Clay Whistles

Fifth Grade Art Lesson
6 Class Periods

Clay Whistles, Fifth Grade Art Lesson

Day 1:

To begin this lesson we defined the word ocarina.  An ocarina is a simple wind instrument (whistle).  We looked at a very brief powerpoint that showed examples of ocarinas and discussed the history behind this simple instrument.

Students watched the video: Whistle While You Sculpt by Paul Guion.  We paused several times during the video to discuss the steps of creating a whistle and to look more closely at the numerous ideas presented within the 13 minute DVD.

Day 2:

On the second day of this lesson we took detailed notes on the steps we viewed from the video and discussed the following vocabulary words: incising, applique, score, slip, greenware, bisqueware, and kiln.

Notes in sketchbook.

Students used the rest of the class period to brainstorm ideas for their project.


Day 3 & 4:

Students used these days to construct their whistle out of clay.  Students followed along through demonstration on how to construct the overall whistle.  Details and designs were added on their own.

All whistles were tested before allowing them to reach the greenware stage.

Day 5 & 6:

After firing in the kiln, whistles were painted with acrylic paint.  Proper brush care and amount of paint were stressed in instruction.  Students wrapped up the lesson by filling out a self-evaluation on the project.

 

Student filling out self-evaulation form.

Examples of Student Work: