Building Background Observations &
Speculation
The purpose of this activity is
to help students begin to think about the social and
cultural meaning of clothes.
1. Read the following
paragraph aloud to your class:
"Many people believe
clothing is not only a necessity; their clothing represents
their cultures and beliefs. Many factors affect the
clothing worn by different civilizations. Some factors
include region, beliefs, climate, and gender. Time also
serves as a constant in which the fashion of clothing
evolves. Though fashion changes at a constant speed, some
pieces of clothing are more than just warmth and
protection, some pieces of clothing remain almost
synonymous with the cultures which crafted them. For
instance, a billowing white toga is usually associated with
the Roman Empire. A brilliantly colored, ornate kimono is
most often associated with Japan. Altogether, fashion is a
symbol for certain time periods and regions. "
Source:
https://library. thinkquest. org/04oct/00327/main. html
2. Divide the class into small groups and provide each
group with a copy of the handout entitled "Clothes: What Do
They Mean?" Ask the students to brainstorm answers to the
questions on the handout. When the class is finished,
encourage each group to share its thoughts with the entire
class.
Steps for Learning Culture, Identity, Status
& Clothes
The purpose of this activity
is to provide students with an opportunity to explore
different cultural expressions of identity through
clothing.
1. Tell the students that they are going to
research clothing from varied cultures.
Divide the class
into small groups and tell the students to use the websites
provided to complete their assignment.
Group One:
Elizabethan Clothing
https://www. elizabethan-era.
org. uk/elizabethan-clothing-allowed-men. htm
https://www. lepg. org/women. htm
https://www. lepg.
org/men. htm
Images: https://images. google.
com/images?svnum=10& hl=en& lr=&
client=safari& rls=en-%0Dus&
q=elizabethan+clothing& btnG=Search
us&
q=elizabethan+clothing& btnG=Search
Group Two:
Ancient Rome
https://www. iol.
ie/~coolmine/typ/romans/romans8. html
https://www.
vroma. org/~bmcmanus/clothing. html
https://library.
thinkquest. org/22866/English/Romday/Kleding. html
Images: https://www. crystalinks. com/romeclothing. html
Group Three: Kimonos
https://www. marquise.
de/en/ethno/japan/colours. shtml
https://library.
thinkquest. org/04oct/00327/jindex. html
(Scroll to
Japanese Clothing)
https://web. mit.
edu/jpnet/kimono/
Images: https://web. mit.
edu/jpnet/kimono/kimono-history. html
Group Four:
Saris
https://www. hinduismtoday.
com/archives/1998/6/1998-6-12. shtml
https://en.
wikipedia. org/wiki/Sari
https://www. bangla-online.
info/BanglaLanguage/DressHabits. htm
Images:
https://images. google. com/images?svnum=10& hl=en&
lr=& client=safari& rls=en-us& q=saris+&
btnG=Search
Give the students the following
assignment:
Create a class presentation containing the
following elements based on what you have learned in your
research:
- a description of the clothing
- how the
clothing relates to the culture
- how the clothing is related
to social status, wealth, or rank
- two examples of the
clothing. These can be photographs, drawings from your
sources or drawings that you create based on your research
-
five interesting facts about the clothing
2. Provide
time for each small group to present its work to the class.
3. Ask students to respond to the following reflective
journal prompts:
- What connections can you make about
clothing across varied cultures?
- Do you see evidence of
social class distinctions in the way that people dress
today? If so, provide examples.
- Have you changed your
opinion on the meaning of clothing?
- Do you think that there
is a typical "American" style of clothing?
- What do the
clothes you wear suggest about your identity?
Lead a class
discussion based on students' responses to the writing
prompts.