Link to Teacher Page

Hunting for Peace in Quilts

http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/huntpeacequs.html
by

Sue Toerge
lpmc

Introduction | Task | Resources | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion

Introduction

With everything that is going on in the world today, the Principal of your school has decided that they would like to create a peace quilt for your school to display. Your class has been picked out of the whole school to create the new peace quilt, which will then be created and hung in the school for all to see. Your teacher has asked that every student create a peace quilt, which they think would best represent the school. Everything is left up to you – the colors, the shapes, the style, the design, etc. With a PTA Meeting in two weeks, the deadline is in sight, so get going and design the peace quilt and become a quilting expert!!!

The Task

The students will…

• Learn Quilting Vocabulary
• Explain elements of designs used on quilts
• Research on quilts using different methods (books, internet, etc.)
• Label and define types of quilts
• Identify important elements of a quilt
• Design a peace quilt integrating personal symbols of peace
• Prepare an oral argument to persuade the PTA to adopt their quilt as the one to be made.
• Orally present design ideas and oral arguments

Resources

• Quilting with Children
• American Quilts and Quilters
• Augsburg Peace Quilts
• Peace quilts
• American Quilt Gateway
• National Museum of American History

The Process

Complete the following steps in order to become the quilting expert and to create your peace quilt. You have your quilting handbook, which is where you will write all the information in. Up until Step 7 – you will be doing the research on your own. When you get to Step 7 you will be placed in a group and will need to decide on a peace quilt design and complete the rest of the steps.

1. Before we can even start to get involved in the Peace Quilt project we need to gain some understanding of what exactly quilts are and the terms used. Look for the glossary of Quilt Vocabulary and look up the following words and write one sentence about each.

Batting, backing, binding, block, assembly piecing, background fabric, Amish Quilt, African Quilt, & Autograph Quilt

2. Now that we have a better understanding of what we are getting into with this peach quilt, each quilt in history tells a story and of course you will want your quilt to tell a story too. Before you decide on the story you want your quilt to tell, look in the American Quilters and write a summary of one story of a quilt in your handbook.
3. Now with an idea for the story of your quilt, we are going to look into the symbol and word “peace.” Look around in the books and the Internet and answer the following questions.

-  Name 5 symbols used for peace?
-  Which colors are best used on a Peace Quilt?
-  Which is your favorite Peace Quilt?
       (Explain by describing the colors, patterns and shapes and how they make you feel)

4. After looking at the symbols in all the quilts - which symbols would you like to use on your quilt and why?
5. Amish Quilting was a very big part of American Quilting History and should be one of the periods that you focus on to see what elements you might want to bring to your quilt.

-  What designs do the Amish use in their Quilts?
-  List the designs found in the Ohio Star Quilt, the Fans Quilt and the Basket Quilt.
-  Which Amish Quilt do you like best?
(Explain by telling about the colors, shapes and texture used and lines)

6. Quilts sometimes incorporate different pictures into their designs. Describe the pictures on the quilts in your handbook. Which quilts have the most pictures? What symbols are on the Patriotic Quilts? Who made the Stars and Stripes Quilt in 1861? What is in the middle of the Quilt made by Brown-Francis Family in the early 19th Century?
   Which Special Occasion Quilt had a picture of a girl? Which Special Occasion quilt had a Basket of Flowers; which had a tree with birds and which had a butterfly? Finally after answering those questions, tell me the shapes found on the 18th Century Quilts.
   
   
7. Now with all the research done, meet with your group and decided on a design for your peace quilt. Once you have done this and the teacher has approved, start to create a miniature version of what your group’s peace quilt looks like. Do everything exactly as it would appear if this were the peace quilt chosen for the school. When you have completed your quilt write a one-page paper on your design and why it represents the school.
   
   
8. Prepare a persuasive speech, which your group will give to the PTA on why your Peace Quilt should be chosen to represent the whole school.  Tell about your designs, colors, patterns, and shapes for your quilt and why you picked them. Remember the goal is to have your quilt selected by the PTA – so be convincing!!! For this presentation to the PTA you will also need to make a poster, which shows your quilt design and three facts about your quilt. Each person will need to say at least two comments as to why the groups quilt should be chosen.

Evaluation

Describe to the learners how their performance will be evaluated. You can link to a separate rubric document from here, or you could briefly summarize your criteria on this page. Also specify whether there will be a common grade for group work vs. individual grades. Make sure the evaluation of your students evaluates the accomplishment of the objectives listed in the lesson.

Conclusion

Put a couple of sentences here that summarize what they will have accomplished or learned by completing this activity or lesson. You might also include some rhetorical questions or additional links to encourage them to extend their thinking into other content.

Last Updated August 13, 2002 by Sue Toerge

Based on a modified template from The Webquest Page.