By: Carol Fitzgerald

Living Issues, Fashion II & III Classes - mixed levels

Academic Focus/
Core Curriculum Standards:

Empathy; teamwork; good citizenship; commitment, respect for others

Project Description:

The Living Issues and Fashion classes join together to provide teddy bears, fleece blankets & pillows & crocheted hats to children in need. Conceived as a response to the requests of the Hugs & Stitches Charity, the project changes its target audience, depending on current needs. For example, this year, the classes chose to make the items, wrap them into “Bundles of Love” and donate them to the children of families stationed at McGuire Air Force Base in Forked River.

Once the students receive the assignment, they break it into component parts, with each group being responsible for the production of different phases. For example, all classes make the teddies, but the fashion classes are responsible for the embroidery. The Knitting Club is involved in hat making. Schedules are set up for the timely completion of tasks, and all participate in the reflection.

Target Audience:

The children of families stationed at McGuire Air Force Base

Equipment Needed:

Fleece material, patterns, measurement tools, sewing machines, accessories for embroidery, yarn, knitting needles

Consumer, Family & Life Skills: Students demonstrate employability & life skills in the production of the items. The skills taught in the classroom are reinforced through this hands-on project.

Students also must use critical thinking, decision-making, self-management and teamwork in the individual and collaborative aspects of the project. They also demonstrate character-building skills in the process.

Visual Arts: Students produce a product that is aesthetically pleasing, one that follows a predetermined pattern.

Language Arts Literacy: Students hone reading skills in following the instructions, utilize writing skills in their journals and reflections and demonstrate speaking and listening skills in working with each other.

Social Studies: Students show civic engagement through helping others.

Hurdles Encountered:

Hurdles: Balancing the production of the articles so that all will be finished in time for the planned distribution.

Solution: Establishing set deadlines for the completion of the project. Large poster board signs reminded students of approaching deadlines.

Performance-based Education: Students have an opportunity to use sewing skills in an authentic situation with a connection to the needs of the real world.

Cooperative Learning; Students work together on vary stages of the project.

Interdisciplinary Approach: The project reinforces the skills of many disciplines.

Personal Growth Outcomes: Student reflections revealed great personal satisfaction with the project. When they received the thank you from McGuire, they felt as if they had really contributed to the happiness of others. Many expressed a desire to find more worthy causes that could benefit from their sewing skills.

Celebration:

A celebratory breakfast to honor the hard work.

Media coverage of the event.

Key Findings: Student enthusiasm is very high for this project. Since it is a holiday project, it also engenders a great desire to help the needy in other ways. As a result, it spearheads other service-learning projects.

Hugs & Stitches Foundation, founded by a Georgian Court undergraduate, reaches out to needy children

Parents contributed food to the breakfast.

Four visuals Stir journal prompts and discussion at different stages of the “journey”:

What are your expectations? (Beginning)

What are you leaving behind? (Midway)

What are you carrying with you? (Completion)

What are your next steps? (Upon receiving thank-you)

Means of Assessment: Rubrics to evaluate each phase of the project; individual & group participation marks.