Use clay as an art medium with your students.
Through the use of claymation, students can produce engaging features starring clay figures. While the art of complex claymation takes years of practice to perfect, teachers can provide their students with the opportunity to produce simple claymation by assigning claymation based projects. Through the completion of these projects, students will not only increase their understanding of the central topic featured in their productions, but also hone their artistic skills and practice their patience.
Claymation Translation
Engage your students in the creation of a claymation version of a class tale or event. Divide students into groups of three or four and assign each a historical event or piece of literature to translate into a claymation production. Allow the students access to clay and cameras and school them in the basics of producing a claymation short. To keep tighter control over the project, instruct students to compose plans and share these plans with you prior to beginning the creation of their claymation mini-movie. Conclude the project by holding a claymation film festival and allowing the students to view their peers' creations.
Scientific Claymation Video
Many science principles that can not be observed can be captured through the use of claymation. Make science more accessible for your pupils by engaging them in the creation of these claymation shorts. Divide students into groups, and assign each group a different science-based topic to cover in their film. Work with students to help them create clay versions of the objects involved in each science-based occurrence. Provide students with work space and a camera and allow them to capture their educational production on film. Share the final projects with current students, and save particularly effective films for use in future classes.
Claymation Dance Party
The wild, rhythmic movements of dance make a great subject for a claymation production. Get your students thinking about the ways in which bodies move, and allow them to have some creative fun, by dividing them into groups and engaging them in the creation of claymation dance party videos. Prior to class, write the names of popular songs on index cards. Allow each group to select one of these prepared cards, and instruct them to use the listed song as the central ditty for their dance party creation. Hold an in-class dance party once students finish, and allow them to show off their creations.
