The Pottery Project: Resources for Teachers & Parents
Ideas for Activities

Ideas for Pre-visit Activities

• Introduce the three major prehistoric cultures of Arizona (Hohokam, Ancestral Pueblo [Anasazi], and Mogollon)
• Identify the Southwest region of the US and have students make their own maps
• Learn about timelines and the meaning of BC and AD (also BP, BCE, CE)
• Have students develop personal timelines of their lives and compare them to the timelines of elders and a timeline of local, state, or national history
• Discuss ceramics and ceramic items students might have at home
• Practice making symmetrical VS asymmetrical designs on graph paper
• Use pattern blocks to make symmetric patterns
• Discuss the meaning of culture and students’ own culture.

Ideas for Post-visit Activities

• View Arizona State Museum’s 3-D pottery online exhibit: http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/exhibits/pproj/
• Make and/or decorate your own clay pots
• Determine the circumference/diameter of a pot
• Place events on a timeline; compare SW history to US history and World history
• Select one prehistoric culture to research and report on housing, food, decorative arts, etc.
• Research pottery from one culture and construct a timeline showing changes in pottery styles
• Research the science of ceramics: where does clay come from, what is it made of, why does it change during firing, and how do glazes and slips work?

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