Clay Germs

It's that time of year! Germs are everywhere. People are sneezing and coughing-yuck! Fourth graders used germs as inspiration for a clay project. The first week the learning target was "I can use sketching to generate ideas." We looked at pictures of germs taken under a microscope as well as a handful of images of artist interpretations of germs. Students made six sketches of germs. The following week we discussed how artists can either use one sketch or combine elements of many to create a final product. The students were excited to turn their sketches into clay masterpieces. The clay germs began as pinch pots on their side. We had a quick review our learning target "I can explore clay skills: hollowing, pinching, slab and attaching two pieces of clay" the students were off! Our germs ended up with teeth, multiple eyes, tongues, arms-imaginations ran wild! After drying for a week the germs will go into the kiln, fired and be ready to glaze!

I saw this great idea on John Post's art education website.