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What Happens to Clay Inside the Kiln

7th grade nonfiction passage about firing pottery in a kiln: 288 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade nonfiction firing pottery in a kiln 288 words

What Happens to Clay Inside the Kiln

A pot made of wet clay is soft and easy to shape, but it would melt away in the rain. To turn it into something permanent, a potter must bake it in a special oven called a kiln. The process changes the clay in ways that cannot be reversed, which is why firing is the most important step in making pottery.

Before the kiln, the pot must be dried completely. Clay holds water, and if a damp piece is heated too quickly, the water inside turns to steam and expands. The pressure can crack the pot or even blow a piece off. Potters let their work dry slowly for days, and in the kiln they raise the temperature a little at a time.

As the heat climbs, the clay passes through stages. First, the last bit of water leaves. Then, at much higher temperatures, the tiny particles of clay begin to fuse together, and the material turns hard and strong. It also shrinks. A pot may end up noticeably smaller than it was when it went in, so makers shape their work a little larger than they want the final piece to be.

Many pieces are fired twice. The first firing produces a porous, chalky form called bisque. The potter then dips it in a glaze, a mixture of minerals that looks dull and powdery at first. In a second firing, the glaze melts into a smooth, glassy coating. Because glaze seals the surface, it makes a bowl waterproof, and it can also create color.

Opening a kiln after the cooling period is a moment of surprise, since glazes often change color in the heat. Potters wait until the kiln is cool enough to touch before they look.

Questions

  1. What is the name of the special oven used to bake clay? in the text

  2. Why must a pot be dried completely before firing? in the text

  3. What happens to the clay particles at very high temperatures? in the text

  4. What is bisque? in the text

  5. Why do makers shape a pot a little larger than they want the final piece to be? think about it

  6. Why does a glazed bowl hold water? think about it

Words to know

kiln
a very hot oven used to harden clay
fuse
to join together as if melted into one
porous
full of tiny holes that let liquid pass through
glaze
a glassy coating melted onto pottery
bisque
clay that has been fired once and not yet glazed
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 262 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6

A pot made of wet clay is soft and easy to shape. But it would melt away in the rain. To make it last, a potter bakes it in a special oven called a kiln. The clay changes in ways that cannot be undone. So firing is the most important step in making pottery.

Before the kiln, the pot must dry all the way. Clay holds water. If a damp pot heats too fast, the water turns to steam and pushes outward. The pressure can crack the pot. So potters let their work dry for days. In the kiln, they raise the heat a little at a time.

As the heat climbs, the clay goes through stages. First, the last bit of water leaves. Then, at very high heat, the tiny bits of clay fuse together. The clay turns hard and strong. It also shrinks. A pot may come out smaller than it went in. So makers shape their work a little larger than they want it to end up.

Many pieces are fired twice. The first firing makes a chalky form with tiny holes. It is called bisque. Then the potter dips it in a glaze. A glaze is a mix of minerals. It looks dull and powdery at first. In a second firing, the glaze melts into a smooth, glassy coat. Glaze seals the surface, so a bowl can hold water. It can also add color.

Opening a kiln is a surprise, since glazes often change color in the heat. Potters wait until the kiln is cool enough to touch.

▲ This passage · 288 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5

A pot made of wet clay is soft and easy to shape, but it would melt away in the rain. To turn it into something permanent, a potter must bake it in a special oven called a kiln. The process changes the clay in ways that cannot be reversed, which is why firing is the most important step in making pottery.

Before the kiln, the pot must be dried completely. Clay holds water, and if a damp piece is heated too quickly, the water inside turns to steam and expands. The pressure can crack the pot or even blow a piece off. Potters let their work dry slowly for days, and in the kiln they raise the temperature a little at a time.

As the heat climbs, the clay passes through stages. First, the last bit of water leaves. Then, at much higher temperatures, the tiny particles of clay begin to fuse together, and the material turns hard and strong. It also shrinks. A pot may end up noticeably smaller than it was when it went in, so makers shape their work a little larger than they want the final piece to be.

Many pieces are fired twice. The first firing produces a porous, chalky form called bisque. The potter then dips it in a glaze, a mixture of minerals that looks dull and powdery at first. In a second firing, the glaze melts into a smooth, glassy coating. Because glaze seals the surface, it makes a bowl waterproof, and it can also create color.

Opening a kiln after the cooling period is a moment of surprise, since glazes often change color in the heat. Potters wait until the kiln is cool enough to touch before they look.

■ Harder · 300 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6

A vessel formed from wet clay is soft and easy to shape, but it would dissolve in the rain. To transform it into something permanent, a potter must bake it in a special oven called a kiln. The process alters the clay in ways that can never be reversed, which is why firing is the most critical stage in making pottery.

Before it enters the kiln, the pot must be dried completely. Clay holds water, and if a damp piece is heated too rapidly, the moisture inside turns to steam and expands. The resulting pressure can crack the pot or even blast a fragment from its surface. Potters therefore allow their work to dry gradually over several days, and in the kiln they raise the temperature a little at a time.

As the heat climbs, the clay passes through distinct stages. First, the last traces of water escape. Then, at far higher temperatures, the minute particles of clay begin to fuse together, and the material becomes hard and strong. It also shrinks. A pot may emerge noticeably smaller than it was when it went in, so makers shape their work slightly larger than the size they want the final piece to be.

Many pieces are fired twice. The first firing produces a porous, chalky form known as bisque. The potter then dips it in a glaze, a mixture of minerals that looks dull and powdery at first. During a second firing, the glaze melts into a smooth, glassy coating. Because glaze seals the surface, it renders a bowl waterproof, and it can also create color.

Opening a kiln after the cooling period is a moment of genuine surprise, since glazes frequently change color in the heat. Potters wait until the kiln is cool enough to touch before they look inside.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put kiln, fuse, porous, glaze and bisque on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 3 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 5 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "What Happens to Clay Inside the Kiln"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 288 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.5. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 3 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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