Weaving is a fantastic skill to teach third graders not only for their fine motor skills development but also as a way to problem-solve and develop their spatial skills.
Students experimented with short pieces of yarn and string before being taught how to weave:
Some students had not made these kinds of crafts before, and some did have some prior knowledge.
To get a better feel of their understanding, we had a class discussion with 3A Commit and made lots of connections.
We also did a See Think Wonder routine using realia: real weavings I have, made by artisans in Guatemala and Mexico. And we learned some related words.
Students were taught basics of how to weave, and given some freedom to problem-solve on their own.
Some students were very quick to catch on and start experimenting with colors and textures.
We talked about how to join different yarns. Some students were creative and came up with their own ways, and some chose to learn about knots and other techniques which I taught them, shown below.
We worked with different kinds of yarns and strings, students really enjoyed working with yarns that had special textures and colors.
