Grade Level -5th 

Content Area- U.S. History 

Standard: 

ALCOS- Social Studies 

Standard 4-Determine the economic and cultural impact of European exploration during the Age of Discovery upon European society and American Indians.

Standard 5- Explain the early colonization of North America and reasons for settlement in the Northern, Middle, and Southern colonies, including geographic features, landforms, and differences in climate among the colonies.

Standard 6- Describe colonial economic life and labor systems in the Americas.

Objective: Students will learn about the process colonial Americans took to dye their own clothes. After the American Revolution, the colonist had to manage without their common imports (such as textiles), from England (the Triangular Trade Route/Colombian Exchange). Colonists had to use local plants, roots, and fruit to create color fabrics. At the end of the activity, we discussed why placing plants into boiling water causes the water to change color. 

Directions: Students will learn the process and history of dyeing fabric. Students will then be handed their fabric and choose the colored dye they want. While the dye is setting, students discussed their theory of why the water changes color when placed in boiling water. The teacher explains the process of the cell wall rupturing during the boiling stage and releasing the cell plasma "color" .

Guidelines: Variety of fruit or roots, boiling water, individual tubs to place dyed water, fabric.

Below are the students fabrics before and after the dye. They were able to chose between lemon, purple cabbage, blackberry, or strawberry dye. The sheet to left is what we used during our discussion.