Slates were like small, portable blackboards for students to write on. They were widely used in the United States when paper was scarce and expensive. Even though paper had become commonplace by the late 1800s, it was still considered too expensive in rural areas for the demands of children in school. Up until 1900, many children in rural schools still used slates for writing their assignments. Slates were named after the stone that was used to make them.
Slate is a kind of stone that can be separated into flat sheets.
Early slates were made without any frames. Later, wooden frames were constructed around the edges of slates to provide support. Sometimes, a piece of felt or perhaps a ribbon of string was run around the edge of the frame to protect small hands from slivers. Slate is still commonly used today for roofing, flagstones, in buildings, and for the tops of pool tables. Slates were ideal for work that didn't need to be saved like math homework or practicing one's writing.