This document outlines a ceramics curriculum for a 21st century program. It discusses what influences the curriculum, including standards, teacher expertise, and school goals. The curriculum covers physical skills development, construction methods, finishing and firing processes, conceptual development and aesthetics, and cultural contexts. It provides examples of projects for different ceramics levels that incorporate these instructional strands. The document also discusses assessment, tying the curriculum to common core standards and 21st century skills, and examples of student work are presented.

1. Beyond the Clay Container
Curriculum for the 21st century
ceramics program
Karyl Silerzio
Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville Illinois
karyl_silerzio@ipsd.org

2. What goes in?

3. What goes in…
Artists,
colleagues,
resources
Teacher
philosophy
&
expertise
National &
state standards
Evaluation
systemsDanielson,
CRISS, etc
Common core/
21st century
skills
School &
district goals or
essential
understandings
Ceramics curriculum

4. Ceramics- Instructional strands
Physical skills
development
Construction
materials & methods
Finishing materials &
firing processes
Development of
conceptual skills
&
aesthetics
Cultural contexts:
historic &
contemporary
influences

5. Skills development
Manipulating the clay
Controlling moisture
Understanding stages of clay;
using appropriate methods & techniques
Developing a design aesthetic & refining craftsmanship issues

6. Construction methods & techniques
Handbuilding- pinch, coil, press- and drape-mold, soft
slab, hard slab, extrusions, sprigging…
Wheel throwing- functional vessel forms, sculptural
applications

7. Finishing & firing methods & techniques
Finishes- stains, glazes, and underglazes (cer. 1);
add engobes and glaze overlays (cer. 2)
Firing- kiln types; atmospheres for firing; high and low
temps; alternative firing processes- raku and/or
carbon-firing.
Ceramics 3 offers greater range and depth of information

9. Development of concepts, aesthetics
How to come up with ideas- teacher demonstration and
examples; using visual resources; brainstorming;
referencing a past art form or artist; morphing or
transforming an existing form; focusing on formal design
concepts; blending recognizable forms together; utilizing
perception and intuition; identifying personal symbols or
icons
Aesthetic viewpoints- functional; formal; emotional;
imitational

10. Cultural contexts: historic and contemporary influences
Mini-research activities, individual or small group using
technology resources- Products based on historical &/or
contemporary artReading/writing/research components- text to graphics
lesson; artifacts; metamorphosis project; resource
development; maintaining a journal or sketchbook

11. Product/project lists
Ceramics 1: generally 4-5 per semester
"Gone with the Wind Chimes"- small thematic slab project
"Bit by Bit" - additive method vessel
"Coil-fully Yours" - coil method construction of an organic nature
"Design in the Balance"- porcelain tile, formal focus
"All the Pretty Boxes"- hard slab box construction, formal & functional focus
"Bound for Glory"- formal & imitational sculptural focus
"A Moldy Problem"- using press and/or drape molds, functional focus
“Rimshot”- combining pinch pot body with sculptural, handbuilt rim
“Texture Vessel- soft slab, formal focus on surface and simple functional form
“Reliquary”- hard slab box form, emotional focus
“Inspired by…” –bas-relief form, emotional &/or imitational focus

13. Product/project lists
Ceramics 2: generally 4 thrown and 2 choice per semester
Cylinder- Straight-sided, minimum 4” tall
Bowl – cereal sized, 4” diameter minimum
Choice of serving bowl, simple vase or plate
Choice of any compound functional form
“Artifacts ‘r Us”- historically based object with research and
creative writing components
“Food for Thought”- contemporary or pop art influences
“Inspired by…” or “Hero Worship”- student choice

15. Product/project lists
Ceramics 3: generally 4-5 products per semester
First project must incorporate both handbuilding and wheel throwing
Students choice of products from a list of suggestions, including both
functional and sculptural orientations
Making and using molds or other “multiples”
Independent Study, Ceramics
Students contract with instructor to establish direction of student
activities for the semester.
Activities include products AND a research or investigative component

16. Discussion points
• Assessment
• Common core standards
• 21st century skills
• Teacher evaluation systems

17. Assessments*
Formative- reflection
Formative- critique and collaborative discussion
Summative- analytical and interpretive response*
Summative- standards or criteria-based rubrics*
Common core standards
Using text- “critiques”
• predict, summarize and infer (before, during and after reading)
• Vocabulary (essential to the discipline)*
• Varied and multiple sources of information (text-to-graphics lesson)
Writing objectively, responsively, and -“critiques”
• The art of argument- how & why of persuasive and expository thinking
• Formative assessments*
• Measuring progress as well as achievement*
21st century skills
•
•
•
•
Communications skills*
Creativity skills
Critical thinking skills*
Collaboration skills
Digital portfolio
Students create a digital portfolio for the summative assessment (final exam). This product
addresses the areas marked with an asterisk above and includes photos of all the student work from the
semester accompanied by written description, analysis and reflection of that work. The writing component
incorporates vocabulary as well as demonstrating critical thinking skills. The following slides are from actual
student portfolios and represent some of the types of content they are asked to include.

18. Modeled Abstraction: “Dust”
I have always been concerned with the challenge of preserving
individual identity while struggling with a perpetually changing ego,
and developed the form of “Dust” to flow in a disconnected manner to
visually express this. The disconnect of the lines is an obvious
depiction of the ego’s lack of continuity, and the large areas of
negative space represent the great unknown that troubles the selfsearching individual. After the sawdust firing, I was surprised to find
the smoky, speckled finish to resemble the cosmos. I discovered that
while all matter decomposes into dust, that dust composes our universe.
We all experience discontinuity, disconnect, and falling apart because
that is how we flow and become a part of the dust from which we came.
Artist Statement
K. T.

19. Personal reflection
• “My favorite part of the class was having a period
to relax in the day and making something I could
be proud of
• My least favorite part of the class was being
rushed towards the end of the semester to finish
all of my projects
• I was happy to learn this semester that I am going
to enjoy pursuing a career in art.
• If I could have a do over, I would spend much
more time on my artifact and smoothing out the
details.”
A. T.

20. Advice to incoming students
• “What I definitely suggest for
incoming ceramics two students is to
pay attention to the details on your
pieces. Things like rounding out sharp
edges, smoothing out bumps, and
being very selective with your
finishes is very important and can be
the difference between an A and a B.”
JW

21. Artifact
Costa Rican Brunka Mask
JW

22. The Process
For this piece I based it off of the rainforest sounds that we listened to. I was
stimulated by the sound of running water in the soundtrack and tried to recreate
flowing water in still life form. The fluid, unexpected aspects of hearing nature
inspired me to try draping the clay down a solid base and then leave it as it falls
through an additive process. The draped clay represented the naturally occurring
things in nature while the solid base showed how nature finds beauty in otherwise
harsh environments. In designing the full size version of this piece based off of the
smaller maquette model, it was difficult to control the clay sheets since then easily
ripped and were difficult to attach to the base correctly without ruining its form. I
had to work with hard slabs so they would not rip as much. In the end, I am very
pleasantly surprised at how well this piece turned out. One of the “waves” cracked
off due to shrinkage and warping of the clay during the bisque firing and shrunk
more during the glaze firing, but it was easily put back on. I intended on firing the
piece again and glazing the base in a different under glaze color, but I feel like the
different textures contrast each other well and would take away from its striking
sculptural appearance if I did put a complimenting color on the base.
KK

23. Raku Object
I started off this pot with a round base
and then built up the edges by smoothing
out coils that I attached to one another by
slipping and scoring the coils and
smoothing them out to create a simple
surface. I rounded the edges of the pot
and then nearly closed off the top. I left a
rectangular opening at the top to contrast
the round form. For this piece I was
inspired to put “the mark of the potter”
on the pot in some form. After research,
I found that the most vivid effect would be
achieved by spraying the pot completely
in the white crackle raku glaze while I had
my hand placed on the pieces. The result
was my handprint on the piece without
any glaze. The smoke of the raku firing
process darkened the handprint and made
it really stand out. This piece is a
functional form and could be used to hold
various things. This is a very traditional
piece and reminds me of the ancient cave
paintings that have been found around
the world.
KC

24. Select student products from all levels
and methods

25. Coil construction. Ceramics 1

26. Food for Thought. Additive process.
Ceramics 2
Symbolic self-portrait. Additive and subtractive processes.
Ceramics 1

27. Metamorphosis. Modeled, carbon-fired. Ceramics 1

28. Current event. Hard slab process. Ceramics 1

29. Modeled with both subtractive and additive processes
Ceramics 1

30. Coil construction.Ceramics 1

31. Hard slab process. Ceramics 1

32. Artifacts ‘r Us. Wheel thrown process. Ceramics 2

33. Artifacts ‘r Us. Wheel thrown process. Ceramics 2

34. Wheel thrown process. Ceramics 2

35. Karyl Silerzio
Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville Illinois
karyl_silerzio@ipsd.org