Students on Site > Educators > Class Projects > Diorama Activity

Diorama Activity

Key Terms

settlement, immigration, transportation, railroad, steam boat, Native Americans, log houses, roads, Underground Railroad (This activity can be adapted to most of the SOS curriculum units—the key terms may change depending on which lesson you choose to pair with this activity.)

Key Tools/Documents

timeline, website, maps, documents (For example, if you are using the Native American lesson, select photographs of Native Americans that show clothing and written descriptions of lifestyles and transportation methods.)

List of Materials

Dioramas are three-dimensional models of scenes from Ann Arbor's history. They should be mounted on a board or some stationary platform. A variety of materials can be used to create the buildings, people, and settings. Sample materials:

toothpicks
popsicle sticks or tongue depressors
paper cups
cardboard
Legos
fabric
twigs
stones
paint, pens, colored pencils
glue
stickers

Guiding Questions

Depending on the lesson plan, how does this represent the topic discussed in class? What time period does this reflect? How can you tell?

Class Activity

In small groups, students will plan how to represent a historical moment in Ann Arbor's history in three-dimensional form. Teachers should distribute photographs or written descriptions about Ann Arbor and historic events from the time period students are considering. Students should read or look at documents and think about responses to several questions:
1. What buildings would have been in Ann Arbor? What would they look like?
2. What kinds of transportation would you find?
3. What activities or events might be taking place?
4. Who would be living here?
Students should develop a list of the buildings, people, objects, and activities they want their diorama to reflect and the materials needed to construct them; teachers can either provide materials or divide the list and ask students to bring building materials from home.
Dioramas can take some time to build. Teachers may choose to set aside several full class periods, or spread the activity over several weeks, using a portion of one class period each day. Teachers may choose to enlist the help of the school's art teacher or tie this activity into "Diversity Night," "Ethnic Festival," or other related school event.

Challenge

Ask students to look around their neighborhood at home or school. Can they find a building or some other feature from the time period of their diorama? If so, what is it used for now? If not, can you find something in the natural environment, a river or a tree, that might be older than the buildings there now?

Dioramas created by Thurston Elementary fourth grade students