2nd Grade Art, Urban and Rural Animal Sculptures, Lesson 3

TITLE: Urban and Rural Animal Sculptures

OBJECTIVE: Through the malleable quality of clay (rolling, flattening, 
cutting, bending, squishing, scoring, slipping, sealing) students will 
learn different ways to model the clay to make a strong form in the 
representation of animals.

ACTIVITY: Students will make urban or rural animals out of the clay.

MATERIALS: wet air-dry clay, canvas boards, popsicle sticks, wooden 
dowel tools, IMAGES of clay animals made by  variety of artists.

MOTIVATIONAL DIALOGUE:
* Artists, whose job is to make art, sometimes make sculptures of 
animals.  Who has an idea what a sculpture is?  Why do you think artists 
might make sculptures of animals?
* What details did the artist include to help us recognize the animal? 
(show a few examples)
* Who can remind us what we talked about and drew last week?  (Urban 
and rural animals)
* Who can remind us what an urban animals is?  How about a rural animal?
* Well, today your challenge is going to be to create a clay sculpture 
of an urban or rural animal.
* I am going to show you one way to make a strong animal out of one 
piece of clay.
* If I smush 2 pieces of  clay together like this, it will far apart and 
that would be sad.  
* (DEMO – draw each step before do it)  But if I Make a thick piece of 
clay the shape of an egg or a potato and use a popsicle stick to cut out 
the animal and my fingers to smush details it will be strong.
* 1st step – make a potato or egg shape.  Not flat but a form like this.
* 2nd step -  squeeze the top end of the potato shape to make a head for 
my animal.
* 3rd step – cut a plus sign on the body of the animal like this.
* 4th step – put my thumb in the middle and pinch put each leg.
* Keep the legs as thick as your pinkies so they wont fall off when they 
dry.  That would be sad.
* I have a general animal shape.  To make it into a specific animal I 
need to add details.  Just like details are important in reading details 
are also important in art.
* Who has an idea what I mean by details?  
* Let’s say we were going to make a cat.  What details do I need to add 
to make it look like a cat versus a horse or a turtle?  (DEMO ADDING 
DETAILS)
* How does a cat feel when you touch it?  What is the animal covered in?  
How can we show that texture in the clay?  How might we show whiskers?  
(draw on with a wooden dowel tool)
* Remember the rules with working with clay are:
* No throwing the clay in the air 
* Keep your clay on the white board – not on the table.
* Do not put clay purposely on yourself or anyone else.
* And remember to make the legs and tails no thinner then your pinky or 
they wont fall off.  And that would be sad.
* We will keep your sculptures today, and if you’re really good today 
and do a fabulous clean up, you will get to paint your animals next time.

LOGISTICS:  Captains will help with set up and clean up.  The students 
will have 30-35 minutes to work.  When they are done, they will write 
their name on a piece of tape and put it on a tray by their sculpture

CLOSURE: 
* Which animal did you choose to make?
* What details did you add so we would recognize it? 
* What techniques did you use to make your clay animal? Pinching, 
coiling, pulling, attaching?

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