Where do Jeans Come From? - Cotton Weaving

Standards of Learning

Art: 2.9, 2.10, 2.12, 3.20, 3.28, 4.3, 4.11, 4.18, 4.21

English: 2.11, 3.9, 3.11, 4.7, 4.8

History: 3.8, 4.9,

Science: 2.8

Objective

Students will:

• Understand that weaving is a process done with cotton once it has been cleaned and spun.
• Understand that many of the clothes we wear, such as jeans, are made from woven cotton.
• Create their own weaving
• Learn the appropriate vocabulary (loom, warp, weft, beat) and use it correctly to describe their craft.

Materials

• Corrugated cardboard (6x6) – 1 per student
• White yarn- 2 skeins
• Blue yarn – 5 skeins
• Scissors - 1 per couple students
• Clear tape – 2 or 3 rolls
• Plastic combs – 1 per couple students
• Paper - 1 piece per student
• Writing utensil – 1 per student

Background Knowledge

Students will know that cotton has been harvested from the ground and cleaned and spun through large machines. They will also know that jeans are made from blue and white cotton woven together. Describe the over/under pattern to the students. A small demonstration will help younger students comprehend the motion and pattern. Go over the vocabulary of weaving: loom (the cardboard which holds the warp on); warp (white up and down strings into which you will weave); weft (the blue yarn you will weave into the weft); beat (the process of pushing the weft down to the bottom to keep it tight).

Procedure

(To be done by the teacher before the lesson)

1. Prior to class prepare cardboard for weaving.
2. Cut corrugated cardboard into small squares (no more than 6x6). Hold cardboard so that corrugations are vertical.
3. Cut notches in each end. Approximately 9 or 11 is a good amount.

(To be done by students)

4. Wrap the white yarn through the notches, wrapping all the way around and in every notch. (For younger students: can be done by the teacher in part with preparation.)
5. Cut an arms length of blue yarn.
6. Tape one end of the blue yarn to prevent unraveling.
7. Put the yarn under the first warp string leaving about 2 inches hanging out.
8. Go over/under/over/under until you reach the end.
9. Take the plastic comb and push the weft down to the bottom of the loom until it is packed in rather tightly.
10. Put the weft will go around the last warp string, and continue the patter where you left off on the row before.
11. Continue until you run out of yarn and leave a small tail to weave in later.
12. Repeat steps 2-7 until you are finished with the weaving.
13. Undo the tape on the ends, and weave the loose ends into the weaving.
14. Flip the loom over, and cut the white warp strings across the middle.
15. Take the weaving out of the loom. The loom can be reused.
16. Pull warp pieces to the front and tie two or three at a time together.

Extension

Ask students to write 5 descriptive sentences about their weaving. Students should include the vocabulary words to describe the process and their finished product.

This lesson has been adapted from, “Weaving Tips for Elementary”:

http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/middle8.html#Tips