Lesson Plan Secondary Small Group Lesson

Student Teacher: Katherine Lee

Date: Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Lesson start time: 8:45am
Subject: Visual Arts (Fashion and
Design)

Year Level: Year 9
Lesson end time: 9:10am
Mentor Teacher: Anna Dyer
Number of Students: 7
Lesson length: 20-25 minutes
Topic: Zipper Types
ACARA focus: Visual Arts; Year 9. Students are able to manipulate materials, techniques and processes to represent
ideas and subject matter (ACAVAM126).


Students Prior Knowledge and Experience:
Students already have previous knowledge in fashion and design as they are a part of the specialist Fashion and Design
program. They are able to sew fabrics by hand and by machine. The students are also able to identify and use different
fibres and fabrics.


Learning Purposes:
The students will gain an understanding of the different kinds of zippers and their uses. The students will be able to use
this knowledge when designing their handbags to make informed decisions about what materials and designs to use.


Student Evaluation:
Through questioning the students will be able to identify the two different zip types and will understand that certain
types of zips have different uses. I will question them at the end of the session about what they have learnt.


Preparation and Resources:
1 x coil zipper sample
1 x metal chain zipper sample
1 x plastic moulded chain zipper sample
1 x invisible zipper sample


Timing:
8:45am








8:55am












Learning Experiences:
Introduction. 10 minutes.
1. Ask the students to split into equal groups explain the purpose of the lesson is to learn about
different zipper types and their purposes for their next project which is to design and create a
handbag.
2. Discuss with the students where they find zippers in everyday life (using different examples to
prompt them e.g. school bags, jeans, purses)
3. Ask the students if they know of the different zipper types and there different purposes.


Main Body. 10 minutes.
1. Introduce the two different categories of zippers; the coil and the chain.
2. Explain the difference between the two categories.
3. Ask the students (with the four samples of zippers) to identify which zippers are the coils and
which ones are the chains. Have the students look closely at the zippers when they are both
fastened and unfastened so that they can see the differences. After the whole group has analysed
each zipper, go around to each student and ask them to identify the different zippers.
4. Explain to the students that under the two categories of zippers there are four different types
(metal chain, plastic moulded chain, invisible and coil) that can be used and explain their
differences and their uses. Ask the students, as a group, to identify each zipper type.
5. Ask the students to discuss which zippers would be appropriate to use in different situations.
Further discuss what zipper would be most appropriate on a handbag and why.













9:05am


Conclusion. 5 minutes.
1. Ask each individual student what zipper (if any) would they use for their handbag design and why.
Have the students think about fashion statements that they might want to make as well as the
practicalities and purposes of the handbag.

Zipper Categories:
Coil the most commonly used. Is lightweight, heat resistant and rust proof. Nylon monofilament is
coiled into a long spring-like shape that is flattened slightly and then sewn onto zipper tape.
Invisible zipper is similar to a standard coil zipper. The zipper however is placed on the back of
the zipper tape and becomes invisible when fastened.
Chain when individual teeth are placed at even intervals along the zipper tape.
Metal chain zippers are most common on heavy materials like denim or leather. Aluminium,
copper and nickel are the most common metals used for this type of zip.
Plastic moulded chains use moulded plastic as the teeth.

Lesson Evaluation:
I felt that the overall purpose of the lesson was achieved, as the students finished with a small knowledge of the
content (the content being zipper types) that I was trying to teach them. I also believe that with this small amount of
knowledge they are able to weigh the pros and cons of using different zipper types for their handbag designs.
There were a lot of things that I feel I will definitely need to improve on. Because my lesson plan was more of an outline
and was not very detailed I rushed through the content and asked certain questions too early or at a point when I
hadnt planned to. I had too much time at the end of the period and didnt have any filler activities or questions. I ended
up recycling questions and running through the same discussions again. I ended up dragging the lesson on and I felt that
the students were disengaging because of this. I will need to try and not babble on, which is something that I tend to do
when I am not confident about the subject matter and is quite noticeable from the students point of view.
When it comes to behaviour management there were little to no problems. All the girls that were in my group were
very attentive and were respectful to me as a stumbled my way through the lesson. As the class was a specialist Fashion
and Design class, I could also tell that the students wanted to be a part of the lesson.
Next time I will try to plan out my lesson in fuller detail so as to prevent myself from either rushing through it or
faltering in front of the students. Next time I would also provide a handout for the students so that they dont have to
rely fully on what I am telling them and are able to refer to it if they forget.