If you haven't heard of Barbara Reid before, you need to! She writes and illustrates picture books. The unique thing, is that she uses clay for all the pictures. I had read her book "The Party" earlier in the year, because it's great for teaching students to make connections.
I started the lesson by reading another one of Barbara's books. Then, I flipped through the pages of several under the document camera. We paused here and there to discuss how she likely created a certain element, and the tools she probably used.
Check out that bunny! #adorable
Next, students were each given a blank paper and a CD case. We created our clay designs inside the case so they could be closed up and taken home easily. I had everyone trace the case size on the paper. They then knew what area they had to work with. A quick sketch of their plan was completed and quickly coloured. This way, when they came to me at the rainbow table I knew exactly which colours of clay to give them, and how much of each. We talked here about how to create colours that weren't available. I saw some awesome lime greens, peaches and light blues!
(A note - a sharp knife and cutting board will make your life so much happier when handing out clay!)
Proudly showing off his finished piece.
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