MacquarieNet - Online Lessons
Topic: Dictionary Skills – the Alphabet learns about clothing
Key Learning Areas: English – Language, English – Information Skills, English - Oral Skills,
Technology - Textiles,
Level: Preliminary - Lower Primary
Lesson Description: Clothes are something we change everyday. But the purpose of clothing can
be varied according to season, purpose and construction. This lesson looks at why clothes are worn
and examines common materials and some of their uses. Notes include Student worksheet ( with
a language exercise focussed on the alphabet) and stimulus pictures. Pictures include photographs
and Australian works of art and are best printed in colour where possible.
Lesson Strategy:
Teacher revision
Student Worksheet
Focus Question:
Why do we wear clothes?
Lesson Duration: 1 lesson
Teacher Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Materials required:
• Class set Student worksheet
• Chart of the letters of the alphabet
• Class or group set of Macquarie Children’s Dictionary ( or similar)
• Copies of stimulus pictures included
Lesson Procedure:
• Review the letters of the alphabet – sing the alphabet song or ‘chant’ the letters
• Show pictures of the different clothing and people doing different activities
• Brainstorm clothing words - talk about different kinds of clothing . Draw up columns for these
. Use stimulus pictures to help
• clothing for seasons winter and summer.
• clothing made from natural materials and synthetic materials. (Ask students to look at the
labels on the clothes/hats/shoes they are wearing) What the advantages and disadvantages
of wearing each of these?
• clothes for different purposes - protection ( windsurfing), warmth ( snow sled), ceremonies (
aboriginal corroboree) special occasion ( woman with feather hat,) ,fun and leisure
(swimming), clothes that help tell a story ( soldier and convict dress) uniform for
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MacquarieNet - Online Lessons
identification ( at the races) everyday clothes (women shopping) , for ornamentation and
that look good (babies shoes), that tell us about the past ( Meat Queue photo) etc
• Ask students to assess the clothing in the photo “ A day at the race course”
• review qualities of some materials - soft silk, hard leather, light cotton , heavy canvas
• Talk about your favourite clothes for the seasons of the year. Why are they your favourite?
• How can we find out more about clothes? Look in the dictionary
• Demonstrate how to find some of the simple words in the picture dictionary
• Look up the word clothes in the Macquarie Children’s Dictionary.
Recording Activity
• Discuss Student Worksheet - Using a Dictionary. Review activity
Lesson Assessment and Outcomes
At the end of this lesson students should be able to:
• Sort words into alphabetical order
• Locate an information source
• identify common materials and some of their uses
• interacts informally with teachers, peers an known adults in structured classroom activities
dealing briefly with familiar topics
Work in this activity could lead to achievement in relation to
ENGLISH national curriculum profile for Australian Schools - in the strands of Reading and
Viewing; Writing,
TECHNOLOGY national curriculum profile for Australian Schools - in the strands of Materials,
Reference:
MacquarieNet: Photo Library [7], MacquarieNet Art Gallery [2]
DownUnder Collection Images [2]
Follow up / Extension activities:
MacquarieNet Online Lessons – Alphabetical Animals; Dictionary Skills ( many of these)
Student worksheet and stimulus pictures on the following pages
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MacquarieNet - Online Lessons
Dictionary Skills
Put these words into alphabetical order
socks jacket dress hat shorts shoes
Use the Dictionary to find out
( Hint: Look up the word that is underlined)
1. Where does cotton come from?
2. Jack is wearing a new jumper. What
is it made of?
3. Who makes silk for a shirt?
Draw your favourite clothes for:
Summer Winter
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Windsurfing
Clothes for protection
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MacquarieNet - Online Lessons
Aboriginal
children
dancing at a
corroboree.
( Clothes for ceremonies)
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Baby's shoes
typical of
early 19th
century
ornamental
shell work,
made by
Mrs Cruise.
Clothes that look good
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Re-
enactments in
period dress,
at Old Sydney
Town, near
Gosford,
NSW.
Clothes that help tell a story
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MacquarieNet - Online Lessons
Aboriginal
children
swinging on
rope near
King Edward
River,
Kalumburu,
Western
Australia.
Clothes for fun and leisure
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“The White
Glove”
(George Lambert, 1921)
Clothes for special occasions
Collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales
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Meat Queue, Sydney ( Max Dupain, 1946)
Clothes that tell us about the past. Collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales
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Person being pulled by huskies the snow
Clothes that keep you warm
MacquarieNet - Online Lessons
A day a the race course
What different sorts of clothes can you see in this picture?