Our sixth grade students are finally working with clay. After watching all the wonderful things coming out of the 8th grade clay classes and the abc art classes, they are dying to get their hands in the stuff.
We are starting our Mesopotamian unit with a quick history of the area. Why is clay so important? What do they use it for? How is the beginning of writing connected to clay?
And they are focusing on the question, does where you live effect how you make your art? Clay was readily available in Mesopotamia, and it made a profound effect on all aspects of their lives.
We are looking at the beginning of writing. How do you keep track of trading animals without a formal writing system? You keep a record of it by drawing in clay. We are looking at how Mesopotamians kept records and how that led to writing. We are looking at how they made signatures with clay cylinders and stamps and are making stamps of our own to sign our pottery and sculpture.
