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New
New
Year 3

Plan a monster animation

I can plan a monster animation.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 3

Plan a monster animation

I can plan a monster animation.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Stop motion is a form of animation involving sequential photography of still objects.
  2. Storyboarding and sketching helps in visualising and planning the sequence of events in an animation.

Keywords

  • Animation - a series of drawings or images that are shown quickly one after another to create the illusion of movement

  • Storyboard - a sequence of drawings that represent the shots planned for a movie or animation

  • Sketch - a quick, simple drawing that does not have many details

Common misconception

Pupils may think that storyboards need to be perfect and spend more time on the details of the drawing as opposed to thinking about the sequence of events of their animation.

Remind children that storyboards are rough sketches that help plan the sequence of the animation.

At this point children should have an idea of what their monster looks like. Emphasize that storyboards are meant to help them plan the sequence of events, so even simple stick figures or rough sketches are useful. Guide them to think about key moments in their animation.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a basic element in drawing?
colour
Correct answer: line
texture
Q2.
Which tool is commonly used for shading in a drawing?
ruler
eraser
Correct answer: pencil
Q3.
What type of line is created by connecting two points and has no curves?
curved line
Correct answer: straight line
dotted line
Q4.
Which of the following is an organic shape?
circle
square
Correct answer: leaf
triangle
Q5.
Match the story structure components with their descriptions.
Correct Answer:beginning,the part where characters and the setting are introduced

the part where characters and the setting are introduced

Correct Answer:middle,the part where the main problem develops and builds up to the ending

the part where the main problem develops and builds up to the ending

Correct Answer:end,the part where the main problem is solved and the story concludes

the part where the main problem is solved and the story concludes

Q6.
Order the steps for creating a successful sketch.
1 - Decide on the arrangement and layout.
2 - Lightly sketch the basic shapes and outlines.
3 - Add details to your sketch.
4 - Review and make improvements to your sketch.

6 Questions

Q1.
What is a storyboard?
a detailed script for an animation
a finished animation
Correct answer: a sequence of drawings representing shots planned for an animation
Q2.
What is stop motion animation?
Correct answer: a form of animation involving sequential photography of still objects
a form of animation involving paintings and drawings
a form of animation involving only sculptures
Q3.
What is one purpose of a storyboard in animation?
to create detailed drawings
to finish the animation
Correct answer: to plan the sequence of events
Q4.
What are storyboards typically made of?
detailed drawings
finished animations
Correct answer: rough sketches
Q5.
What is the first step in creating a monster animation?
creating the final animation
Correct answer: designing the monster character
finding background music
Q6.
Order the steps for creating a mind map for your monster animation.
1 - Start with the main idea.
2 - Draw branches for key parts (beginning, middle and end).
3 - Add details to each main idea.
4 - Review and make connections between ideas.