Weaving On A Cardboard Loom Teachers Resource

WORKSHOP PLAN:Weaving on a Cardboard Loom

WORKSHOP PLAN: WEAVING ON A CARDBOARD LOOMWeaver Agnis Smallwood has designed this workshop plan to support a teacher to deliver a 50-minute workshop forKey Stage 3. By the end of the workshop your students will have learnt how to weave on cardboard loom.There’s also an accompanying film, which you can watch here, to support you.We’d love to see the results of your workshop! Share your images with @craftscounciluk on Twitterand @craftscouncil on Instagram using #MakeYourFutureMAKER NAMEPROJECT TITLEMATERIALS NEEDEDLEARNING OUTCOMESAgnis SmallwoodWeaving on a CardboardLoom: a 50-minuteworkshop for KS3Cardboard looms for eachstudent (A5 size)Loom templateScissorsCardboard shuttle or alarge plastic needleRulerPencilYarnMalleable materialsAll students will learn:- How to weave using acardboard loom,including warping up andweaving over and under(plain weave)- Weaving vocabularySome students will:- Explore a range of differentmaterials including colourand texture- Explore a range of differentof techniques- Learn how to cut off theirwork of their looms

WORKSHOP PREPARATIONS: WEAVING ON A CARDBOARD ing out thelooms or makingtemplatesHOW TO PREPAREYou may wish to prepare allthe looms ahead of thelesson or if you have a largeclass, create 5 - 6 templatesthat students can then drawaround and cut out thetriangles themselves to saveon preparation time.MATERIALS Cardboard looms foreach student Loom template Scissors Ruler PencilTHINGS TO THINKTHROUGHTop Tip:It’s important when cutting thetriangles to make sure that they are inline at the top and bottom of the loom,so that the warp threads runvertically down the loom and not atan angle.Differentiation:Having the warp threadsapproximately 1 - 1.5cm apart is agood distance for many students.The larger the gap between thetriangles and the resulting threads,the easier it is to weave in and out:this is important if you are weavingwith very chunky materials.Alternatively, threads can be placedcloser together to create a tighterpiece of weaving. This is important ifyou want pupils to investigatedifferent patterns.

WORKSHOP PREPARATIONS: WEAVING ON A CARDBOARD utting out theShuttlesHOW TO PREPARETHINGS TO THINKTHROUGHCut out small rectanglesaround 7cm long x 2cm widefor each student and cut outa small triangle at each shortend so that you have a slot towind the yarn into.You will need:Scissors, Cardboard shuttleRuler, PencilHow many to teachin a groupConsider howmany students youwill teach at a timeYou might refer to:BooksInternetResource SheetIt is possible to teach a class of 30but you might want to divide the classin half. Whilst one half is learningto weave the other half could beginexploring different weave and textileartists.Malleable materialsGather materialstogetherGather together a range ofdifferent materials— seewhat you have lying aroundyour department that youcan recycle and use up.Consider providing a wide range ofdifferent colours / textures and typesof materials. Refer to the WeavingMaterials Resource Sheet

WORKSHOP PLAN: WEAVING ON A CARDBOARD LOOMTIME NEEDEDACTIVITYSUMMARYSTUDENT EXPERIENCESAND OBJECTIVESTEACHER SUPPORT5 minutesIntroductionStudents will understand whatthey will be exploring andinvestigating and where this fitswithin their projects. Studentswill begin to understand thevocabulary that they will hearduring todays workshop.Introduce the topic of weaving andplace within the wider context of theproject they are studying. Introducesome of the terminology which willbe used today.Students will understand how towarp up their own looms.Demo how to warp up the loom andtie the two ends of the yarndiagonally across the back.5 minutesWarping up loomResources: GlossaryResources: Cardboard looms foreach student, scissors, yarnTOP TIPIf you have not prepared all the looms for students ahead of the workshop first ask students to draw around thetemplates and cut out the triangles. You can experiment with a range of weft materials but ensure your warp threads arestrong. The yarn you use for creating your warp should to be strong and not fluffy, so it can withstand the shuttlecontinually weaving under and over the threads without getting caught.

WORKSHOP PLAN: WEAVING ON A CARDBOARD LOOMTIME NEEDEDACTIVITYSUMMARYSTUDENT EXPERIENCESAND OBJECTIVESTEACHER SUPPORT5 minutesWatch weavingDemonstrationStudents will understand how tobegin weaving under and overtheir warp threads, and how toreturn in the oppositedirection. Students will learnthat this technique is calledplain weave.Demo how to begin weaving. Thiswill include how to wind your yarnaround the shuttle or threading thelarge plastic needle.IN DETAIL:Resources: Cardboard looms,Scissors, Cardboard shuttle,malleable materialsWhen you have woven your first row, remember to take your tail end andweave it between 4 or 5 of the warp threads and then tuck it behind theremaining warp threads out of the way before pushing down to join therow below.

WORKSHOP PLAN: WEAVING ON A CARDBOARD LOOMTIME NEEDEDACTIVITYSUMMARYSTUDENT EXPERIENCESAND OBJECTIVESTEACHER SUPPORT25 minutesStudents to weaveStudents will explore how toweave for themselves.Be led by your students to helpfacilitate their learning. Encouragethem to explore and investigate forthemselves as groups andindividually.Resources: Cardboard looms,Scissors, Cardboard shuttle,malleable materialsIN DETAIL:When you have finished weaving with a yarn, remember to weave in yourtail end, before beginning your next yarn. Your new yarn (white) shouldcopy your tail end, going in the same direction and copying the sameover/under pattern. In our example the white yarn begins by going ‘over’the first warp thread. This looks ‘wrong’ as it is the same as your tail end,however once you have reached the other side of the loom you will noticeyou have one complete row alternate to the last whole complete row ofweaving

WORKSHOP PLAN: WEAVING ON A CARDBOARD LOOMIN DETAIL:Ideally, you want to weave in any tail ends as you go along so that yourweaving is secure and so all the ends are left at the back of your piece ofweaving so they cannot be seen.The image shows how to change the colour of your yarn whilst alsoremembering to weave in the tail ends of your yarn. You can see asection of weaving, with the tail end of the first yarn being woven in.There is then a complete row of the second colour (white), with the tailend being woven in, followed by two full complete rows of weaving.TOP TIPTo retain straight edges when weaving and an even width across the work help students with their tension. They may needto either relax the yarn or pull the yarn in more after each row.Differentiation:Encourage students who need a challenge to: See if they can work out how to change the materials they are weaving with for themselves or demonstrate the techniqueto students who would benefit from more guidance; Combine different materials. They may wish to explore weaving with more than one yarn at a time; Investigate using different colour combinations and textures; Identify their own mistakes within their weaving. This means they are learning and understanding the technique.

WORKSHOP PLAN: WEAVING ON A CARDBOARD LOOMTIME NEEDEDACTIVITYSUMMARYSTUDENT EXPERIENCESAND OBJECTIVESTEACHER SUPPORT5 minutesTying off the endsStudents will understand how tosafely secure their weaving.Demo how to cut the warp threadson the back of the loom and tie theends of the warp threads to securethe weaving. Then help students toachieve this for themselves.Resources: Cardboard looms,Scissors5 minutesIN DETAIL:SummaryStudents will have theopportunity to reflect on whatthey have achieved, as well aswhat they could develop in thenext workshop.Help students to reflect on what theyhave achieved as well as discuss thechallenges they faced and how theyovercame them. This will then helppreparation for the next workshop.Resources: Post-it notes,sketchbooks, pencilsYou may not want to cut all weaving off the cardboard looms, if students have used chunky materials or created very looseweaving it may be more secure to leave the weaving on the looms. It is also important to have double knots as they caneasily come undone with only a single knot.

WORKSHOP PLAN: WEAVING ON A CARDBOARD LOOMEXTENSIONSIf you would like pupils to explore creating different patterns you will need to ensure that the warp threads are closertogether, otherwise the patterns will not be clearly defined.It may be easier at first to explore different patterns using strips of paper that are the same width, to help see a patternclearly. You often need the warp and weft threads to be of similar thickness.(Don’t worry about not knowing a range of weaving patterns yourself, learn together with your students as a team).Think about links you could make with other teachers within the school and cross-curricular links which could be made.Weaving lends itself well for exploration across the STEAM subjects.

REFLECTIONS: WEAVING ON A CARDBOARD LOOMWHAT WENTWELL?WHAT WASCHALLENGING?WHAT EVIDENCE DOYOU HAVE?Record observations,conversations or quotes fromstudents. Have learningoutcomes been achieved?WHAT DO YOU NEEDTO CHANGE ORPREPARE FOR THENEXT WORKSHOP?

WORKSHOP PLAN: SUPPORTING RESOURCESGLOSSARY OFWEAVING TERMSWEAVING MATERIALSWEFT MATERIALSTO TRYLoom: The device on which you create your weaving,whether an industrial piece of machinery, table loom orcardboard loom.Warp threads: you needto ensure that this yarn isstrong and will withstanddifferent weft threads goingover and under repeatedly.It is also important toensure that this yarn is notfluffy so your weft threadsdo not get caught. Wool Yarn Ribbon String Fleece Pipe cleaners Paper yarn Lace Wire Sticks and twigs Cord Plastic carrier bags Raffia Fabric material Paper Foil Tissue paper Crepe paper Old computer cables String Twine Leaves Leathers NewspapersMalleable: A material which can be manipulated withoutbreaking, in this case over and under warp threads.Shuttle: The tool which helps travel the weft threadthrough the warp threads, whether that is a wooden shuttleor a piece of cardboard.Warp: The yarn you add to your loom before you beginweaving, often in a vertical direction. Think of the warpthreads as the ones providing the structure, which you willthen weave into.Weaver: The person who is creating the piece of weaving.Weft: The weft threads run in a horizontal direction and arethe ones that you add to create your piece of weaving bygoing over and under the warp threads.Yarn: Used to refer to a thread that is made from any typeof material, manmade or natural or those which are ablend of the two.Weft threads: any materialthat is malleable enough tomanipulate under and overyour warp threads can beused to weave with.Experimenting with a rangeof different materials canproduce exciting results.Remember to think abouttexture as well as colourwhen gathering materialsto work with.