LKS2 Topic: British Clothing Block A: the History of British Clothing

LKS2 Topic: British Clothing Block A: The history of British clothing

Session 1 What are you wearing?
National Curriculum / English:To discuss what they are learning and to develop their wider skills in spoken language;
To use language in a greater variety of situations, for a variety of audiences and purposes, including through drama, formal presentations and debate.
Teaching Objectives / To discuss with others their thoughts, ideas and questions about clothing through the ages.
National Curriculum / History:To study an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066, for example; changes in an aspect of social history such as clothing; To address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference and significance.
Teaching Objectives / To understand that clothing has changed over time and to begin to ask questions about how and why.
Resources
Information sheet on What do we know and what do we want to know?; A collection of clothes for dressing up; Large sheet of paper for each group; Question sheets for each group; Sticky notes; Good(but not essential): a variety of special & interesting outfits hung up around the class/hall (ask the adults in school, or parents if they have anything to lend); wedding dress, suit, sari, wetsuit, a hat collection, shoes, coats, vintage clothes, pyjamas, dressing-gown, gloves, uniforms (police, nurse, chef, builder, etc.); Clothes hangers, a hat stand, a mannequin. / Weblinks
Whole class: Before session invite chn to come to school in their favourite clothes or mufti (casual clothes) with a photo of their best clothes if they’re too special to bring in. The teacher and TA should come to this session with a different outfit; ideally an outfit from a period in history, but could simply be something different to their normal clothes such as hiking gear, or a ball gown.If you are able to bring a mannequin in to class, try and put a different outfit on it every few days, or encourage the chn to choose the outfit from a class collection.Open the door and welcome the chn to the classroom/hall (that is set-up with interesting clothing). Allow them some time to be excited and curious about this change from the norm. Encourage the chn to move around the room looking at the new items in there. Listen and join in with some of their discussions. Gather the class together. What do you think the new class topic will be about? Explain your outfit to them:Is it special, or useful?What materials is it made from? Was it bought in a shop, handed down, or handmade? When or where was it worn? Chn to try and guess the answers to these questions first? If there is another adult in the class, ask them to explain their outfit too. Put chn into groups of mixed ability and ask them to repeat the process with their outfit, explaining to their group why it is special, or they like it. Does it remind them of a special event?Do they like the pattern? Is it really comfortable? Is it good for doing a certain activity? Move between groups encouraging good group work. Take feedback from the groups, asking a child to explain another person’s outfit. Had they listened carefully to their explanation?Add that the topic is not simply about clothes, but more specifically about clothes through the ages. Ask forthem to think back to what they would have chosen to wear for mufti day when they were in reception; Has their style changed? Explain that styles and materials have changed throughout history for a number of reasons and we will discover why.
Medium/HardTeacher to move between the groups listening to discussions. Remind chn of what good group work looks like, taking turns, listening to each other, sharing ideas.In mixed ability groups, chn jot down anything that they know or would like to know about changes to clothes, styles and materials on a large sheet of paper. They consider and discuss the questions on the prompt sheet. They jot down any questions they have, that they’d like to find out about over the course of this block. Each child chooses one of these questions to write on a sticky note to add to the topic wall.
Plenary / Take feedback from each group about what they have discussed. Do they already know a lot? Do they have any misconceptions? Listen to the sticky note questions from each child and add them to the topic wall. Did anyone hear a question raised by a classmate that they think they can already answer? Explain that over the course of this block they will be learning about changes in British clothing, including fashions and materials, since 1066. How long ago was 1066? (Encourage all chn to solve this problem using an appropriate subtraction method). Because this is nearly a 1000 years ago, way before computers and cameras. How do you think we might find this information out? (Paintings, writing, diary entries, an expert). Use their responses as an initial assessment, to re-visit at the end of the block. Do they think much has changed since their parents/carers were children? Have they seen any photos of them as a child in ‘funny’ outfits? If they’re able to, ask chn to bring the photos in to share with the class.
Outcomes / Children will:

Consider why they like or choose certain clothes
Understand that clothes, fashions and styles have changed considerably
Think about what they already know about clothes and materials
Raise questions about what they don’t yet know about changes to British styles and materials

We refer you to our warning, at the foot of the block overview, about links to other websites.