8th Grade Sewing Unit
Lesson 6 – Constructed Garment
Objective: Students will following guide sheets to create a pair of fleece pants or cotton shorts
Standards: Textiles 2.1 Recognize textile production terminology
Textiles 2.2 Interpret technical instructions
Textiles 2.3 Demonstrate textile production skills
RST 3 - Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
Materials: Sewing Machines, thread, bobbins, tote trays, fabric, sewing equipment, technical directions, Progress tracking chart, rubric, sewing quiz
Pacing: 14 – 45 minute class periods
Students will be referencing a set of technical step-by-step directions to construct a pair of fleece pants or cotton shorts. Students receive group instruction for the first 2 days during the pinning and cutting phase of the project. For the remaining 12 days, students will work on an individual basis with partners as a reference point. As the students work they will refer to their directions first, partner second, neighbor third and then the teacher. The teacher’s role in the classroom is to facilitate the process, trouble shoot as needed and help manage the students’ use of time and supplies. At the end of each class period, students will indicate their daily progress on a chart posted in the room. This allows for the teacher to track each student’s work and target those who are struggling.
Each class period will begin and end with five minutes of setting up, cleaning up and touching base.
Refer to attached guide sheet for the step-by-step of the construction process.
At the completion of the project, garments will be evaluated using the rubric provided to students at the beginning of the project. Students will take a quiz to assess their mastery of content.
Objective: Students will following guide sheets to create a pair of fleece pants or cotton shorts
Standards: Textiles 2.1 Recognize textile production terminology
Textiles 2.2 Interpret technical instructions
Textiles 2.3 Demonstrate textile production skills
RST 3 - Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
Materials: Sewing Machines, thread, bobbins, tote trays, fabric, sewing equipment, technical directions, Progress tracking chart, rubric, sewing quiz
Pacing: 14 – 45 minute class periods
Students will be referencing a set of technical step-by-step directions to construct a pair of fleece pants or cotton shorts. Students receive group instruction for the first 2 days during the pinning and cutting phase of the project. For the remaining 12 days, students will work on an individual basis with partners as a reference point. As the students work they will refer to their directions first, partner second, neighbor third and then the teacher. The teacher’s role in the classroom is to facilitate the process, trouble shoot as needed and help manage the students’ use of time and supplies. At the end of each class period, students will indicate their daily progress on a chart posted in the room. This allows for the teacher to track each student’s work and target those who are struggling.
Each class period will begin and end with five minutes of setting up, cleaning up and touching base.
Refer to attached guide sheet for the step-by-step of the construction process.
At the completion of the project, garments will be evaluated using the rubric provided to students at the beginning of the project. Students will take a quiz to assess their mastery of content.
Reflection
It is a daunting thing, the 8th grade sewing project. Unlike the 6th and 7th grade projects, the precision required for sewing clothing and the understanding that a missed backstitch or a seam sewn with the wrong allowance can, and will affect the wear ability of the clothing can create a sense of anxiety for some students. Some students are overwhelmed with the number of steps needed to create a wearable garment.
Over the years, I have moved the 8th grade project to a more student driven exploration, rather than a step-by-step teacher guided activity. The students are responsible for following their own directions to create their project, and refer to partners or the teacher for clarity. This method, while engaging and rigorous for the student, can create a monitoring issue for the teacher. When I first moved to this method, I had students who were not making adequate daily progress on their projects; some were not really working at all. Since I was kept constantly busy with questions, I would not always catch this on a daily basis. That changed with the implementation of the progress chart.
It was such a simple idea; I wish I would have come across the idea earlier in my teaching experiences. Each student is listed on the chart on the horizontal lines with the steps of the project listed on the vertical. The chart is displayed on the SMART Board daily and each student checks off the steps as they are completed. In addition to the steps, there is also a countdown of the remaining work periods. This self-monitoring strategy has greatly improved not only the students’ personal motivation, but my ability to monitor the progress of each student with a simple glance. I can see who how each child is progressing, who is pushing forward, who is falling behind and even who might be rushing the pacing. I can touch base with the students who are progressing as expected, target those who are falling behind, and identify those who are rushing though and potentially producing poor quality work.
There were advantages to the chart that I had not anticipated. Since the chart is on display for the entire class to see, it allowed students to identify the classmates that had already completed the different tasks. Students were able to draw on their classmates as references for questions about steps, rather than just me. Many of my 8th graders are competitive in nature. It was not unusual to hear them playfully banter with each other over their progress. Other students would inquire if they could assist some of their classmates who were falling a bit behind. The chart quickly became a fully integrated feature of the activity; students did not need prompting to chart their progress on a daily basis. They were excited about it, so much so, they were quick to ask about the chart when I failed to put it up on the board at the beginning of class.
By encouraging self-monitoring, the students took a greater sense of ownership over the process. Since the chart was broken down into individual steps, students were able to see documented proof of their progress, and have a sense of daily accomplishment. The overwhelming sense of anxiety over a large multistep project was reduced to a manageable level by setting attainable daily goals.
On the last in class day to work, forty-two of my forty-eight students were completed with their project. The six remaining students completed their work outside of class time either before or after school hours. The garments are scored using a rubric provided to the students at the beginning of the project. My seventh hours section’s scores had a range from 100-113 out a possible 115. The mean score for the class was a 108.05 with a standard deviation of 3.39. Quiz scores had a range of 18-26 out a possible 26, with a mean of 24.23 and a standard deviation of 3.12. The eight hour section’s scores had a range of 101-109 out of a possible 115. The mean for the class was a 105.85 with a standard deviation of 2.26. Quiz scores had a range of 17-26 out of a possible 26, with a mean of 24.5 and a standard deviation of 2.39. The differences in scores between the two different sections can have a range of variable causes including interest in the task, past experience sewing and perceived difficulty of the task.
Regardless of the percentages and letter grades received, every one of my students ended their sewing experience with a self-made wearable garment. Grades are important, but I believe experiences are just as, if not more important than any letter grade could ever be. The hidden lessons taught in a FACS sewing class, patience, perseverance, self-monitoring and self-motivation will continue to support my students in all their endeavors.
I piloted the project with the 8th grade sewing project. I believe it was very successful in every way that I had hoped, and in many ways I had not anticipated. I fully intend to create similar progress charts for all of the multistep projects I do with my students in all grade levels. By encouraging students to self-monitor his or her performance, they are taking a step towards independence in their learning.
Over the years, I have moved the 8th grade project to a more student driven exploration, rather than a step-by-step teacher guided activity. The students are responsible for following their own directions to create their project, and refer to partners or the teacher for clarity. This method, while engaging and rigorous for the student, can create a monitoring issue for the teacher. When I first moved to this method, I had students who were not making adequate daily progress on their projects; some were not really working at all. Since I was kept constantly busy with questions, I would not always catch this on a daily basis. That changed with the implementation of the progress chart.
It was such a simple idea; I wish I would have come across the idea earlier in my teaching experiences. Each student is listed on the chart on the horizontal lines with the steps of the project listed on the vertical. The chart is displayed on the SMART Board daily and each student checks off the steps as they are completed. In addition to the steps, there is also a countdown of the remaining work periods. This self-monitoring strategy has greatly improved not only the students’ personal motivation, but my ability to monitor the progress of each student with a simple glance. I can see who how each child is progressing, who is pushing forward, who is falling behind and even who might be rushing the pacing. I can touch base with the students who are progressing as expected, target those who are falling behind, and identify those who are rushing though and potentially producing poor quality work.
There were advantages to the chart that I had not anticipated. Since the chart is on display for the entire class to see, it allowed students to identify the classmates that had already completed the different tasks. Students were able to draw on their classmates as references for questions about steps, rather than just me. Many of my 8th graders are competitive in nature. It was not unusual to hear them playfully banter with each other over their progress. Other students would inquire if they could assist some of their classmates who were falling a bit behind. The chart quickly became a fully integrated feature of the activity; students did not need prompting to chart their progress on a daily basis. They were excited about it, so much so, they were quick to ask about the chart when I failed to put it up on the board at the beginning of class.
By encouraging self-monitoring, the students took a greater sense of ownership over the process. Since the chart was broken down into individual steps, students were able to see documented proof of their progress, and have a sense of daily accomplishment. The overwhelming sense of anxiety over a large multistep project was reduced to a manageable level by setting attainable daily goals.
On the last in class day to work, forty-two of my forty-eight students were completed with their project. The six remaining students completed their work outside of class time either before or after school hours. The garments are scored using a rubric provided to the students at the beginning of the project. My seventh hours section’s scores had a range from 100-113 out a possible 115. The mean score for the class was a 108.05 with a standard deviation of 3.39. Quiz scores had a range of 18-26 out a possible 26, with a mean of 24.23 and a standard deviation of 3.12. The eight hour section’s scores had a range of 101-109 out of a possible 115. The mean for the class was a 105.85 with a standard deviation of 2.26. Quiz scores had a range of 17-26 out of a possible 26, with a mean of 24.5 and a standard deviation of 2.39. The differences in scores between the two different sections can have a range of variable causes including interest in the task, past experience sewing and perceived difficulty of the task.
Regardless of the percentages and letter grades received, every one of my students ended their sewing experience with a self-made wearable garment. Grades are important, but I believe experiences are just as, if not more important than any letter grade could ever be. The hidden lessons taught in a FACS sewing class, patience, perseverance, self-monitoring and self-motivation will continue to support my students in all their endeavors.
I piloted the project with the 8th grade sewing project. I believe it was very successful in every way that I had hoped, and in many ways I had not anticipated. I fully intend to create similar progress charts for all of the multistep projects I do with my students in all grade levels. By encouraging students to self-monitor his or her performance, they are taking a step towards independence in their learning.