Make dioramas depicting the endurance of an old world culture in modern times.

• 1.

  After researching information about the Amish way of life, discuss how quilting is a necessity as well as a way for women to socialize within the Amish community. How is the Amish way of life similar to, and different from, your own life?

• 2.

  Use various colors of Crayola® Construction Paper™ Crayons and Crayola Washable Markers on construction paper to create a diorama background inside a recycled box. Attach the background with Crayola School Glue.

• 3.

  On white paper, draw and color various figures of women and girls who are taking part in a quilting bee. Cut them out with Crayola Scissors. Glue the figures inside the box.

• 4.

  Create an Amish quilt design with crayons. Place it on a quilting frame or in a quilter's lap in your diorama.

Standards

• LA: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
• LA: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• LA: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
• LA: Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.
• MATH: Classify two-dimensional figures in a hierarchy based on properties.
• SS: Compare ways in which people from different cultures think about and deal with their physical environment and social conditions.
• SS: Describe how people create places that reflect ideas, personality, culture, and wants and needs as they design homes, playgounds, classrooms, and the like.
• SS: Identify and describe ways family, groups, and community influence the individual's daily life and personal choices.
• SS: Give examples of and explain group and institutional influences such as religious beliefs, laws, and peer pressure, or people, events, and elements of culture.
• VA: Know how the differences among visual characteristics and purposes of art in order to convey ideas.
• VA: Identify specific works of art as belonging to particular cultures, times, and places.
• VA: Know that the visual arts have both a history and specific relationships to various cultures.

Adaptations

• Students research the popular types of Amish quilts (such as diamond quilt, sunshine and shadow, log cabin, etc.) and color choices used. How do the Amish use color and style to illustrate their lives? How have quilts of this type been used in our history?
• Student groups identify geometric patterns found in existing Amish quilts. Groups design a unique quilt using knowledge of geometric figures in their designs. Students brainstorm a meaning or message that their unique quilt represents. Groups share their original quilts with classmates. Digital photographs of the quilts can be uploaded to classroom computers.
• Invite a locate quilter to speak with the class about the craft and its history. Prior to the guest's visit, have student groups compose questions for the quilter that focus on the Amish way of life and how quilting is an integral part of this unique lifestyle. This visit may be in-person or may be a virtual visit.