Slate Chalkboard

Slate Chalkboard

For centuries, the slate chalkboard has been an educational tool around the world. Made of a natural stone in a wood frame, slate chalkboards are useful for many purposes in school, in the home, or in a business setting. There are several factors to consider before selecting a slate chalkboard.

Used in education for many years, a chalkboard is a smooth piece of slate, a natural dark gray or black stone with a flat, slightly rough surface. To make a chalkboard, a piece of slate is placed inside a durable wood frame such as poplar for easier handling. A frame also provides durability to the slate piece. Because the slate is slightly rough, it provides a gritty surface to write on with chalk or modern-day gypsum. Some slate chalkboards are made for individual use. Designed to be handheld, slates are often about the size of a piece of lined notebook paper. Chalkboards may be larger and wall-mounted for classroom use.

Chalkboards are tools to learn and practice educational content in school or at home. You can use these classic school tools for a variety of purposes both practical and pedagogical.

• Paper saver: Chalkboards are easily erasable and allow for quick and paperless correction of errors during the learning process. This erasability is a central reason for the widespread use of slates in schools during earlier eras. Use chalk to write on these boards over and over again. Because slate is generally durable, the boards do not need frequent replacement.
• Letter formation: You may use the frame of the slate board as a helpful guide for those who are learning to write letters in the correct order and formation. Individuals can reinforce their understanding of left-to-right, top-to-bottom letter order by beginning to write at the top left side of the slate frame. The frame provides stability for up-and-down line formation. Use the handheld chalkboard as a tool to help people with dysgraphia or letter reversal.
• Creativity: Slate chalkboards allow for a variety of creative uses. When being drawn on with colored chalk, the slate board can provide an erasable surface on which to practice color gradients, perspective, blending, and shading. Because of the board's erasability, errors are easy to correct, a practice which also saves paper.

Classic slate blackboards can suggest memories of childhood. Chalkboards may form an element of home or kitchen decor. Use chalkboards to advertise daily specials and to add to a restaurant's ambiance or just to display the week's meal plan at home. Finally, chalkboards may be useful for period recreation, theater sets, or historical research.