A Style Story
Overview
Subject Areas: Climate Change, Fashion, Language Arts, SEL
Step by step instructions for this activity will also be available on the ROM Learning Portal, and are available on the Student Site.
Note: This activity can be played on an individual, small group, or full class world. There is space for all students' books in the library.
Note: Remind students to sign their books and export a PDF copy to send to you before placing their books in the library, just in case their in-game book gets lost.
Learning Goals
Find personal connections in the immersive experience of Lifers.
Reflect critically on the lifespan of our clothing and the impact the fashion industry has on water quality and climate change.
Consider and understand the work that goes into the creation and transport of a piece of clothing, and the lives of the industry workers.
Background Information
When Noelle is creating a Lifer, she thinks about the style of the clothing, how it was originally meant to be worn, how it was made, what the worn spots say about how its original owner wore it, and how it was decorated.
Noelle wants to remind us that every piece of clothing holds a story worth preserving, and Lifers help to tell that story.
At the same time, Lifers also make us think about how the ways we make and use our clothes affects the Earth around us.
The effects of the fashion industry affect water, the climate, the workers involved, and the waste we produce.
By researching and telling the story of a piece of clothing, we train ourselves to think about how our choices affect the people and the world around us, and inspire ourselves to make sustainable choices in the future.
You will need
A Style Story worksheet [Google] [Doc] [PDF]
Writing tools
Drawing tools (optional)
Instructions
Step 1
Choose a piece of clothing that’s important to you. It could be something you wear now, or something you wore in the past.
Step 2
Do some research to learn about the journey your piece of clothing might have taken. You could use:
The Sustainable Style tour (especially stop 1 and 2)
The designer’s website
Sources from the Library
Other reliable sources
Step 3
Use your research to plot out a timeline of the life of your piece of clothing (you can use your imagination to fill in the blanks).
Think about where it has been, how it travelled, and who interacted with it.
You can use the Style Story worksheet [Google] [Doc] [PDF] to help you.
Step 4
Get creative and turn your timeline into a story starring your piece of clothing.
Step 5
(Optional)
Get creative with the camera and book & quill to create an illustrated version of your story to add to the school library.
Be sure to sign your finished book and export a PDF before you put your book on the shelf.
Follow-Up
Thought questions:
Has this activity changed the way you think about the clothes you wear?
What are important things to think about when choosing the clothes we buy?