This week, the students learned about weaving. During the presentation part of the lesson I had two main goals. First, we talked about weaving traditions from around the world. Weaving such a basic technology, that almost all cultures do it, but weaving is also so flexible and adaptable, that every culture can have their own style. I showed the students pictures of weaving from different cultures, and we compared and contrasted them, and discussed factors that create those differences, such as available resources and intended purpose.
The second goal was to talk about the Navajo tribe. They were just beginning a unit about Native American cultures, so this was a good way to connect this to what they were learning. We talked about were they live, and about how they use weaving as a way to preserve their culture. We also learned how to say “Hello” in the Navajo language.
Then we started the activity. I had already made the looms and cut the yarn ahead of time, but I had the students string their own looms. They did a great job paying attention, but students would often get lost or miss a step. I think that it would have helped to have prepared clearer directions. When we started the weaving stage, it tricky to keep students all on the same page. By the end of class, some were on their second piece of string, while others were only on the second row.
Overall, the lesson went really well. None of the students gave up, even after making mistakes. Once they got the hang of it, they really got into it. Some of them didn’t want to leave for recess, which is always the best compliment.
Comments