Sophronia L. Gallop
As my Home Economics students come in the door to the sewing and modeling rooms, they very often think they can leave the world of writing and expression behind. For them. Home Economics and English represent two separate worlds. Yet in the world of business, fashions do not exist in a vacuum by themselves. Although the average person may think of them as something that happens only because of the creative imagination or even the whim of a designer. they are part of a larger process that involves communication. marketing. and finance. By establishing visual models, fashions communicate attitudes and values and register social criticism. The designers role is simply that of an interpreter of the period in terms of fabric. design and business.
My unit will explore the kinds of writing needed for success in the clothing industry. Students will learn that there is much more to clothing than cutting and seaming the fabric.
The students involved will be those of a low reading level ranging in ages from twelve to fifteen and grades six through eight.
This unit will be taught over a period of twenty weeks with classes meeting three times a week.
Activities and research in the unit will include analyzing ads from current sources such as magazines, newspapers and billboards. Information about fashions, fashion designers. and the elements of design will be the organizing elements of the unit.
