Modelling: Flat and Round Things from Clay
Primary 1 · Creative Arts
Modelling: Flat and Round Things from Clay
Lesson 3 of 5
12 min
Let's begin
Ishimwe wants to make a clay plate for his little sister.
He presses the lump with his fingertips, again and again.
Then he lifts it up, and the plate breaks in two.
Today you will make a flat form that does not break.
Every flat thing you model is made the same way.
Press the clay down. Then roll it even.
Your fingertips are small and hard.
They push little holes into the clay.
The heel of your hand is the wide part near your wrist.
That part is flat, so it presses the clay flat.
Press down with it and move it all over the lump.
An empty plastic bottle is your roller.
Roll it one way. Then turn the clay and roll the other way.
Keep going until the clay is the same thickness everywhere.
Shut your eyes and run your fingers over the clay.
Feel a hump? Roll it down flat.
Feel a very thin patch? That is where it will break when you lift it.
Ishimwe's plate did not break because his clay was bad. It broke because one patch was too thin.
Step 1 Roll your lump into a ball first.
Step 2 Press it down with the heel of your hand.
Step 3 Roll it with the bottle, this way and then that way.
Step 4 Turn the edge up a little, all the way round.
Now you have a plate.
Roll another slab of clay, nice and even.
Cut a rectangle out of it with a small stick.
Push your clay book. It will not roll, so it is a flat form.
Tip
Heel of the hand, then the bottle
Fingertips make holes. The flat heel makes a slab.
Same thickness everywhere, or it cracks when you lift it.
Do each one with your own clay, then tap Show answer to check.
Which part of your hand presses the clay flat?
Answer: the heel, the wide part near your wrist.
Your slab is fat in the middle and thin at one edge. What do you do?
Answer: roll the bottle over it again, both ways, until it feels the same all over.
Keza's clay plate cracked when she picked it up. Why?
Answer: one place was too thin. It broke there first.
Make a clay plate now. Then push it gently.
Answer: it should not roll. A plate is a flat form.
Make a flat clay book and stand it beside a real book.
Answer: both are flat forms. Neither one rolls away.
What you learned today
Quick check
Press the clay flat with your ...
