Costume for an Inaugural Ball

1. Students learn about fashion trends throughout history by exploring electronic and library resources. Students sketch ideas for inaugural ball costumes for different time periods using Crayola® Colored Pencils.
2. Students design fancy fabric on velour paper using Crayola Oil Pastels. Choose imaginative colors, lines, shapes. Try using dots, squiggly lines, angular lines, concentric circles, and hatching or cross-hatching.
3. With Crayola Scissors cut out inaugural ball costume shapes, such as pants, dresses, shirts, and hats, from the velour paper. Glue these on a large sheet of colored construction paper with Crayola Washable Glue Sticks.
4. Use oil pastels to draw faces, arms, legs, and accessories. Fill in the background with the broad side of the pastel. Overlay colors to create new colors. Blend colors gently with fingers. Use paper towels to clean fingers and pastels as needed.

LA: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

LA: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

LA: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

SS: Describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture and influence behavior of people living in a particular culture.

SS: Analyze a particular event to identify reasons individuals might respond to it in different ways.

VA: Intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of their experiences and ideas.

VA: Select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of ideas.

VA: Know and compare the characteristics of artworks in various eras and cultures.

Students research the outfits/costumes worn by U.S. Presidents and First Ladies for formal inaugural ceremonies and events. An investigation into the apparel of the era should also be conducted in order to put the costumes in context. Students can sketch the costumes and upload their sketches to an electronic presentation for class viewing. A written summary of research should accompany the electronic presentation.

Students investigate the election process and other national celebrations. Students may want to work in small groups and choose a particular era to investigate. A written summary of research should accompany an electronic presentation of student findings.

The economy has a great deal to do with apparel. IN small groups, ask students to investigate major economic events from different eras and how these influenced alterations in apparel