Images of Attentiveness, Caregiving, and Leading

Transcription

1 Images of Attentiveness, Caregiving, and Leading LESSON 13: IMAGE OF GOD AS MASTER POTTER, PART 1 Objective Students will learn how clay was prepared, formed and fired during biblical times. They will begin to connect this process with God s creation of each of us. Key Concepts The use of clay is universal and therefore a fitting biblical metaphor. Pot-making is an ancient art. People prepared, formed and fired pottery in biblical times. Each person in the class is precious in God s eyes. Text: Proverbs 8:22; Job 10:9a Estimated Lesson Time: 50 minutes Materials Image of a potter (p. 157) Early Pots handout (p. 158) Making a Pinch Pot handout (p. 159) Clay (type that can be air-dried) Placemats and paper towels Small plastic containers with lids Water and sponges for cleaning Cardboard squares and plastic bags for drying Art shirts Sharp modeling tools, such as nails Hand lotion (clay dries out hands) Area for drying pots Evaluation form (p. 160) Teacher Preparation 1. Cut out and color the image of the potter. 2. Gather supplies and prepare the room for the pot-making activity. Fill plastic containers one-third full with water. 3. Make copies of the handouts, one for each student. Review all handouts ahead of time. 4. Read the biblical background at the beginning of this strand to understand how this image fits with the image of attentiveness, caregiving, and leading. INTRODUCING THE LESSON Show the image of the potter. Discuss how the image of the potter fits in the category of Attentiveness, Caregiving, and Leading. Place the image under this last section on the third poster. 154

2 Reinforce the verses for this lesson: Proverbs 8:22, which says, The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago; and Job 10:9a, Remember that you fashioned me like clay. Explain that clay, in its natural form, is mixed with sand, small stones, and decayed vegetable matter. It is found over most of the earth s surface. Because it s an easily accessible material, people around the world have used clay to make pottery since ancient times. Using clay was a common experience in Bible times, and most people could identify with the process. Biblical writers found that using the imagery of potter and clay was a good way to talk about the relationship between God and humankind. Wonder with the students how people began making objects witih clay. How did they discover that dried clay exposed to the heat of 600 degrees Celsius would not disintegrate in water? It was probably natural to pick up clay from a lake or a riverbed and shape it. Maybe people discovered that their footprints held water and as the clay dried in the sun, it maintained its shape. Perhaps a campfire burned over a clay deposit and when the fire died out, the clay underneath was hard. Or maybe someone put a shape they made of clay into the fire. LESSON STEPS 1. Distribute and read the handout Early Pots. Divide students into four groups. Each group should read a section, summarize it, and report back to the whole group. 2. Distribute the handout Making a Pinch Pot. Look at the steps together. Let the students know that they will be making a pinch pot and should look carefully at the directions. Explain that the pinch method is probably one of the earliest techniques used to make a clay pot. Keep the list of steps handy throughout the pottery-making process. 3. Make a clay pot. Protect clothes with art shirts and desks with placemats. Distribute the clay and other materials and follow the steps to making a pinch pot. Make sure students keep their clay wet enough by dipping their fingers into the small container of water. Otherwise the pots will develop small cracks around the top. Scrape excess clay from hands and small chunks that break off into the margarine container. Encourage students to etch designs onto their pinch pots when the clay has dried a bit. Use a sharp modeling tool such as a nail to do this. When the pots are completed, place them on cardboard squares and set them on a table to dry. Make sure pots are labeled with students names. The table should be out of the regular traffic pattern, so students from other classes are not tempted to disturb the items at this most fragile state. Make sure there is air circulating around the pots. If students need more time to work on their pots at a later time, place them on the cardboard squares and cover lightly with damp towels. Place the cardboard squares and pinch pots in plastic bags to slow the drying process. If students have clay left over, encourage them to roll it into a ball and place a damp towel around it. They can place the extra material beside their pinch pots in the plastic bag. Make sure the bags are labeled with names and sealed tightly. Make students responsible for cleaning their own work spaces with water and sponges. 155

3 4. Distribute evaluation forms for students to evaluate their participation in the pinch pot activity. Remind them that they are not evaluating their pinch pots, but the ways in which they participated in the activity. Collect the evaluation forms and respond in the teacher column. If your evaluation differs from a student s self-evaluation, invite dialogue at soon as possible. 5. Discuss with students why they have spent a class period making pots. Connections will be made in the next lesson, but students may need to process those thoughts at this time. This discussion could also take place as they are working on their pots. (They are experiencing firsthand one of the images of God. God is like the potter, we are like the clay.) Talk about what they might do with their pinch pots when they are dry. They may choose to give them away as gifts; they could use them to hold practical items such as rubber bands or paper clips. What other ideas do they have? EXTEND THE LESSON (This activity will extend the lesson to longer than 50 minutes.) Personal reflection. As students look at the directions on the handout, Making a Pinch Pot, have them answer the following questions in their journals or on sheets of paper: What do you think it feels like to be chosen to be shaped and molded in God s hands? Think of at least three similarities between the verses from 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 and making a pinch pot. What is the easiest part of making a pot? What is the hardest part of making a pot? 156

4 god as potter 157

5 Early Pots In the Beginning Because clay is found over most of the earth s surface, people in different parts of the world independently developed techniques of working with clay. Pot-making really began with the New Stone Age and a settled, rather than nomadic, way of life. Pottery is an ancient art older than the knowledge of metals or textiles in most cultures. Since fired clay can withstand the elements of nature, pottery that is thousands of years old has been found.through these artifacts, archeologists can trace the history of civilizations. clay preparation Clay was cleaned by removing the stones and foreign matter, and then conditioned in a series of vats.the potter kneaded the clay by rhythmically treading on it. Coarse clay was often used for making large, heavy vessels.to make a finer clay, it was covered with water and allowed to settle. Then the water was poured off the top.after excess moisture had evaporated, the clay was used for making finer, burnished ware. firing process Early pots were fired in the hearth or open bonfires. Later, when pottery centers were established kilns were developed.the first kilns were simple, updraft ones, but they retained heat better and allowed for greater control of draft. Later, downdraft kilns, where the flame started at the top and exited through a flue at the bottom, retained even more heat and reached higher temperatures. techniques of pot-making At first, pottery was made by hand, using the following methods: Pinch: made in the hand by squeezing and molding Coil: made with rings of clay placed on top of each other and smoothed. Slab: made by cutting or rolling a block of clay into a slab. Paddle and anvil: made by beating on the outside with a paddle against an inner support of a stone or lump of clay. Mold: made by pressing slabs or coils of clay over or inside forms such as gourds, baskets, or other pots. After the invention of the wheel, Egyptian potters adopted its use for pottery, around 2,000 to 3,000 B.C. By 1900 B.C., the wheel became common in Palestine. The first wheels were disks of terra cotta or wood. A socket on the underside of the disk fit over a pivot in the ground.when the wheel no longer wobbled, its size and weight gave it momentum to spin.this type of wheel is still used in countries like India. Gradually, the wheel was improved.a shaft was fitted to the wheel, and a flywheel added at the base.today there are electric wheels as well as the foot-powered wheels called kick-wheels. The wheel allowed for significant change in skill, speed, and design.some pots were plain, others decorated with grooves, twisted cords, zigzag patterns, scrolls, circles, or scenes of animals, men, and women. Some were painted with a slip of fine clay. Before the use of glazes, pots were rubbed or burnished with shells or stones to produce a smooth, shiny surface that was less porous. Potters made a wide variety of objects, from simply useful to elegantly ornamental: cooking pots, jars, bowls, dishes, cups, ladles, large storage jars, drain tiles, and oil lamps. In addition, clay was used to make jewelry, buttons, toys, figurines of gods, and even theater tickets and voting ballots. 158

6 Making a Pinch Pot 1.Take a lump of clay. Knead it until it is pliable, and then roll it into a ball. 2. Press your thumb into the center. Press outward while working the ball of clay around and around in your hand, thinning the walls of the pot. 3. Continue this hollowing out process until you have formed a small container. 4. Moisten your thumb and fingers. Smooth out the edges and rough spots. 5. (Optional) For a container with a narrow top, fold over or pleat the top of the container walls at intervals. Moisten fingers and continue pinching until the walls are smooth and symmetrical. A lip can be added by bending back the top of the walls. 6.Use a small stick to texture the surface or carve a design. When the pot is completed, flatten the bottom by tapping it gently on the table. 159

7 Name: Evaluation of Pinch Pot Activity Directions: Circle the grade you feel you earned in this lesson. This was a hands-on activity of learning spiritual lessons in the process of making a pinch pot. Circle One Letter Grade Evaluation Criteria Teacher s Evaluation A I worked to the best of my ability. I found making a pinch pot to be very rewarding. B My pinch pot is fine, but I think I could have done even better with more time. C If I would have taken my time, I could have made a better pot. This was a hard project to take seriously. D My project did not go well. I did not learn much from this lesson at all. Something I learned from this activity about how God molds and shapes people is: 160