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A scene with foreground and background

Grade 3 pupils draw two flat PLA trees of the same shape in two sizes and their own character, then weld them from behind to H-shaped feet so they stand alone. On a paper stage with three zones, they make two arrangements, look from above and from the front, sketch both views with nearer elements hiding farther ones, and name two ways to show depth: overlap and size.

Age
8–10 years
Length
approx. 45 min
Level
Easy
Where you teach
School
Purpose
Educational
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How to run this session

Stages and timing
  1. Workstation and character choice
  2. Large tree
  3. Small tree and a first look
  4. Your character
  5. Three H feet
  6. Large tree on its foot
  7. Small tree on its foot
  8. Character on its foot
  9. The scene: two arrangements and two sketches
  10. Explain depth; optional: a distant character

What gets built

A small stage set: three freestanding PLA silhouettes on H feet (large tree about 5 cm, small tree about 3 cm, character about 4 cm). Print W2 at 100% on a whole A4 sheet, without cutting. Inside the print, the floor area is 170 × 120 mm and the background area 170 × 60 mm; these are the areas, not the whole folded sheet. W3 contains two pencil sketches (arrangement 1 and arrangement 2), answers, a prediction and two ways to create depth.

What it practises
  • Creating an impression of depth through overlapping forms (the overlapping element is nearer). Creating an impression of depth through the size of the same shape.
  • Reading a scene from two viewpoints (above and from the front at a low level). Sketching with overlap: the nearer object whole, the farther one only where it sticks out.
  • Welding cool parts at a supported contact (silhouette to foot, from behind).

Success criteria
  • The pupil arranges the scene twice and says what is nearer or farther and how they can tell.
  • W3 has two sketches with the farther element hidden behind the nearer one, and two named ways to create depth.
  • The pupil explains why an overlapping element looks nearer and why a farther object cannot hide a nearer one.
  • Each silhouette stands alone on its H foot without wobbling.

What you need
Filament
PLA
Colours
colour shown in the illustration
Also
3D pen: 1 per pupil, transparent mat, pen stand, power supply, W1 template including the W04 foot template (A4 print): 1 per pupil, W2 paper stage (A4 print): 1 per pupil, W3 two-view sheet (A4 print): 1 per pupil, pencil: 1 per pupil, book or pencil case: 1 per pupil (background support), ruler: 1 per pupil

Files

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Version eb2a61b2-c573-4508-9b85-a663bc383d27 Updated 2026-10-16

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