wool

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Learn About Wool

wool:sheep

Name: LEARN ABOUT WOOL~ From fibre to fashion 

Subject: Design and Technologies

Technologies Context -> Food and Fibre Production

Year Levels: 3-4

Link to Resource: http://www.learnaboutwool.com/years-3-4/year-3-4-design-and-technologies/

Elaboration:
Australia’s wool industry provides the ideal opportunity for students across Years 3 and 4 to explore how sheep are managed sustainably to produce wool and how the properties of wool allow it to be used for a diverse range of everyday products.

Resource Description:
The LEARN ABOUT WOOL resources provide opportunities for Year 3 – 4 students to investigate where wool comes from, how wool is produced, the unique properties of wool and how these properties influence the use and behaviour of the wool-based end products. Students also use the Australian wool industry as the basis for investigating the world-class technologies and methods used in modern fibre production.

The curriculum-based resource packages (The Properties of Wool and Modern Wool Production) include a variety of interactive resources, including a downloadable PDF factsheet, websites, applications and age-appropriate video clips.

worksheet2

How to use these resources 

  • Students watch the videoclips on where wool comes from and how its processed

video clips

  • Factsheets on keys points are handed out (example shown below)

Example fact sheet

  • Students interact (see and feel) with real samples of raw and processed fibre, yarn and fabric which are included in the hard copy version of the Learn About Wool kit.

Covers differing properties of wool in various circumstances, and also provides videos such as ‘How my sweater came to be’ covering from the farm to production

 

Additional resources:

  • Magazine; The Australian Wool Innovation Limited has their own publication ‘Beyond the Bale’ which shows the varied use of Australian wool from Fashion to Football. Found at http://beyondthebale.wool.com/#folio=4
  • App; ‘The Wool Lab Interiors app’ ‘A guide to the most inspiring trends and to the best wool products, created by The Woolmark Company to inspire and inform textile professionals regarding the infinite potential of Merino wool.’

    app

 

ACARA Links

Resource: The Properties of Wool

Fact sheet: PDF link; http://www.learnaboutwool.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/Primary_Properties-of-Wool.pdf

Strand: Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

Substrand: Technologies context -> Engineering principles and systems

  • Investigate how forces and the properties of materials affect the behaviour of a product or system (ACTDEK011)

Learn about wool

Elaboration; Students explore and conduct investigation into the resources in order to understand the characteristics and properties of wool, which may affect the behaviour and performance of a product (eg flammability for children’s pyjamas, thermal properties for winter garments, breathability for sportswear etc)

 

Strand: Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

Substrand: Technologies context -> Food and Fibre Production

  • Recognise/ investigate the contribution food and fibre production and food technologies make to modern and traditional societies (ACTDEK012)

  fashion

Strand: Design and Technologies Processes and production skills

Substrand: Investigating & defining, designing, producing & implementing, evaluating, collaborating & managing

  • Opportunities to incorporate the full strand, depending on the classroom activity being undertaken. (ACTDEP014 – ACTDEP018)

wool fun facts

 

Resource:  Modern Wool Production

Fact sheet:  http://www.learnaboutwool.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/Primary_Wool-Production.pdf


Strand: Design and Technologies; Knowledge and Understanding

Substrand: Technologies context -> Food and fibre production

  • Investigate food and fibre production and food technologies used in modern and traditional societies (ACTDEK012)

 Wool production

Strand: Design and Technologies; Processes and production skills

Substrand: Investigating & defining, designing, producing & implementing, evaluating, collaborating & managing

  • Opportunities to incorporate the full strand, depending on the classroom activity being undertaken. (ACTDEP014 – ACTDEP018)

 Wool posters

 

Cross Curricular Priorities:

Sustainability
Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia

General Capabilities:

Literacy

Numeracy

Critical & Creative Thinking (CCT)

Intercultural Thinking (ICU)

Links to other Learning Areas:

Science (ACSSU074) (Years 1 – 8)

Geography (Years 1, 4, 5, 9)

History (Years 2, 4, 5)

English

Economics & business (Years 7, 9, 10)

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