Primary

GRADE 2/3 LESSON PLAN

Lesson: HISTORICAL DRESSES

Students use the information found in the "Dresses" activity on the Point Ellice House website to compare the types of dress that Kathleen wore for activities during her day to their own ‘everyday’ (things they do every day, such as walking, sleeping, eating dinner, etc.) activities and the types of clothes they wear for them.

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

Applications of Social Studies

It is expected that students will:

• Draw simple interpretations from personal experiences, oral sources, and visual and written representations

Organization & Scheduling

Suggested time: 45 minutes

Materials & Resources

• Social Studies notebook or lined piece of paper per student
• Pencil per student
• Access to Dresses activity of Point Ellice House website (aprox. 1 to 2 students per computer) OR
• Print out of Dresses website for each student or every 2 students (print out includes pictures of dresses and information on type of dress-dress in context, optional)

Suggested Procedure

1. Have students study the "Dresses" page from the Point Ellice House website either in print or on the computer screen.

2. Read through the information as a class.

3. Brainstorm as a class, a list of activities that they do ‘everyday.

4. Have the students choose 2 of the 'everyday' activities from the list which they think might be done in each dresses (from the pictures provided).

5. After fitting the activities and the dresses together, have the students answer the question, "Why would this dress be appropriate for this activity?"

6. Conclude the class with a discussion around the following questions:

• How many times a day do you change clothes? How many times on average do you think Kathleen might have changed clothes?
• What kinds of activities nowadays require us to change into different clothing? Are they the same reasons Kathleen changed?

Possible Assessment

Criterion reference the product from the students. One possible reference is as follows:

• 2 activities are plausible to the dresses (/2)
• Student has provided at least 2 characteristics/features of the dress that make it suitable for the activity (/4-2 for each dress)
• Total (/8)

Choose the 5 students that had the most to offer in the discussion. Check their names off on a class list. (You can keep this list for other discussions in class and use it for anecdotal reporting).

Adaptations

Another option is to have the pictures and text cut out and have the students match the text to the dress they think it belongs to. Then, have the students justify why they think this should be. Conclude by showing them the right answers.

Extensions

• Have the students make a schedule of what activities they think Kathleen would have done in one day when she was their age and what type of clothing she would have worn for each activity (this may require a bit of research). Have the students compare it to their schedule on a specific day (try to choose a day that has PE and other activities that may require a change of clothes).
• Follow up the lesson with a visit to Point Ellice House.
• Have the students go online or print off the other resources on dresses from the website:

  The Dressing Doll Activity

  The Special Collections of the O'Reilly Family Clothing

  The Presentation Gown Complete Collection

Click here to download a printable version of this lesson.