A New Technology: An Early History of Pottery

Print Versions: [MS Word] [Rich Text File]

Alternate Plan: Good for use if time is short or for leaving with a substitute.

[A descriptive form of the lesson can be found on the Overview of Unit 1 page.]

Students view a presentation on the ancient history of ceramics. Combining lecture/ presentation with group discussion, individual writing/ reflection and lots of pictures, students gain some insight into the early days of pottery making. Students also reflect on how new technologies change the world.

Primary Learning Outcome:

What is technology and why would we consider that at one time pottery-making was a new, radical technology? What needs did pottery address in those times and places and how are those needs addressed today? Why do people do pottery today? What technologies today serve similar purposes to pottery from its early beginnings? How are techniques and processes that we use today to create pottery similar to and different from those used by early civilizations?

Materials and Equipment:

television, scan converter, computer, Internet connection

Technology Connection: 

Students will view an on-line PowerPoint presentation and use the Internet to gather information about early pottery.

Procedures:

1. It is important to have the scan converter set up and ready to go before the lesson is to start. It would even be a good idea to download the presentation just in case the Internet connection is interrupted.
    
2. Using the PowerPoint presentation, go over the early beginnings of the development and history of pottery, encouraging group discussion/brainstorming and using the Ancient History of Pottery Notes handout provided so that students can take notes for later use. The PowerPoint presentation, The Origins of Pottery can be shown while informing students using the notes [The notes are included in the notes section of the PowerPoint. When printing, the properties can be selected to print out the notes.] which are taken directly from Victor Bryant's lectures with his permission. Be sure to give credit to him. His web is sited on the presentation.

For students who were absent during the discussion, use the History of Ancient Pottery Worksheet. This worksheet is more detailed in the questions that it asks and can be filled out while the student views the PowerPoint presentation on his own.

3. Divide students into two groups and have one group write a paper which addresses the questions:
   1. What is technology?
   2. Why would we consider that at one time pottery-making was a new, radical technology?
   3. What needs did pottery address in those times and places, do we have similar needs today, and, if so, how are those needs addressed today?
   4. What technologies today serve similar purposes to pottery from its early beginnings?

   Have the second group write a paper that addresses the questions:

   1. What is technology?
   2. Why would we consider that at one time pottery-making was a new, radical technology?
   3. Why do people do pottery today?
   4. How are techniques and processes that we use today to create pottery similar to and different from those used by early civilizations?

   One way of doing this is to write each of the questions on slips of paper (green for one group and orange for the other) and give each question to a pair of students. Have each pair of students write one or two paragraphs addressing their assigned question. Finally, compile two groups of students -- green slips in one group and orange slips in the other -- and have them organize their notes into a paper.

Hand out the rubric to students while explaining the project so that they know the expectations. Have students put their names and group color on the rubrics and turn them back in when you are finished going over them.

4. Group one and group two must present their ideas to the rest of the class. (This can be as simple as reading the paper aloud or as complex as having them create a presentation themselves.)
    
5. The sample rubric included here grades students on the whole lesson. A simple way of grading is to divide the rubrics into two stacks while students work on their presentations. The presentation grade (the last on the rubric) can be immediately marked on all papers of one group. The group paper and the individual or paired papers can be taken up following the presentation and clipped to the rubrics for that group for later grading.

Have students go to a computer lab and hand out the History of Ancient Pottery Worksheet. This worksheet is more detailed in the questions that it asks and can be filled out while the student views the PowerPoint presentation on his/her own.

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