Embedded Files
Purpose
Purpose
Participants will apply all previous circuitry and sewing skills learned to design and make their own graduation cap. Lesson will begin with an identity activity for participants to think about the hopes and dreams they would like to accomplish in the next 5 – 10 years. Participants will visualize their hopes and dreams onto the grad cap and create an expressive design. Reflective debrief will follow discussing their plans for the future and that of fellow participants.
Materials
Materials
For each participant
🙿 LEDs
🙿 pliers
🙿 scissors
🙿 Markers
🙿 Hot glue gun
🙿 Conductive thread
🙿 Headband
🙿 Cardboard
🙿 Black fabric or felt
🙿 Gemstones/ other decorations
General:
🙿 Whiteboard
🙿 Sample Grad Cap
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
Circuit
Battery
Current
Voltage
LED
Conductive material
Resistor
Parallel Circuit
Phase 1: Identity Activity (35 minutes)
Phase 1: Identity Activity (35 minutes)
Hopes and Dreams
Objective: Facilitate a discussion about what participants are hopeful for in their futures.
Use the Guiding Questions to begin a discussion about success:
- What does success mean to you?
- What kind of person do you want to be?
- What sort of career do you want to have? What interests you?
- Who is someone you admire and want to be like?
- Etc.
1. Have participants fill out their hopes and dreams for the next 5-10 years using Figure 1 worksheet.
2. Ask participants to share what they wrote down
3. Explain that to many people, graduating from high school or college is seen as a large success.
People sometimes celebrate this success by decorating the graduation uniform, usually the cap in a manner that represents a part of their personality, including future goals, hopes and dreams. Show examples of decorated grad caps from web.
Phase 2: E-Textile Overview (10 - 15 minutes)
Phase 2: E-Textile Overview (10 - 15 minutes)
1. Remind participants of the definition for conductive material.
Conductive material
A conductive material is any material that allows electricity to flow from one point of the circuit to another point.
2. Introduce the materials that participants will be working with for this activity, including the conductive thread, battery packs, and felt. Explain how these materials serve the same function as the paper circuitry materials used before.
3. Model how to use the conductive thread and battery pack
Phase 3: Map Your Cap (60 minutes)
Phase 3: Map Your Cap (60 minutes)
1. Gather materials - 8 in. x 8 in. cardboard square, fabric color of choice, sewable circuitry stuff, batteries, fabric, fabric glue, scissors, markers, etc...
2. Participants will be using their goals and dreams that they wrote down in the identity activity and make designs on their grad cap that symbolize what they would like to accomplish in the next couple of years.
3. Have girls work in pairs or groups of three people if an odd number of attendees, so that they can help each other plan circuits.
Emphasize that they need to use a parallel circuit to plan their grad cap, so that they only use one battery .
4. Have participants plan out the cap by using Figure 2 worksheet.
5. Outline fabric that will show on the top of the graduation cap so they know where to sew their design before constructing the cap.
6. Have participants think back to the hopes and dreams activity. How can their hopes and dreams be represented in their design?
Phase 4: Create Cap (40 - 60 minutes)
Phase 4: Create Cap (40 - 60 minutes)
1. Arrange the circuit on the back of their design. Remember to keep fabric glue clear of sew tabs.
2. Use pliers to curl the legs of their LED so that they can sew them to the felt.
3. Sew it together using conductive thread.
Cut a long piece of conductive thread, thread the needle, and tie a knot at the end. Now, it’s time to connect the LED to the battery holder with the conductive thread. One line of stitching will connect the positive (+) side of the battery holder to the positive end of the LED. A second line of stitching will connect the negative (–) sides of the boards and complete the circuit.. Finish your first line of stitching by tying a finishing knot on the sew tab and trimming your excess thread. Repeat with other side.
4. Install the battery & test circuit before sewing. Use the regular (non-conductive) thread to sew or use glue-gun to adhere to the rest of the pieces.
5. Decorate Cap using material from the Hopes and Dreams worksheet.
Phase 5: Reflection & Wrap-up (15 - 25 minutes)
Phase 5: Reflection & Wrap-up (15 - 25 minutes)
Facilitate a discussion where participants have the opportunity to share about their small group discussions. You may use the suggested discussion questions for support.
- What did you learn about your goals and interests from doing this activity?
- What similarities did you see in your group’s personal paths?
- What differences did you notice in your group?
- Having heard everyone else’s personal path, is there anything you would change or add to yours?
- What did you find interesting or exciting about other people’s personal paths?
Appendix
Appendix
Figure 1: Hopes and Dreams Worksheet
hopesanddreams.pdfFigure 2: Parallel Circuit Template
TEMPLATES parallel circuit .pdfFigure 3: Grad Cap Template
Design your own GradCap Template.pdfReport abuse