Exploring Clay Properties

Unit: Creating with Hermannsberg Potters

Lesson 2 of 8

Duration: 90 minutes

Class size: 14 students

Year 9 Art and Design

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Curriculum Alignment (AU_ACARA)

Learning Area: The Arts - Visual Arts, Year 9
Strand: Creating and Making
Content Descriptions:

• AC9AVA8D01: Experiment with visual arts processes and materials to develop skills, including a variety of tactile materials to express ideas and feelings
• AC9AVA8D02: Reflect on how artists respond to material properties to inform own practice, including working with clay and ceramics
• AC9TDE8P01: Analyse and select suitable materials and processes to create designed solutions, considering properties and characteristics
• AC9TDE8K06: Analyse how characteristics and properties of materials affect design and production choices

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify and describe at least three different types of clay, focusing on their texture and malleability.
• Understand how clay properties affect pottery-making techniques and outcomes.
• Explore and manipulate clay samples to experience and articulate tactile qualities.
• Reflect on how property differences influence design decisions in pottery, inspired by Hermannsberg Potters’ traditional techniques.

WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Explore the properties of clay through sensory and hands-on investigation.

Success Criteria

• I can name and describe at least three types of clay.
• I can discuss how differences in clay texture and malleability affect the pottery process.
• I can demonstrate safe and respectful handling of clay materials.

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Differentiation Strategies

• For tactile learners and students with additional sensory needs: Provide varied tactile clay samples (earthenware, stoneware, porcelain) for hands-on exploration to engage kinaesthetic senses directly.
• For students requiring support with reading or terminology: Supply a dyslexia-friendly visual glossary of key terms with illustrations and simple definitions (e.g., “malleability”, “texture”, “porosity”).
• For students with higher ability or ambition: Encourage them to hypothesise how specific properties might influence final pottery forms and to test these by sculpting sample shapes.
• Group work flexibility: Pair students deliberately so peer discussion fosters language development and deeper understanding, supporting diverse communication skills.

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Resources Required

• Sample blocks of different clays: earthenware, stoneware, porcelain.
• Clay tools for texturing and shaping (e.g., wooden modelling tools, sponges).
• Visual aids: images and short videos showing Hermannsberg Potters working with clay.
• Dyslexia-friendly glossaries with illustrations.
• Reflection journals or sketchbooks for note-taking and drawing observations.
• Disposable aprons, wipes, and clay-safe work surfaces.

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Lesson Outline

1. Introduction (15 minutes)

• Engage (Conversation starter): Begin with an interactive group discussion: “What do you think makes clay special for making pottery?”
• Show a brief slideshow/video featuring Hermannsberg Potters shaping clay, highlighting texture and malleability in their work.
• Introduce the lesson WALT and success criteria, linking to students’ prior knowledge from Lesson 1.

2. Exploration & Hands-on Activity (40 minutes)

• Divide students into small groups (3-4).
• Each group receives samples of different clays to touch, squish, and experiment with.
• Task 1: Manipulate each clay type to note differences in softness, stickiness, and texture.
• Task 2: Use clay tools to create different textural effects on samples. Encourage experimentation with stretching, pressing, scoring, and smoothing.
• Circulate to ask guiding questions:
  • “How easy or hard is it to shape this clay?”
  • “What happens when you try to smooth it out?”
  • “Which clay feels best for making pots? Why?”

3. Group Discussion and Reflection (20 minutes)

• Regroup to share findings. Facilitate a class conversation about the clays’ differences and potential effects on pottery design and firing.
• Introduce key terminology alongside student observations (texture, malleability, porosity, plasticity).
• Model and scaffold language use by prompting students to describe and compare clays orally, encouraging use of vocabulary from the dyslexia-friendly glossary.

4. Individual Reflection & Sketching (10 minutes)

• Ask students to record observations and draw quick sketches of the textures and effects they explored in their journals/sketchbooks.
• For dyslexic or struggling writers, offer to record their oral descriptions or submit annotated sketches instead.

5. Wrap-up & Next Steps (5 minutes)

• Summarise key learning points and remind students how this exploration connects to making pots like Hermannsberg Potters.
• Preview next lesson: applying understanding of clay properties to start forming simple pottery shapes.
• Provide positive feedback and encourage curiosity.

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Assessment

Formative throughout the lesson:

• Teacher observation of student engagement with materials and vocabulary use during discussions.
• Review of students’ journal/sketchbook entries for clear descriptions of clay properties and reflective thinking.
• Peer feedback during group sharing, ensuring respectful listening and contribution.

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Additional Notes

• Use conversational teaching style encouraging open-ended questions and peer interaction, supporting the teacher’s preference for learning through conversations and playfulness.
• Create a safe, tactile-friendly environment where students feel comfortable exploring without fear of making mistakes.
• Embed Indigenous perspectives by respectfully linking Hermannsberg Potters’ traditional knowledge with material properties and cultural significance.
• Consider a sensory calm-down corner for any student overwhelmed by tactile sensations, with alternative activities linked to visual or auditory aspects of pottery.

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This lesson plan fully integrates AU_ACARA Visual Arts and Technologies guidelines for Year 9, emphasising materials understanding and practical exploration, matched to students’ developmental stage and diverse learning needs, fostering curiosity and cultural appreciation through hands-on discovery.