1st Grade

In first grade students are introduced to the materials and methodologies of our maker program. The focus is on learning solid construction skills in a variety of mediums most commonly used in making. We also support students' growing literacy by tying many of the projects to texts. There is also a strong SEL component to our work as we learn how to use making as a way to express our hopes, needs, and feelings.

• Paper

• Cardboard

• Fabric

Intro Lesson

• Read This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

• Give each student a large tabloid size piece of paper

• Ask them to color both sides of the paper.

• Teach them to fold a paper hat.

• Have them write their name on the hat.

• Go around the room and have students share names, pronouns, and where they'd like to wear their hat.

Project 1 - The Very Last Castle

• Read The Very Last Castle by Travis Jonker

• Review paper craft techniques.

• Give each student a cardboard base and access to construction paper, tape, and scissors.

• Have each student build a paper castle using at least 4 different paper craft techniques.

Lesson 2- Building with cardboard

Learn cardboard building techniques like flange, slots, tabs, etc.

Project 2 - Cardboard Construction

• Read Not That Pet! by Smriti Prasadam-Halls

• Build a 3D cardboard pet using our cardboard attachment techniques.

Lesson 3 - Intro to Sewing

We will learn and practice some basic stitches.

Project 3 - Stitchin' and Pullin'

• Read Stitchin' and Pullin'

• On paper, design a quilt square inspired by and the Gee's Bend quilts.

• Use plastic canvas and yarn to make sewn version of your design.

Project 4 - Felted Friends

This project is designed to teach students the fundamentals of patterning and hand-sewing.

Project 6 - Mini Me, Mini House

This project is designed to incorporate all the skills students have acquired this year as they design and build a tiny house, for their tiny self, from paper, cardboard, and fabric.

The inspiration for this project comes from the book If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen.

To begin students will use the planning packet to sketch a black and white version of themselves. These will be photographed and printed as 2" freestanding character on the laser cutter.

Then students will need to plan their construction. They all have a the same box to use and some assignment requirements,