New
New
Lesson 3 of 4
  • Year 2

Clay travellers: figures from the Silk Road

I can create a patterned clay tile of a Silk Roads traveller.

Lesson 3 of 4
New
New
  • Year 2

Clay travellers: figures from the Silk Road

I can create a patterned clay tile of a Silk Roads traveller.

These resources were made for remote use during the pandemic, not classroom teaching.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Clay can be shaped and patterned to show movement, history, and identity.
  2. Artists like Anna Boghiguian use figures to connect places and people.
  3. The Silk Roads were ancient routes where people traded goods, ideas, and stories.
  4. Women were important in making and storytelling on the Silk Roads.

Keywords

  • Figure - a drawing, painting or sculpture of a person

  • Clay - a material from the ground that we can shape with our hands

  • Silk Roads - old trade routes that people used to travel and swap goods and ideas

Common misconception

Only men were important in history and trade.

Women played key roles such as making silk, running markets and sharing stories. Artists invite us to think about this through their work.


To help you plan your year 2 art and design lesson on: Clay travellers: figures from the Silk Road, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Some pupils may find it helpful to practise arranging pre-cut shapes before making their own in Task A. It is advisable to have access to historical imagery associated with the Silk Road for contextual understanding.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Clay, clay boards, clay tools, paper, glue, pressing tools, string, historical imagery associated with the Silk Road.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
What big idea does Antoni Tàpies show in his art?

Correct answer: time and memories
dinosaurs and rocks
music and dance
space rockets and planets

Q2.
What do borders on a map do?

Correct answer: They might move over time.
They change every day.
They can never move or change.
They fly in the sky.

Q3.
What did the artist Antoni Tàpies use to make his art?

gold and diamonds
glitter and lights
Correct answer: everyday things like paper and sand
only pencils and rulers

Q4.
Put the steps in the correct order to make a collage and paint new countries.

1 - Rip up pieces of card and recycled paper to make new shapes.
2 - Close your eyes and place your shapes on your map.
3 - Glue down your paper to cover your meaningful kingdoms.
4 - Mix colours of paint to paint your new countries and borders.

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
Which of these can be made from clay?

a soft toy
Correct answer: a painted figure or statue
a sandwich to eat
a blanket for sleeping

Q2.
Why did people on the Silk Roads make art and figures?

Correct answer: to share stories
to eat
to sleep on
to play football

Q3.
Match the word to what it means.

Correct Answer:figure,a drawing, painting or sculpture of a person

a drawing, painting or sculpture of a person

Correct Answer:clay,a material from the ground that we can shape with our hands

a material from the ground that we can shape with our hands

Correct Answer:continuous line,a line that keeps going without stopping

a line that keeps going without stopping

Q4.
What are the Silk Roads?

1 - paths
2 - old roads
3 - trading paths