computers with internet access or color copies of photos selected for lesson (one copy for each student)
• Optional: PowerPoint or similar program to show the images individually or together
• The following additional materials may be needed if the optional art project extension is included:
  • clay
  • molds
  • simple pottery making tools

Pre-activities

The activities in this lesson should be part of a larger study of one of the countries or regions discussed, but this lesson may be used as part of a general study of cultures.

• Prepare copies of the photo analysis worksheet for students. You will need multiple copies of the worksheet depending on how many photos you analyze. Feel free to create your own photo analysis questions, but keep in mind that you want to use a variety of higher-order thinking questions.
• Prepare the images: If you’re using a multimedia projector, prepare the images that accompany this lesson in order to project them. You can project the images directly from the LEARN NC website, but you may find it easier to manipulate the photos by putting them on a PowerPoint slide or interactive whiteboard when projecting them to the class. If a multimedia projector is not available, prepare the images in a folder to load on individual student computers, or prepare enough copies of the photos for students to use (color copies would be ideal).
• If you are unfamiliar with the techniques and processes involved in making pottery, familiarize yourself by exploring and reading about the subject. Not all pottery is made on a wheel; other techniques include hand-forming and using molds. The suggestions below will help you understand the processes involved in various pottery styles:
  • Read the captions to the photos used in this lesson plan.
  • Read about pottery-making on the web. Several suggested websites, including some with step-by-step process, are listed under “Websites” below.
  • Watch videos about pottery-making. YouTube provides some great videos of the process, including pottery-making in other parts of the world, such as rural India and Mexico. Go to YouTube and search for “pottery making in rural India” or “pottery making in Mexico.”
  • For scientific and historical perspectives on clay and pottery-making in North Carolina, visit LEARN NC’s Clays of the Piedmont virtual field trip.
• Familiarize yourself with the countries pictured in the photos used in this lesson by reading about them on websites such as the CIA World Factbook. A good place to begin is by locating the city and country where each photo was taken on Google Earth. For example, look up Jodhpur, India, to locate where the pottery in some of the photos is made.
• Introduce students to pottery as an example of an activity that we may think of as unique to only one country or region, but that actually is expressed in similar ways in many places around the world. To help students understand pottery-making, introduce them to the critical vocabulary for this lesson. Share with students some background information on the pottery-making process to help them understand this rich cultural tradition. It is also important to help students appreciate the labor and craftsmanship put into these creations. There is a lot more involved in pottery than just shaping clay into a pot!
• Familiarize students with the geographic areas depicted in the photos by having them locate the countries, as well as the specific areas studied in this lesson, on a map or Google Earth. Discuss basic facts such as regions, climate, culture, and language groups.
• Familiarize students with analysis of photographs through various levels of questioning. Teachers should read the professional articles on LEARN NC about photo analysis, visual literacy, and teaching with photos to become more familiar with this valuable teaching tool.

Activities

1. Hand out copies of the pottery-making photo analysis sheet. Note: The questions on the photo analysis sheet favor pictures that show action or the actual pottery-making process. If you are viewing a photo of a piece of pottery, you will need to modify the questions to reflect looking at an object and describing its size, shape, color, symbols used, intended use of the object, etc.
2. Prep students about the lesson activity and the photo analysis process. Tap their prior knowledge by briefly and generally discussing types of pottery and the pottery-making process. Questions may include:
   • Have you ever seen pottery being made?
   • What was it like? Describe the colors and designs you saw.
   • What tools did the potter use?
   • Was the pottery for everyday use or for decoration?
   • What do you think the steps are in making a piece of pottery? (gathering clay, grinding clay, wedging the clay, molding or throwing the clay on a wheel, drying, glazing, firing, etc.)
   • Why is pottery glazed?
   • Have you ever seen pottery made in North Carolina? What did it look like?
   • Did you know that pottery-making is a tradition found in many countries of the world?
3. Choose a picture or pictures of pottery and pottery-making from the selection provided in the materials list above.
4. Project one photo at a time for students to study and complete the analysis. You may find it easier to manipulate the photos by putting them on a PowerPoint slide or interactive whiteboard when projecting them to the class. Give students approximately 15-20 minutes to study and answer the analysis questions for one photograph. You will need multiple copies of the photo analysis sheet depending on how many photos you analyze. Feel free to create your own photo analysis questions, but keep in mind that you want to use a variety of higher order thinking questions.
5. To add to this lesson activity, project or show students photos that are similar in subject, but from different countries. For example, show students pottery examples from India, Mexico, and North Carolina. Have students draw comparisons and find contrasts among the photos. Discuss and emphasize how countries a half a world away have similar traditions and cultures, even similar to cultures and traditions here in North Carolina.
6. Discussion: Discussing the photos with students is tremendously important. Do not end the activity without allowing students to explain their answers. Use the students’ observations and written responses as a springboard for class discussion. Do not limit yourself by just having students give a verbal answer to the questions on the analysis sheet. Use their answers as stimuli for further questioning that is not on the sheet. Consistently encourage students to support their answers with evidence from the photos.

   As you discuss the questions provided on the photo analysis worksheet, add additional questions. It’s also a good idea to show students various other photos in the pottery collection. Try to get students to draw connections and similarities between differing cultures — including their own. Possible questions include:

   • What similarities do you notice among all of the pottery-related pictures?
   • What did you see in the photos that surprised you?
   • Did you change your mind about how you view other cultures or people?
   • What similarities did you see in the photos with your own life and life here in North Carolina?
   • Why do you think the pottery-making tradition is still carried out today in an age of modern materials such as plastics, glass, and metal?

Assessment

You, the teacher, are the best judge of your students’ learning levels and abilities. As you begin the lesson, make students aware on what and how they will be graded.

Assess student responses and adjust questioning and activities as needed. Students can be graded on completeness of work and participation during discussion. You may also gauge students’ level of thinking and understanding of photographs through the photo analysis activities and the ability of students to completely and thoughtfully answer questions on various levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

It is encouraged to have students use photo analysis activities several times throughout the year to help students create a “habit of learning” on what to look for when analyzing photographs and documents.

Learning rubrics can be developed through Rubistar.

Modifications and alternative assessments

For students with certain learning disabilities, you may opt to accept verbal responses rather than written responses for the analysis of photographs.
You may also want to give students the captions for the photos to help guide them in their understanding of what they are seeing. Having students support their ideas with evidence from the photos is still encouraged.

Extensions

Because students may have a better appreciation for pottery-making through a more hands-on approach, you may want to extend this lesson by having students create a simple pottery item. It may be beneficial to coordinate a project with the visual arts teacher to have students create pieces of pottery. Students can make pottery without a wheel by making simple coiled pots or pinch pots. Air dry clay or modeling clay available at craft stores can be used to allow students to have a “feel” for making an object from a natural material. Allow students to create pottery pieces and paint them to display in their own classroom “gallery” or display area in the school.

You may also want to contact a local pottery or university art department to invite a potter to demonstrate pottery methods and techniques.

Websites

• Background information about pottery:
  • Clays of the Piedmont, a LEARN NC virtual field trip, introduces the scientific and historic uses of clay in the pottery of North Carolina
  • Ceramics Today website — provides articles and photos of various pottery styles, including the Korean Ongii potters and the potters of Istalif Afghanistan
  • Why on Earth Do They Call It Throwing? — article on the origins of words related to pottery, from the Ceramics Today website.
  • Pottery Tutorial: A Beginners Guide to the Art of Ceramics — a step-by-step tutorial on how to make pottery, with helpful photos.
  • The North Carolina Pottery Center offers a few photos and background history of the pottery traditions of Seagrove, North Carolina.
  • The Seagrove Area Potters Association website provides photos of pottery produced in Seagrove, North Carolina.
  • North Carolina & Catawba Valley Pottery — article presenting research about and photos of various pottery traditions in North Carolina
  • How to Make Pottery, from the Out of the Fire Studio website, provides a series of video clips showing the pottery-making process.
  • Answers.com entry about pottery
  • Ancient and Medieval Pottery, from the History for Kids website, includes a YouTube video showing the making of pottery in San Marcos, Mexico.
  • YouTube has several videos showing various artisans and craftsmen from around the world making pottery in various methods. Search for “pottery making” or “pottery making in rural India” to locate the videos. If your school’s computer system has YouTube filtered, you may do a download on your own computer and save to show the class. Always preview videos for content before showing students!
• CIA World Factbook
• Google Earth (Basic edition available for free download.)
• Rubric maker from Rubistar
• Articles on photo analysis and Bloom’s Taxonomy from LEARN NC

Critical vocabulary

wheel

a rounded platform, powered by human strength or electricity, that spins in order to shape clay into pottery. Some wheels use sticks to spin the wheel (such as in India), while other wheels are kicked to keep them spinning. A wheel is not necessary to make pottery.

throwing

the actions at the potters wheel of turning a piece of clay on the wheel to shape it; also referred to as turning

traditional

having been done for many years and passed down from generation to generation

kiln

an oven used for baking clay pottery

glaze

a mixture of minerals painted on pottery to create colors; or a slick, glassy texture on a piece of pottery