A diorama helps illustrate an important moment in a story you've read.
"M.C. Higgins The Great" is a novel for young adults written by Virginia Hamilton and published in 1977. Main character Mayo Cornelius Higgins is 15 and lives on Sarah's Mountain, named for his ancestor who escaped slavery to claim the land. M.C.'s family and their life on the mountain is threatened by a "spoil pile" of trees and dirt from strip-mining that looms above them. The book received critical acclaim and numerous awards for Ms. Hamilton, including the prestigious Newbery Award. A diorama is a three-dimensional model that showcases a scene from the book.
Instructions
1. Choose a moment or scene from the book that you want to portray in your diorama. It could be the landscape of Sarah's Mountain around the Higgins' home or maybe the Killburn's unusual homeplace. You might show a dramatic moment between two characters. The fight between M.C. and Lurhetta or the meeting with Ben Killburn would be good choices. You could also show something important to M.C., such as his seat atop the forty foot pole or the retaining wall he built.
2. Sketch your design on a sheet of paper. Make sure the layout will fit your box or board. Think of the box turned on its side as a miniature theater stage. Your idea should include a background with other items layered in the foreground. If using a board, it will be a base from which to build your scene up.
3. Gather the materials you'll need. Some of the most common are listed, but you may need others to get the effect you want. Your scene might require a special item such as a dowel to represent M.C.'s sitting pole.
4. Paint your background or draw and cut shapes from craft paper. Scenery from magazines can also be used. Fill the blank panels inside your box or cover the top of your board.
5. Create your foreground. Use clay to create a mountain. Use sticks to build log cabins. Dirt or pebbles scattered on glue becomes land and boulders. String can become rope. Shiny foil might be water. Layer these items from the background toward the front of the box or attach items to your board.
6. Add miniatures. If people and animals are in your scene, make them from modeling clay or draw and cut them from paper or a magazine. Pre-made miniatures from building sets or doll houses can also be used.
7. Make a title card or banner from strip of paper that lets viewers know what scene from the book you've depicted. Attach to the top or back of your diorama.
