Process+Group+A

__Part 1. What are clothes made of? __
Clothes are made of material which in turn is made of fibres. These can either be natural, such as fibres that come from animals (wool from sheep or goats) or plants (cotton) or synthetic (man-man fibres) such as polyester which is made from oil.

What are your clothes made of? Brainstorm inyour group to see how many different types of fibres you can think of. What are the clothes you are wearing right now made of? Check the tags for words like “cotton” or “polyester”. Start organising this information in a Mind Map using the //Inspiration// program. This Mind Map will grow as you find out more about natural and synthetic fibres.

Next explore the [|2009 International Year of Natural Fibres] website 

Use this website to fill in more gaps on your fibres Mind Map. Watch the video and then look at the //15 Natural fibres// page. Also check out the //Why Natural Fibres ? 5 good reasons// page.

Time to get up to speed with synthetic fibres: Read the sections on synthetic fibres and look up polyester and nylon in the <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|earthpledge - sustainable-fibres] website.

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Finally, check out this environmental impacts link to get an idea of the pros and cons for the most common fibre types. <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Environmental Impacts - Pros and Cons]

**__<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Part 2. What's in your wardrobe? __**

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Each member of your group must investigate their own wardrobe.

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Pick out 10 items of clothing and read the labels to find out what fibre it’s made of.

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">(Many items of clothing will be made from more than one type of fibre. For example: 50% cotton 50% lycra.)

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Record the data you collect on the survey template provided: <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Once your group has completed the survey of their own clothes, represent your finding in two different graphs using Microsoft //Excell//:

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">1. Represent the different fibres (polyester, cotton, or wool) found in your team’s wardrobe. <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">2. Represent the different sources (animal, plant, synthetic) found in your team’s wardrobe.

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Discuss what fibres are most common and what source they come from.



__<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Part 3. Time to pull on the lab coat! __
<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">This part of the webquest will be guided by your teacher.

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Does cotton stretch or tear under when it's being pulled? Does wool repel water or does it soak it up? <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">By understanding the properties of different fibres, your team will be able to make decisons on the material that might be best suited for the new design of your school uniform.

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Using the //Primary Connections// Science workbook you will conduct experiments on a range of materials to test their properties including: <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">tensile strength <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">water repelling <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">biodegradabilty <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">crush factor <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Record your findings in the form of experiement reports.

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">So you've done the experiments, now read this funny story to get you thinking about how fibre properties relate to the real world!

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Decide on 6 properties that are a priority for a new school uniform <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Your priorities may include good tensile strength, repels water, easy to wash, warm, made from a renewable source, etc. <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Write these 6 properties on slips of paper. <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Choose one part of the school uniform and think about the properties that would be most important for that specific item. For example, you may decide that pants will be mostly worn in winter so warmth will be more important than for shorts.

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">For each item, arrange your 6 slips of paper in a triangle shape; <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The property at the top is the highest priority, <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">the 2 slips of paper under that are of medium priority <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">and the bottom 3 slips of paper represent the lowest priority. <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Photograph each triangle formation and upload to your computer to refer to when deciding which fibres to make your school uniform out of.



<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**Part 4. Design time!**

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Well done! <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">You've done all the research. Now it's time to pull together your knowlege of the properties of different fibres with your list of priorities for a school uniform. <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Decide what fibres will be used in the different items of clothing that will form an environmentally-friendly school uniform.



<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Click on the avatar to create your own and dress him or her with your new design.

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Present your design to the class in a powerpoint presentation.

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Your presentation should include an image of your avatar dressed in the new uniform and answer these questions:
 * <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What fibres the materials in the school uniform made of?
 * <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">How did the team decide on those fibres?
 * <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What are some of the pros and cons for your choices?
 * <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What makes it an environmentally-friendly uniform?

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Microsoft Powerpoint help]

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Click below for assessment info