Clay Slab Houses

Access the full lesson with vocab, teacher instructions, and step-by-step student instructions!

Teaching students the true slab method—where they actually calculate and measure out paper templates for their slabs—can be a labor of love. It does take a while, but boy does it pay off! Students leave the unit with great measuring skills, attention to detail, and a deeper understanding of how geometry and art correlate.

This unit involves students creating a design for a building, after delving into a brief history of architectural styles. Then, students assign measurements to the lines in their drawings and calculate what shapes of slabs they will need.

They then measure out these slabs on paper and cut them out. If they are unsure of their measurements, they could assemble the paper templates together with tape to make sure they all fit.

After that hard work, students are ready to roll out slabs, attach them, and create textures and details. As the clay piece comes together, students love to add the things that give the building personality, like flower beds, signs, vines, and more!

I’ve definitely found that this project makes my students as a whole so much more detail oriented and specific with measurements, which helps in gridding projects and future sculptures. Take a look at the examples below and try it with your classes! Access the full lesson with vocab, teacher instructions, and step-by-step student instructions!