Making Clay Animation
Nothing engages students more than bringing the curriculum to life with clay animation.

A clay animation production is a new approach to curriculum and content. During the clay animation process, students work in teams to create clay characters and tell a story. That story could be an historical event, a chemical process, a fiction story, or just about any curriculum activity.

Students learn best when they select and transform information. Clay animation requires students to write, design, organize, and implement a project from scratch. They not only research the content but must analyze how best to apply their knowledge and creativity to share the concepts and information related to the subject. Often, they get so caught up in the production that they forget that they are learning.

Clay animation is a great transition into technology and blends the physical with the electronic or the non-technical with the technical. While working with the character and planning out the animation, most clay animation producers forget about the computer, making the technology portion transparent. Because of the transparent nature of the technology, clay animation appeals to new technology users.

Technology is definitely an important part of the process, but not the central point or reason for the project. Clay animation is first and foremost about content and creativity. Project content depends on the subject area in which clay animation is implemented.

Clay animation productions also encourage connections and partnerships between different educators at the same school site or at multiple sites. Much of the clay animation process relates to art and art techniques and is a fantastic time to engage the help of an art teacher. The same is true for having a music teacher assist in creating a soundtrack and a technology coordinator help in creating the computer animation.

Clay Animation Resources

Samples
View and share these examples to get teachers excited about the potential of clay projects and give students high quality examples of the kind of work they are expected to do. 

Project Ideas
For complete start to finish integration ideas, don't miss these great lesson plans, complete with standards correlations.

Classroom Management
These handouts are designed to help you through the clay animation process in your classroom, including a sample rubric and storyboarding handout.

Standards and Learning Goals
Clay Animation can help you engage your students in exciting and creative projects, but it also helps you address the multiple intelligences, NETS Standards, and the SCANS skills.

Tutorials
Use these Snacks and tutorials as reference materials to support the work students are doing during the process. The include working with digital cameras, transferring files, and making animations.

Links
Looking for even more ideas and samples, use these links to view professional clay animations, classroom projects, and more.

Additional Resources
Beyond the basics, these resources consist of additional software and training ideas.