New
New
Year 2

Sculpting Myself

I can create a clay sculpture of myself.

New
New
Year 2

Sculpting Myself

I can create a clay sculpture of myself.

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. An armature is a support structure inside a sculpture that helps it stay strong before adding clay.
  2. When working with clay, you can use pinching and pressing to form shapes.
  3. You can blend clay pieces together.
  4. You can make a figure balanced by using the right amount of clay.

Keywords

  • Clay - a thick, soft material from the earth that can be shaped when wet

  • Sculpture - a three-dimensional piece of art made by shaping or combining materials

  • Blending - a technique where two colours, shapes, or pieces of clay are gently joined together so they look smooth and connected

  • Balanced - when something is even and steady so it doesn’t tip or fall

Common misconception

The more clay you use, the better balanced your figure will be.

Using more clay does not always make your figure balanced. A figure is balanced when the weight is spread out evenly.


To help you plan your year 2 art and design lesson on: Sculpting Myself, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The children will need an armature figure for this lesson. You can refer to lesson 5.
Teacher tip

Equipment

pre-made armature, clay, water and a long stick or paintbrush

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - equipment

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
What does proportions mean when making a figure?


Correct answer: The size of the figure compared to its parts
The colour of the figure

The way you shape the clay

The kind of armature you use
Q2.
Why do we use wire when making an armature?
To make the sculpture soft
Correct answer: To help the sculpture stand up
To add colour to the sculpture
To make the sculpture heavier
Q3.
What is the form of a sculpture?
The type of clay used
Correct answer: The shape or design of the sculpture
The colours you paint it
The size of the sculpture
Q4.
All body parts are ...
Correct answer: different sizes but fit together
in the right place
used for painting
the same colour

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
What is a sculpture?
A painting on paper
Correct answer: A shape made out of clay or other materials
A photograph of your friend
A sticker you stick on a card
Q2.
Why is clay a useful material for making a sculpture?
It is very hard and cannot be moved
It is colourful like paint
It is used for drawing pictures
Correct answer: It is soft and easy to shape with your hands
Q3.
An armature helps a sculpture to ...
fall over
change colour
Correct answer: stand up and keep its shape
become soft
Q4.
Match the word to what it means:
Correct Answer:Blending,Making clay parts join smoothly together

Making clay parts join smoothly together

Correct Answer:Balanced,When something is even and steady so it doesn’t tip or fall

When something is even and steady so it doesn’t tip or fall

Correct Answer:Clay,A thick, soft material from the earth that can be shaped when wet

A thick, soft material from the earth that can be shaped when wet