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Medieval Castles
Grades 3rd and up
This lesson is great to use for grades 3 and up. The Medieval Times are a period in history every students gets excited about. To introduce this lesson, I first like to take the students through an exploration of the times and culture of this period of history. We discuss society, clothing, customs, war, and castle construction. This gives the students a better understanding of why castles were built they were and the way everyday life was at this time.
Once the clay castles are made and drying, I continue the unit by having students create their own coat of arms. We discuss the shape of the shields as well as symbols. While the students are creating their coat of arms I allow the castles to dry and then bisque fire. When students have completed their coat of arms they then paint their castle.
Objectives:
- Artists will be able to roll a slab, cut out a castle shape, and roll slab into an up right castle.
- Artists will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the time period by adding features to their castle that were seen during the Medieval Times.
- Artists will be able to create their own coat of arms to represent them and their family.
Materials:
- Low-fire white earthenware (CLAY105 or CLAY205)
- Fact books about the Medieval Times
- Fabric squares
- Paper castle template
- Paper towel tube wrapped in newspaper
- Kemper Loop Tools - Any found materials students can use to create textures in clay; forks, spoons, etc.
- Clay knife
- Acrylic Paint
- Paintbrushes
- Small cups for water
- Toothbrush
Step 1: Rolling and Cutting the Slab 
- Roll out a slab a clay about 1/4 inch thick.
- Lay paper castle template on top of slab and cut along the edge of the template.
- Pull away excess clay so that you are left with a triangular castle shape.
Step 2: Adding Texture 
-With a loop tool, gently press into the clay to create a texture on the surface of the castle; bricks, stone...
Step 3: Creating the Windows
 - Using a cutting tool, cut a few tall thin windows. Step 4: Rolling the Castle - Flip castle slab over so the texture surface is facing down on the table.  - Using a paper towel tube with a layer of newspaper around it, roll the castle slab around the tube starting at the tallest side and rolling towards the diagonal. Be sure to keep the bottom of the castles in line with the bottom of the tube. - When rolling, using a wet toothbrush to score and slip any layers that overlap onto another layer of clay. - Stand castle up and slide the tube out of the top of the castle. Step 5: Painting Castle - Once the castle is dry, bisque fire. - Castles can be painted with acrylic paints, glazed, or even left as raw clay for a more natural look.
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