Narrative Ceramic Vessels
Introduction
This was the first project I started teaching at my middle school. I started with a large presentation about ancient vessels from Greece, China, Egypt and Pre-Colombian Peru. We discussed form and design and how you could use those things on the surface of an object like a vessel to tell a story/narrative.
Building
To make their vessels I taught the students coilbuilding. This was a really tricky technique to teach because the students couldnt comprehend the fact that they weren’t supposed to pinch and stretch the clay. Many student got the hang of it overtime but several could never get enough height to theirs so the shape/function of their vessel changed from their original plans. Many students ended up making bowls. Many others however managed to come up with some really interesting shapes. 
Adding Narrative
After their forms were built, the students used slabs to make their imagery that would tell their vessel’s narrative. Students cut their shapes out of slabs and slipped and scored them onto the surface of their vessels as well as the interior. After adding slabs, the students used carving techniques with other clay tool to add details and embellishments.
Glazing
Lastly, the students glazed their vessels after the first firing. The students were extremely excited for this process. They started by covering their large areas and interiors with glaze first and glazed details/images after. Students needed quite a bit of redirection to make sure they used thick enough coats of glaze and that they covered every spot, not leaving any white spaces.
