Show yourself in 3D

Objectives

• Reflections on own identity in a new society.
• Practicing language skills.

Material

Materials as papers in different colors, scissors, pencils, magazines, newspapers, sheets with different symbols or simple images / icons.

Preparation

Prepare the introduction of the activity according to the groups’ language level.

Select the topic of the activity.

Make your own triorama to present to the group.

Instructions

This is a practical and creative classroom activity.

Each participant creates a Triorama (a handmade 3D-illustration) to a given topic. When the Triorama is folded the correct way, it has 3 pages / scenes that can be decorated with drawings, symbols, cut-out images, text or photos to visualize a story in three parts.

Examples of personal topics:

Standing left side: Memories from my childhood home

Flat side in front: My current home (adulthood)

Standing right side: Hopes and dreams for my home in the future when I get old

Examples of societal issues:

Standing left side: What has caused the environmental problems in the world in recent years?

Flat side in front: What is the current environmental situation in the world today?

Standing right side: What can we do to preserve the environment and nature in the future?

Getting started:

As an introduction, the teacher should present a ready-made model triorama to the actual topic and tell his/her story. The focus should be on the process, how he/she has been thinking along the way and how he has visualized the three scenes. This will make the task more concrete and inspiring. Focus also on what this task aims and be open to present different ways of making the Triorama, so that the participants do not worry about having the right skills.

Next, the teacher will give instructions on how to fold the paper to getting started and will present all the different kinds of material to choose from.

Joint summary and presentation:

Have a presentation of all trioramas when they are finished. This can be done in different ways depending on the groups’ language skills. For ex: Sit in a circle and let everyone say something about their triorama. Or, have a conversation in pairs or small groups.

At the end, put all the trioramas together on a big table so that everyone can have a look. It also looks nice when two or four trioramas are attached to each other back-to-back.

Some tips:

Prepare some graphical elements that can help learners who are reluctant to drawing.

https://apphaus.sap.com/resource/scenes

The teacher should also be aware of the possible scepticism some adults might have when it comes to drawing and making a handicraft product like this. It will be important to be in a dialog with the participants as they work, to be sure they do not struggle with getting started or have lack of motivation. Prepare different approaches to focus on what the task aims. Or if drawing is considered childish or too hard, suggest other ideas. For example make only words or short sentences for each scene or use printable images from the internet or from a magazine/newspaper.

Variant

If folding of paper into a triorama or drawing is not suitable for the group, let the students choose between other types of material (for example personal images from their phones or let them search the web) to illustrate their life before-now-in the future. Let them show each other and tell their stories og dreams.