Fifth Grade

Alternative Weaving Unit

Lesson One

Dates Lesson
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Taught:
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Introduction to Traditional Peruvian Weaving

& Alternative Weaving

I.

Topic
Content Area: The Big Idea for this unit is Connectivity- over the course of this unit,
students will learn about the literal connection of materials as they are woven together to
create a work of art as well as the connectivity (relationships) between community
members who engage in the practice of weaving. By the end of the unit, the students will
see how materials and people alike connect and come together during the process of
weaving.
Content Statement: The focus of this lesson is to introduce students to Peruvian weaving,
particularly in terms of how resourceful the weavers of Peru are with the materials they
use.

II. Objectives
By the end of the lesson, students will have learned about the tradition of weaving in Peru,
specifically how Peruvian weavers are very resourceful and use objects/elements from
their natural environments to create woven goods. Students will then brainstorm in groups
about the kinds of objects/materials they would consider a part of their
natural/home/school environments. Specifically, students will be encouraged to think
about what kinds of objects have the potential to be woven together. Students will be

Fifth Grade
Alternative Weaving Unit
Lesson One

introduced to the term alternative and will understand that the weaving project being
pursued will involve using materials that are alternative to the kinds of materials usually
used for weaving.

III. Standards of Education

Related National Standards for Visual Arts Education
Grades 5-8, Content Standard #4: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and
cultures
Students
a. know and compare the characteristics of artworks in various eras and culture
c. analyze, describe, and demonstrate how factors of time and place (such as climate,
resources, ideas, and technology) influence visual characteristics that give meaning
and value to a work of art
Related Virginia Visual Arts Standards of Learning
5.1 The student will use steps of the art-making process, including brainstorming,
preliminary sketching, planning, reflecting, and refining, to synthesize ideas for and
create works of art.
5.18 The student will analyze and interpret works of art based on visual properties and
context.
Related Virginia Standards of Learning for Math, Science, Language Arts, and History/Social
Science
WS.2a The student will demonstrate knowledge of the geography of Peru and its impact
on the history and culture of the Peruvian people.

IV. Student Group Targeted

Grade level and group: 5th grade suburban student group (although this can certainly be
easily adapted to suit other grade levels and student populations).
Prerequisite skills/knowledge: Students should have some prior experience with group
work/activities and essential writing skills for the activity. Students should be comfortable
using scissors (in case we get to the point where were cutting tabs for our looms).

V.

Time Required
This lesson will require one 45 minute-long class period, but will be a part of a unit
consisting of four or five lessons of equal length.

VI. Materials and Resources

Introductory YouTube Video on traditional Peruvian weaving
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7wzcMCnPw4) (3:53)
http://threadsofperu.com/ for information on traditional Peruvian weaving
PowerPoint presentation with images of Peruvian weavers working, Peruvian textiles,
materials used to make textiles, etc
Projector and computer for presentation
Whiteboard
Dry erase markers/eraser
Sample response for the group discussion activity
Large sheet of paper for each table for brainstorming activity (5)
Markers or other colored writing utensils for activity
Cardboard for the looms
Scissors to cut tabs in the looms (in case we get to this point)
Pencils

Fifth Grade
Alternative Weaving Unit
Lesson One

Box for storing class materials (looms/other weaving materials)

VII. Itinerary and Instructional Strategies

Key Terms/Vocabulary:
Weaving (to weave): to form by interlacing threads, yards, strands, or strips of some
material; to form by combining various elements or details into a connected whole; to
compose a connected whole by combining various elements or details.
Alternative: offering or expressing a choice; not usual or traditional; differing from the
usual or conventional; something that can be chosen instead of something else.

Motivation and Explanations:

Questioning Strategies/Discussion:

Students will view a YouTube clip depicting a demonstration of traditional Peruvian

weaving. This video is the hook (or motivation) for the lesson, and is intended to give
students an introduction to weaving and simultaneously pique student interest. The
video will be followed by questioning (see below) and will ultimately lead into a
discussion-based activity in which the students will work together in groups.

Questioning prior to view YouTube clip:

-Raise your hand if you have heard of the term weaving before? Raise your hand if you
have done some kind of weaving in the past?
-What is weaving? How would you define it?
Questioning for after viewing the
YouTube clip/PowerPoint presentation:
-What was the main focus of this video?
Did you see any weaving actually
happen?
-What did you notice about the materials
they use for weaving? Where do they
come from?
Questioning for group based activity:
-What are some materials in your
environment(s) that could be used for
weaving? (Answer this question in their
groups and then each table will share 3
of their favorite answers)
Questioning for project introduction:
-What do you think the word alternative means? (as part of introduction to project,
a.k.a alternative weaving)
-What do you think makes the materials we brainstormed during the activity (at least
some of them) alternative in terms of weaving? Are a lot of these materials ones that
you might normally associate with weaving?
-What are materials you might normally associate with weaving?
-What about weaving? How might we define weaving? What does it make you think of?
Questioning for closure/check for understanding:
-Will someone raise their hand and tell me one interesting thing you learned about
traditional Peruvian weaving today?
-What kinds of materials do the weavers of Peru use to create their weavings?
-What are some materials in our environment(s) that we said we could use for weaving?
-What did we decide the word alternative means?

Fifth Grade
Alternative Weaving Unit
Lesson One

-How about weaving?

Demonstration/Guided Practice:
The guided practice for this lesson will involve explaining the discussion-based group
activity and showing the students an example before they get started. At this time, it
should be made clear what the expectations are for student participation in this activity.
Each student will need to come up with at least 2 ideas. Have the students write their
initials next to the ideas they come up with to make sure all of the students are
participating in the activity. Make sure to emphasize that this is just the minimum and
that they should use all of the time they have for this activity to brainstorm within their
groups.

Student Independent Practice/Activity:

The students will engage in a group discussion activity in which they will identify
materials in their natural, home, and school environments that have the potential to be
woven. Each student will come with a minimum of 2 ideas and will write their initials next
to each idea they contribute. After about 10 minutes of working on this in their groups,
they will be asked to circle in one color their favorite idea for each section (3 total
favorites). In addition, they will select their 2nd favorite ideas for each section (circle with
a different color). They will be sharing their favorites for each section with their
classmates. If a favorite is mentioned before their table gets to share, they may share
their 2nd favorite idea. See the
Time flow/Transitions section
below for details.

Checking for Understanding:

The
to
in

check for understanding will

happen at the end of the lesson
wrap up before the students
leave the art room. See above
the Questioning Strategies
section for details on what
questions can be posed at this
time.

Time Flow/Transitions
(10:15-11:00 a.m.):
10:15- Students arrive and sit down on the rug in front of the whiteboard for roll call and
any other pre-lesson announcements.
10:20- There will be a brief introduction to acquaint students with what we are going to
be watching, then the students will watch the YouTube video on traditional Peruvian
weaving (3:53 min in length). See Questioning Strategies section for possibilities
regarding what to ask the students before watching the clip.
10:25- Once the clip is over, briefly go over the weaving process, being sure to focus in
particular on the resourcefulness of the weavers. Show the students images of the
different colored yarn next to the natural materials used to make the dye, and show the
finished product (woven textile). Use questioning strategies to engage students (see
above in questioning strategies).
10:30- After showing the students the clip and emphasizing key points about materials
(natural resources) using the images on the PowerPoint, transition into a question-based
discussion activity in which the students will be encouraged to consider what kinds of
materials make up their natural/home/school environments. In particular, have students
think about materials that could be used for weaving. This activity will involve each table

Fifth Grade
Alternative Weaving Unit
Lesson One

working together to brainstorm. Each table will have a large sheet of paper to write on.
The question regarding materials should be written at the top of each large sheet of
paper: What are some materials (in nature/at home/at school) that you could use for
weaving? Students should have about 10 minutes to work on this before each group
shares 3 of their favorite answers (one for each section: nature, home, school) with the
rest of the class. Emphasize that each person must write at least one thing so that they
can get credit for doing the assignment (write your initials next to your response). Make
sure that students know before beginning the activity what your expectations are in
regards to participation. They will need to write their initials next to the ideas they come
up with. (Tell students before they start that if they notice someone is struggling to come
up with ideas that they should help them out!) Have specific expectations/guidelines
written on the board so that the students can reference them throughout the activity.
10:40- After taking about 10 minutes to brainstorm and write down ideas, each group
will share 3 of their favorite answers with the rest of the class. If an answer is already
shared, thats okay- they can pick a different one to share. *Note: before sharing, set
aside a minute or two for each group to circle their 3 favorite answers in one color, next
3 favorites in a different color, etc... Have an example of this available to show them so
that expectations are clear.
10:45- Introduce the students to the project: Alternative Weaving. Ask them to offer
ideas regarding what is meant by the word alternative. As a class, come up with a
definition, and ask why this project might be called alternative weaving given that
definition. Ultimately, lead the students to recognize that this project is called alternative
weaving because they will be working with materials that arent generally associated
with weaving. In doing this project, we will be problem solving and experimenting with
found materials.
10:50- With the remaining time, students will select their cardboard looms for this
project and write their names on them. If there is extra time because the rest of the
lesson went by more quickly than anticipated, students may begin measuring and
cutting the inch tabs. It is, however, unlikely that there will be time at the end of class
to demonstrate and begin this process. Nonetheless, be prepared for this possibility.
10:55- Quickly wrap up the lesson and check for understanding before the students
leave. Ask students about traditional Peruvian weaving: what in particular is worth noting
about the materials being used by the weavers? Next, ask students to give three
examples of materials found in their environments that they could potentially weave
with. Ask specifically for one example from nature, one from home, and one from school.
Last but not least, call on a student to define the word alternative. (see Questioning
Strategies section for further details on what to ask students at this time)
11:00- Make sure the students are lined up and ready to go when their teacher comes to
pick them up.

Closure:
For closure, ask the students questions pertaining to the content covered during the
lesson. (see Questioning Strategies section above)

VIII.

Evaluation Strategies
Students will be evaluated on their participation in the group activity, their contribution to
class discussions, and their overall participation during class. All of these will factor into
the overall grade for the project. For this lesson, there should be evidence that each
student participated in the discussion-based group activity. Students should write their
initials next to the ideas they generate during the activity. Use the following rubric to
grade students on their activity participation during this lesson:

Each student
will contribute
and write down
their ideas
during the
discussionbased group
activity. (write
initials next to
idea(s))

At least 3 ideas
presented.

At least 2 ideas
presented.

At least 1 idea
presented.

No ideas
presented.

Fifth Grade
Alternative Weaving Unit
Lesson One

IX.

Suggested Supplemental Activities

This lesson will be a part of an extended unit of instruction. Aside from lessons that will
follow this one, some possibilities for supplemental activities might include:
A nature walk to collect alternative materials for the students to weave with.