Slab Slot Structures

Overview

In this third lesson of Construction and Joining, students move from card to clay, applying their prior understanding of slot constructions to a small, freestanding 3D form. They will plan from a 2D template or net, make an even clay slab, cut precise slots, and assemble a stable construction with minimal joining.

Learning intentions

• WALT translate a 2D plan or net into a 3D clay construction.
• WALT use clay tools and joining techniques safely and accurately.
• WALT make design decisions that improve stability, proportion and visual interest.
• WALT explain how material properties, shrinkage and joining affect our construction.

Success criteria

• I can make a reasonably even slab and cut clean, appropriately sized slots.
• I can assemble a stable form that stands without unnecessary joining.
• I can show evidence of planning from a 2D template, plan view or sketch.
• I can explain one design decision and one improvement I would make.

Curriculum links

• The Arts — Visual Arts: developing practical knowledge through safe, purposeful use of clay tools and processes.
• The Arts — Visual Arts: developing ideas by moving from sketches, templates and nets to a resolved 3D form.
• The Arts — Visual Arts: communicating and interpreting through discussion of structure, design choices and material effects.
• Mathematics and Statistics — spatial reasoning: constructing and interpreting 3D forms from nets, plan views and spatial relationships.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Reconnect and provoke. Teacher displays a successful card slot construction beside an unstable example using the opening comparison and learning intention slides, revisiting how slots created structure without glue. Students identify what made the card model stable and predict what may change when the material becomes clay.

2. 5–15 min · Demonstrate clay processes. Teacher models wedging to remove air pockets, rolling an even slab between guide sticks, transferring or marking a simple 2D template, and cutting slots safely with the tool directed away from the body. Explain that clay shrinks as it dries, so slots must be slightly generous; demonstrate scoring and slipping only where a join is genuinely needed. Students watch, answer “what could go wrong?” questions, and use the clay slot-construction planning sheet to record a quick plan, template dimensions and likely shrinkage adjustments.

3. 15–22 min · Plan before making. Teacher checks that each plan includes at least two interlocking pieces, a clear base or support, slot locations and a view showing how the form will stand. Students sketch or adapt a 2D net/template, label the slots, indicate approximate measurements and briefly predict where the structure may need reinforcement.

4. 22–45 min · Studio construction. Teacher releases students to collect clay and tools, circulates for brief conferences, and pauses the class midway for a 30-second stability check. Students wedge and roll clay, cut pieces and slots, assemble their miniature form, then refine edges and surfaces. They keep joining minimal, test the construction on the table, and update the planning and testing section with changes made from plan to 3D form.

5. 45–53 min · Gallery check and feedback. Teacher asks students to leave forms in place and pairs them for a quiet “structure and design” review, using the peer-review prompts. Students inspect a partner’s work without handling it, identify one successful structural choice and offer one specific suggestion about stability, proportion, slot accuracy or visual impact.

6. 53–60 min · Clean-up and reflection. Teacher directs a team clean-up: return tools, scrape boards, reclaim workable clay, wipe tables and place constructions on labelled boards for controlled drying. Students complete the reflection and self-assessment on the final reflection section, then share one sentence: “My plan changed when…” or “My construction is stable because…”.

Resources

• the complete construction demonstration and studio workflow deck
• the clay slot-construction planning sheet
• Low-fire or air-drying clay, portioned for 25 students
• Canvas boards, plastic or wooden guide sticks, rolling pins
• Clay knives, rulers, pencils and card template pieces
• Water in small containers, slip, scoring tools and sponges
• Aprons, table coverings, labelled drying boards and reclaim bucket
• Finished card slot examples and teacher clay demonstration pieces

Assessment

• During planning, check that students can connect their template or net to a plausible 3D form and have considered support, slots and shrinkage.
• During construction, use quick conferences: “Show me where the load is carried,” “Why is this slot this size?” and “Where have you joined only where needed?”
• Use the completed planning sheet, partner feedback and reflection as evidence of practical knowledge, idea development, spatial reasoning and the ability to evaluate a design.

Differentiation

• Support: provide a simple two-piece template, pre-drawn slot guides, a visual process sequence and sentence starters such as “The base supports…” and “I changed… because…”.
• Offer thicker guide sticks, smaller clay portions and teacher-marked centre lines for students who find rolling or measuring difficult. Demonstrate each process again at a side table as needed.
• EAL learners: pair spoken instructions with photographs, gestures and key terms displayed on the slides; allow labelled sketches and oral explanations instead of extended writing.
• Extension: challenge confident students to create a more complex interlocking structure from three or more pieces, using balance, repetition or negative space while retaining structural stability.

Health and safety

• Keep clay dust down: do not sweep or blow dry clay; use damp cloths and wet-clean tools and surfaces.
• Carry tools point-down and cut away from the body, keeping fingers behind the cutting path.
• Use water sparingly to prevent slippery floors and weakened clay.
• Wash hands thoroughly after working; do not put clay-covered hands near faces or food.
• Students must not lift or handle another student’s construction without permission. Store work on labelled boards where it cannot be knocked over.