Students hypothesize why we get rid of our clothes. They assess how easy/difficult it is to do something about it.
The intention is for students to see the causes of clothing waste and perhaps get a budding idea of what they can do about it.
Ask students to individually make a list of the reasons they think there are for getting rid of our clothes. Use the Solo – Think – Write method. E.g. pieces of clothing are torn, ugly, unwashed, too small, there is not enough space in the closet, they don’t fit the season, mom thinks it’s too low-cut.
With the Round Robin method, students share their cause list with each other in groups. On a piece of paper, each student in the group takes turns to write down a new reason each time a new one appears and place it in the center of the table. Continue until all reasons are written on slips of paper.
The groups place all their cause post-its on a line according to how easy/difficult it is to address using the Put in Order method.
Ask students if their parents or they themselves throw away clothing often. What are their reasons for doing so? Let them discuss in groups, and reflect on it plenary afterwards.
As a teacher, share own insights afterwards as well. Emphasize some of the important missing reasons, as seen at step 1, or other insights: some clothing is cheap and easily replaced, some pieces of clothing are weak and break easily, fashion trends change quickly.
| Investigate |