In this activity, students investigate some of the properties of clay such as moisture content, shrinkage and strength.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- identify by appearance and texture the clay types kaolinearthenware and bull clay
- determine the water loss that occurs when clays are firstly dried and then heated in a kiln
- describe how shrinkage in clays occurs
- state some of the changes that occur when clay is fired
- effectively use top-loading balances.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
- introduction/background notes
- instructions on what you need and what to do
- discussion questions
- ideas for extending your students
- student worksheet.
Related content
Before doing this activity, ensure your students understand what is clay and what are ceramics.
