- Year 4
Draw buildings using simple perspective
I can draw buildings using simple perspective techniques to show depth and distance.
- Year 4
Draw buildings using simple perspective
I can draw buildings using simple perspective techniques to show depth and distance.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Perspective helps artists show space and depth in their drawings.
- Artists and architects use perspective to bring realism to their designs.
- Buildings can be made to look 3D using lines that lead to a vanishing point.
Keywords
Perspective - a drawing technique that shows how objects appear smaller as they get further away
Vanishing point - the spot on the horizon where parallel lines seem to meet
Horizon line - the level where the sky meets the ground in a drawing
Depth - the sense of space or distance in a picture
Common misconception
All the lines in a building should go straight up and sideways.
Some lines go towards a vanishing point to show how things look smaller as they get further away. That’s how we create perspective.
To help you plan your year 4 art and design lesson on: Draw buildings using simple perspective, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 4 art and design lesson on: Draw buildings using simple perspective, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 art and design lessons from the Architecture: drawing and 3D design unit, dive into the full primary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Rulers, pencils and erasers.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these is an architectural structure?
Q2.What is one way architects make their buildings interesting?
Q3.Match the word to the correct description.
a person who designs structures
a place made for people to use
how something is built or put together
Q4.Match each design thinking step with the correct action.
Draw simple outlines to plan the structure.
Decide whether to use a ruler or draw freehand.
Use curved lines or creative forms to add flow.
Q5.Structure means ...
Q6.Who designs buildings and helps decide how they will look?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does “perspective” help show in a drawing?
Q2.Where is the vanishing point usually placed?
Q3.Match the drawing technique to what it helps show.
Objects are far away.
Objects are closer.
These create depth in the scene.