“A Weaving All About You”
Subject Area: Fine Arts
Grade Levels: 4-5
Standards:
26.A.2f Visual Arts
26.B.2d Visual Arts
26.B.3d Visual Arts
General Goals: Students will learn about the weaving process and create their own individual weavings.
Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1) Identify the meaning of loom, warp, and weft.
2) Understand and use the "under, over" technique of weaving.
3) Create a weaving using materials, colors, and patterns that describe them as a person.
Required Materials:
Materials provided by the teacher:
Various colors of yarn
Cardboard or mat board for the looms
Plastic weaving needles
Beads
Raffia
Other types of string
Materials provided by the student:
Beads
Yarn
String
Copies of photographs (these will have to be cut in strips so that they can be woven)
Teacher Preparation:
To save money, looms can be made from old cardboard or mat board. I cut my 8x10 looms out of old
pieces of mat board that had been donated to the art program. I cut slits in the top and the bottom that
measured ¼" apart. I also sent a letter home a week before I began the lesson that explained that we
would be learning about the art of weaving. I explained that students would be creating a type of selfportrait by adding materials to their weaving that described them. I suggested beads, string, and copies
of old photographs. As with many cases, some kids brought in a lot of things and some brought none. I
was sure to keep a supply of beads, yarn, and raffia that students could use.
Anticipatory Set:
Today we will begin learning about the weaving process. This art form has been around for many years.
I will have examples up on the board so that students see what they are learning about. We will discuss
the similarities and differences that are noticed.
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Step-by-Step Procedures:
Introduce the art of weaving with pictures and examples. Demonstrate how yarn is woven on a loom.
Explain the meaning of warp and weft. Demonstrate how yarn is woven using the "under, over"
technique. Students can practice saying "over, under, over, under" to learn the technique. Explain how
we will each create a weaving of our own. Each weaving will be unique because it will include materials
that symbolize things that are important in our lives.
(At this point I showed the class an example I had made. I explained that the orange and white yarn I
had used were my college colors. I had also used raffia because it reminded me of nature, and I like the
outdoors. The red, white, and green yarn I used were the colors of Italian flag. I explained that I had
been to Italy and had seen many magnificent works of art. I further explained that traveling to new
places was important in my life. Students really began to get excited and think about what they wanted
to include in their own weavings.)
Next, materials are distributed. Explain to the students how to tie a piece of yarn to a plastic weaving
needle. Students will then practice their "over, under" technique for the first few lines. Demonstrate how
to use beads in the weaving. (Simply weave the yarn through until you reach the place where the bead is
to be attached, then slide the needle and yarn through the bead and continue weaving.) Demonstrate how
to weave in other materials as well. For example, copies of photographs can be cut in to horizontal
strips. The strips can be woven in just like a piece of yarn, except no needle is needed.
Students will need two or three classes to work on their weavings. When work is complete, the weaving
may be detached by cutting the yarn in the middle on the back of the loom. The ends can be tied off. I
found that is was easy for student start on one side of their weaving and tie every two strings together
until they reached the other side. This can be done on each end of the weaving. Some students will, of
course, weave faster than others. I explained that each weaving will be a different size, and that is part of
what makes them so interesting. Follow with student evaluation.
Closure:
Review with the students the meaning of warp and weft. Ask class about the process in which yarn is
woven at the beginning and end of each art session.
Assessment:
Student Evaluation
What did you learn about the weaving process?
What materials did you use in your weaving that represent you?
* Created by Rena Bramlett - http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ArtBeginSchoolAWeavingAllAboutYou45.htm
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