The students were extrememly excited about this project and came well-prepared to bring their scenes to life! As a class, we had engaged in several discussions focusing on our novel’s themes, characters, and settings; and, during our daily read-aloud of the novel, I had been pausing and getting students to imagine the scenes being described and how these scenes could be brought to life in dioramas. As such, students were ready to get to work as soon as they got the green light from me!
I was very fortunate to have an EA assisting in the class during this project, and between the two of us we were able to circulate with ease, helping students as needed. I was in charge of all cardboard cutting (no exacta knife for the kids as I didn’t want “student loses a finger” on my practicum resume, lol), but everyone was patient and waited respectfully. Not a single student got frustrated or gave up–maybe my extensive discussion about Art not being perfect, and about having fun in the process, actually worked!!
All in all, the project went absolutely fabulous and brought back so many great memories of my own upper elementary years—making, creating, and crafting shoebox dioramas alongside my classmates—having fun while also showcasing our individual understanding of terrific novels. Without question, activities like this are the ones that stood out for me in school and I know it will be the same for my students.
In the end, students produced some amazing and creative scenes that they were excited to show off to their classmates and little buddies:
If you are interested in doing something like this with your own students, feel free to check out my lessons here:
Together in education,
Ms. H
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