Level 3: ART 309 & Student Teaching

Week 2: NATURAL FABRIC DYING

Central Focus
Grade Level
Class Size
Time
Class Demographics

Students will be learning natural ways to dye fabric while also gaining knowledge about historical
Native American fabric dyeing.
1st
6 students
9:00-10:50
N/A

National Visual Arts Standards Addressed

VA:Cr2-1 c. Identify and classify uses of everyday objects through drawings, diagrams, sculptures, or other visual means.
VA:Cn11-1 a. Understand that people from different places and times have made art for a variety of reasons.
VA:Cr1-1 b. Use observation and investigation to make a work of art.
VA:Cr1.1.1 a. Engage collaboratively in exploration and imaginative play with materials.
VA:Re8-1. a. Interpret art by categorizing subject matter and identifying the characteristics of form.
Forms
Frames
Conceptual
Framework

2D
Cultural

Subjective

3D
Structural

4D
Postmodern

Artwork

Artist

Audience

World

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
1.
Students will correctly identify in writing each substance as an acid or base, based on its change in color, at
least 3 out of 4 times.
VA:Cr2-1 c.

2.

Orally identify a historical or contemporary dye as natural or synthetic in at least three examples.

VA:Cn11-1 a.

3.
Create a flag using dyes on a piece of 2.5 x 3 muslin, using red cabbage liquid as an indicator, and
acidic/basic substances to alter the color, using at least 2 colors.
VA:Cr1-1 b.
4.
VA:Re8-1. a.
5.

Orally identify at least three uses of visual rhythm in works by Grant Wood, Kicking Bear, and John Biggers.

Perform a dance to a song, using their flag, with a particular rhythm and mood, using at least 3 dance

moves.
VA:Cr1.1.1 a.

Native American

Artifacts

Powerpoint of
example images of natural and
synthetic dyes

Posters of Native
American textiles

Posters of Plants
used

Acid/Base scale

Printed words:
Laundry detergent, lemon juice,
baking soda, vinegar, tums, cream
of tartar, soda water

Printed vocabulary
terms

TEACHER MATERIALS

Teacher examples

Muslin squares
12x12 inches

Muslin squares 5x5

inches

Red Cabbage

Washing detergent

Lemon Juice

Baking Soda

Vinegar

Many plastic cups

STUDENT MATERIALS
EE = Early Elementary grades K-3 LE = Late Elementary grades 4-6 MS = Middle School grades 6-9
EHS = Early High School grades 10-11 LHS = Late High School grade 12

Projector
Information notes
Ball of yarn
Plastic table cloth
Apron
flowers

Level 3: ART 309 & Student Teaching

Small piece of fabric

Clear plastic cups
Eyedroppers

T-shirts
Rubber gloves?

ARTISTS IN CONTEXT
Key Artists

Grant Wood, Fall Plowing, 1930-1932

Kicking Bear, Battle of Little Bighorn, 1898

John Biggers, Shotguns, 1987
Key Artworks

EE = Early Elementary grades K-3 LE = Late Elementary grades 4-6 MS = Middle School grades 6-9
EHS = Early High School grades 10-11 LHS = Late High School grade 12

Level 3: ART 309 & Student Teaching

Grant Wood, Fall Plowing, 1930-1932

Kicking Bear, Battle of Little Bighorn, 1898

EE = Early Elementary grades K-3 LE = Late Elementary grades 4-6 MS = Middle School grades 6-9
EHS = Early High School grades 10-11 LHS = Late High School grade 12

Level 3: ART 309 & Student Teaching

John Biggers, Shotguns, 1987

Key Critical Questions

1.
Where is rhythm in these images? Does the particular rhythm in an
artwork create a certain mood? How do the moods created by the rhythms compare to
the other artworks?
VOCABULARY AND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Vocabulary

Indicator- A chemical compound that changes color and structure when exposed
to certain conditions - in this case, red cabbage juice
Acid- compound having a pH of less than 7
Base- compound having a pH of more than 7
pH- scale we use to determine a substances acidity or basic quality
Dye - the liquid or powder used to color a piece of fabric permanently
Synthetic - chemicals used to make dye
Natural - substances found in nature to make dye
Rhythm - A visual tempo or beat. The principle of design that refers to a regular
repetition of elements

Language Functions
Language Demands
Language Tasks and
Activities

interpret rhythm, identify rhythm

Syntax
Discourse
1.
Students will locate rhythm in multiple artworks using posters and a
word-map.
Teacher will demonstrate A-B-B-A dance movement, and students will follow that
demonstration and repeat it back while moving their flags.
1.
Students will identify rhythm in visual art.
2.
Teacher will make interdisciplinary arts connections, and explain that
rhythm can be visual, and it can be a dance move.
3.
Students will use their bodies and flags to create rhythm through
physical movement.

2.
Language Supports

Launch
Yarn Web Activity:

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES AND LEARNING TASKS

Instruction Methods
Hands-on student

EE = Early Elementary grades K-3 LE = Late Elementary grades 4-6 MS = Middle School grades 6-9
EHS = Early High School grades 10-11 LHS = Late High School grade 12

Level 3: ART 309 & Student Teaching

- Teachers and students will recap on what we did last week and make connections
as they roll the ball of yarn to each other.
- Teacher will ask refresher questions such as, What did we learn last week? Can
you remember a friends story from class?
Instruction

Natural Dyes / Pueblo and Navajo History (15 minutes):

-Teacher will show students framed example of Natural Dyes used by Pueblo
Native Americans, and explain significance of using natural dyes over synthetics
-Teacher will explain the terms Natural and Synthetic by giving examples of
historical and contemporary dyes, and their origins.
-Powerpoint- Teacher will explain the three types of dyes: Plant-based, Animalbased, Mineral-based. Teacher will show examples of these dyes: 1. what the
dyes are made out of and 2. images. Teacher will ask, based on what we know
this dye is made out of, is it natural, or synthetic?

We will show pictures of various clothing from different cultures

and time periods to check students understanding of natural and synthetic dyes.

involvement, teacher instruction

Instruction Methods
direct instruction, hands-on
student involvement, small group
activity, group discussion

Short Activity (5 minutes)

-Students will smash flowers into a small piece of fabric to show how color
transfers from natural materials to fabric.

Warm/Cool Color talk- (5 minutes):

-Teachers will talk about warm and cool
-Video about warm and cool colors
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6K08wrI9dA
Boy and girl explaining

Science Experiment intro (10 minutes):

-Teachers will explain to students that they will apply their knowledge of warm
and cool colors to a science experiment.
-First, teacher will explain the terms acid and base. Teacher will explain the pH
scale, and will make sure students know 7 can be read like a zero.
-Teacher will divide students into two groups of three (acids) and (bases).
Students who are in the acids group will count backwards from 7, getting louder
as they go. Then, students who are in the bases group will count from 7 to 14,
also getting louder as they go. Teacher will explain that as we count louder, the
acid/base gets stronger.

Teacher will explain that, when mixed with the indicator (red
cabbage) acids make a WARMER bright red/pink color, while bases make a
COOLER blue green color.

EE = Early Elementary grades K-3 LE = Late Elementary grades 4-6 MS = Middle School grades 6-9
EHS = Early High School grades 10-11 LHS = Late High School grade 12

Level 3: ART 309 & Student Teaching

Science Experiment
-Teachers will give students shirts or plastic aprons to wear to protect clothing,
and rubber gloves.
-Teacher will give students worksheet with names of all of the substances we will
be using for the experiment, and explain that students will be walking around to
the stations where the substances are set up. Students will use the eyedroppers
to drop a new substance into the cabbage water. After EACH station, students
will circle whether they think the substance is an acid or base. Teacher will make
sure students can see the poster below while walking around at stations:

- As a group, teacher will bring students back together as a group to place each
substances name on the pH scale.

Bathroom break (5-7 minutes)

Native American Dance Interrelating

- Teachers will show a video of Native American dance and show the different
props they use. We will explain to them how we are making flags to be used in a
dance that we will be choreographing the next week.

Muslin Dyeing
- Teachers will take all students flags and dip them into the purple cabbage dye
and distribute them to the students.
- Using plastic eyedroppers, premixed solutions, and a piece of 2 x 2.5 muslin
that has been dipped in cabbage dye, students will use the acids and bases to
create color changes in the dye on their fabric. Students will be required to use at
least 2 of the color changers in their flag.

Teachers will dry the flags and staple them to a dowel rod so that
students can use them.

Rhythm in Art and in Dance

-Teachers will introduce students the vocabulary word rhythm. Teacher will use
EE = Early Elementary grades K-3 LE = Late Elementary grades 4-6 MS = Middle School grades 6-9
EHS = Early High School grades 10-11 LHS = Late High School grade 12

Level 3: ART 309 & Student Teaching

posters to introduce students to the artworks mentioned above, and ask students
the questions above based on those artworks. Teachers will do a word-map with
Battle of Little Bighorn by Kicking Bear, while asking students to point out
where rhythm occurs.
-Teachers will explain that rhythm is not only visual, but can be a dance
movement as well. Using the flags created, teachers will demonstrate two 4count rhythms, such as A-B-B-A, B-B-B-A. Teachers will ascribe A to one
dance move, and B to a different dance move.

Dance Choreography
- Teacher will divide students into two groups of three.
- In two groups of three, students will learn a choreographed a dance using their
flags and at the end of class, perform them so that they can be videotaped. One
teacher will help choreograph each group.
Closure

Yarn Web activity

-Teachers will ask students, What did you learn today? What do you want to do
again? What are you going to tell your parents that we did today? What new
materials did we use...etc

Instruction Methods
hands-on student
involvement, group discussion

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR SPECIFIC DIVERSE LEARNERS

Adaptations and Accommodations

Students who have trouble with reading the pH graph, or identifying an acid/base, will be partnered with
another student during the science experiment. This way, students can discuss their observations.
Enrichment and Extensions

Curious students will be encouraged to talk to their parents, in order to bring in plants from home for next
week to see if we can make dye out of them.
Activity for Early Finishers
Students who finish early can experiment with walnut dyeing, which will be set up at another small station.

1.

OBJECTIVE-DRIVEN ASSESSMENTS
Students will have identified substances on a worksheet by circling them as acids or bases, based on their changes in color.
VA:Cr2-1 c.

2.
3.

Students will have orally identified historical or contemporary dyed as natural or synthetic by looking at an example of a dye
linked with the substance used to make it. VA:Cn11-1 a.
Students will have created a dyed design on a piece of 12 x 12 inch muslin, using red cabbage liquid as an indicator, and
acidic/basic substances to alter the color. VA:Cr1-1 b.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS
History, Chemistry, Dance

REFERENCES
Rose, M. Cutropia. Plant Dyes in the Native American Southwest: Hopi Pueblo and Navajo Nation, 2014.
http://www.academia.edu/7165670/Plant_Dyes_in_the_Native_American_Southwest_Hopi_Pueblo_and_Navajo_Nation
* Developed and written by (Whitney Johnson and Emily Lowman), Art Education, Illinois State University, 2015 *

EE = Early Elementary grades K-3 LE = Late Elementary grades 4-6 MS = Middle School grades 6-9
EHS = Early High School grades 10-11 LHS = Late High School grade 12