Dioramas can illustrate a wide range of subjects. A diorama for reading class can illustrate a student's favorite scene from a book she read recently. For the life sciences, the student may construct a diorama representing a specific biome, ecosystem or era. A diorama may also show a model of a natural system, such as the water cycle or a cutaway of a volcano or a tree trunk. Historical scenes are another area ripe for representation by means of a diorama.
There are many materials a student may use to create his diorama. A shoe box on its side serves as a convenient frame and container for the diorama. The student can decorate the inner walls of the box with tempera paint or construction paper. Modeling clay or salt dough are useful for forming rocks and large objects like houses, while toys may represent people, animals and vehicles. A student willing to invest more time in the project may choose to make paper cutouts or paper mache models instead. Cotton balls, sand and craft moss can form clouds, dirt and grass.
Before starting construction, each student should begin by planning out her diorama. This will enable her to correctly decide what materials she will need to adequately represent the scene. One planning technique is to make pencil sketches or outlines on the inner walls of the shoe box to indicate what items will go where. Another is to create a sketch or a verbal or written description of what elements the diorama should have in what positions.
Begin by decorating the inner walls of a shoe box by painting them or gluing colored construction paper to form the sky, land and water. Use glue to attach large features of the landscape, such as paper mache hills or clay houses. Add texture to surfaces by gluing on sand to represent dirt, craft moss to represent grass, cotton for clouds or blue cellophane for waves. Complete the diorama by gluing smaller elements into place. These may include plastic toys, paper cutouts or clay models. Use thread to hang flying animals or vehicles from the upper wall of the diorama.