Lower Key Stage 2 British Clothing 1066 to Present Day
The History of British Clothing

Learn about clothing development from 1066 to the present day in the British Isles, including changes in fashion, materials and manufacturing processes. Consider how these changes were brought about by changes in society. Put together a pictorial timeline showing the development of a key item of clothing.

Session 1 What are you wearing?

Objectives

English

  • Discuss learning and develop wider skills in spoken language.
  • Use language in a variety of situations and for a variety of audiences and purposes, including through drama, formal presentations and debate.

History

  • Study an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
  • Study changes in an aspect of social history such as clothing.
  • Address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference and significance.

Lesson Planning

Explore the world of clothes and how we wear certain types of clothing. Examine how materials and styles have changed over time.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To discuss with others their thoughts, ideas and questions about clothing through the ages.
  • To understand that clothing has changed over time and to begin to ask questions about how and why.

Children will:

  • Consider why they like or choose certain clothes
  • Understand that clothes, fashions and styles have changed considerably
  • Think about what they already know about clothes and materials
  • Raise questions about what they don’t yet know about changes to British styles and materials

You Will Need

  • A collection of clothes for dressing up
  • Sticky notes
  • Good (but not essential): a variety of special and interesting outfits
  • Clothes hangers
  • Hat stand
  • Mannequin

Weblinks

There are no weblinks needed for this session.

Session 2 Pointed hats and shoes

Objectives

History

  • Study an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
  • Study changes in an aspect of social history such as clothing.
  • Understand that our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.

Computing

  • Use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content.

Lesson Planning

Study and examine different styles of clothing covering: the Middle Ages and the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th Centuries.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To consider the range of sources that have been used to learn about clothing from the Middle Ages.
  • To use the internet to research fashion from the Middle Ages.

Children will:

  • Begin a class timeline, starting at 1066.
  • Know what life was like in Britain at this time.
  • Understand what influenced the style, colour and clothing design choices during this period.
  • Know that knowledge of the past comes from a range of sources and some considered ‘guesses’.
  • Use the internet and topic books to research the style of the rich during the Middle Ages.

You Will Need

  • Topic books

Weblinks

There are no weblinks needed for this session.

Session 3 Rich and flowing

Objectives

History

  • Study an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
  • Study changes in an aspect of social history such as clothing.
  • Construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.

Lesson Planning

Explore the Tudors from the 16th Century and how their clothing was influenced by the time period.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To answer questions about the clothing of the Tudor period.

Children will:

  • Know what life was like in Britain at this time and what key social aspects had changed since the last era studied.
  • Understand what influenced the style, colour and clothing design choices during this period.
  • Give considered responses to questions about clothing from the Tudor period.
  • Pose for a Tudor-style photo.

You Will Need

  • Topic books
  • Good (but not essential): range of Tudor outfits in children’s size, including a ruff and hat
  • Camera

Weblinks

There are no weblinks needed for this session.

Session 4 Puritans vs flamboyance

Objectives

History

  • Study an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
  • Study changes in an aspect of social history such as clothing.
  • Address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference and significance.

Computing

  • Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently.

Lesson Planning

Explore the Stuarts from the 17th Century and how the politics and religion of the period influenced their clothing and identified people.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To identify and understand changes in British clothing during the Stuart period.
  • To carefully and accurately cut and fasten a card doll dressed in the style of the Stuart period.

Children will:

  • Know what life was like in Britain at this time and what key social aspects had changed since the last era studied; including parliament, the monarchy and the civil war between the two.
  • Understand what influenced the style, colour and clothing design choices during this period.
  • Understand that clothing choices were a way of knowing a person’s political or religious beliefs.
  • Create models to compare the extremes of fashion, from the puritans to the French court, seen in the 17th century.

You Will Need

  • Card (pearlised and black)
  • Doilies
  • Air-drying clay
  • Feathers and bows
  • Wool or fleece

Weblinks

There are no weblinks needed for this session.

Session 5 Brocade, silk and velvet fashion

Objectives

History

  • Study an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
  • Study changes in an aspect of social history such as clothing.
  • Address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference and significance.

Design and Technology

  • Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks accurately.

Lesson Planning

Explore Georgian society in the 18th Century. Examine how Georgian high society dressed and acted at society balls.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To understand some changes since the Tudor period and to consider what it would have been like to live in an era where new worlds were being discovered.
  • To continue to develop practical skills by designing and making a fan.

Children will:

  • Know some of the key social aspects that had changed since the last era studied.
  • Research Captain James Cook and compare his clothing style to a famous Tudor explorer.
  • Use a range of practical skills to create a fan in the Georgian style.
  • Begin to understand why society balls were important for families with unmarried daughters!

You Will Need

  • Topic books
  • Lolly sticks (2 each)
  • Sequins for decoration
  • Strips of plain paper
  • String

Session 6 A mourning monarch

Objectives

History

  • Study an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
  • Study changes in an aspect of social history such as clothing.

Design and Technology

  • Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks accurately.

Lesson Planning

Explore Victorian society in the 19th Century. Investigate how Queen Victoria affected British fashions.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To understand that the industrial revolution that began in the Georgian period had led to great changes in clothing manufacture by the Victorian period.
  • To know that people, including Queen Victoria, wore things to show that they were in mourning.
  • To design and make a brooch from clay, considering carefully what it represents.

Children will:

  • Know what life was like in Britain at this time including the impact of the industrial revolution on clothing manufacture.
  • Understand that what people wore could also show how they were feeling or what they were going through, like Queen Victoria wearing black.
  • Design and make a brooch to show people how they are feeling, or to indicate that something big has happened to them.
  • Be part of a discussion about what people still wear today that shows how they are feeling, or that something has happened to them, and consider why this might be important to them.

You Will Need

  • Air-dry clay
  • Brooch pins (1 each)
  • Paint
  • Varnish

Session 7 The War Years

Objectives

Design and Technology

  • Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks accurately.

History

  • Study an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
  • Study changes in an aspect of social history such as clothing.
  • Construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.

Lesson Planning

Explore the early 20th Century and how the two world wars affected the way people dressed in a time when materials were scarce.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To alter a pair of ‘old’ trousers into ‘short trousers’ by carefully measuring, cutting and stitching.
  • To understand the great changes that happened during the first half of the 20th century and consider how this impacted the clothing choices made by the people of Britain.

Children will:

  • Know what life was like in Britain at this time and what key social aspects had changed since the last era studied.
  • Understand that the two world wars greatly influenced the style, colour and clothing design choices during this period.
  • Understand the idea of ‘make do and mend’.
  • Work with a partner to make a pair of ‘short trousers’ from a pair of outgrown trousers.

You Will Need

  • Old trousers
  • Needles
  • Thread
  • Sharp sewing scissors
  • Iron (use by adults only)

Session 8 Modern clothes

Objectives

Design and Technology

  • Generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design.

History

  • Study an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
  • Study changes in an aspect of social history such as clothing.
  • Construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.

Lesson Planning

Examine late 20th Century and how changes in attitudes and manufacturing techniques have enabled people to express themselves more freely.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To generate a design prototype for a class t-shirt motif and begin to understand how this develops to the final product.
  • To know that the influence on the clothing choices of the people of Britain had changed by the late 20th century.

Children will:

  • Know what life was like in Britain at this time and what key social aspects had changed since the last era studied.
  • Know that the influence on the clothing choices of the people of Britain had changed by the late 20th century.
  • Generate a design prototype for a class t-shirt motif and begin to understand how this develops to the final product.

Provided Resources

  • Clothes of the late 20th century

You Will Need

  • Photos of parents/grandparents when they were younger

Session 9 Present and future

Objectives

History

  • Study an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
  • Study changes in an aspect of social history such as clothing.
  • Construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.

Design and Technology

  • Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose and aimed at particular individuals or groups.
  • Generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design.

Lesson Planning

Take a look at the 21st Century and beyond, then use your imagination to design a futuristic outfit.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To show some understanding of different periods in British history.
  • To design an innovative outfit for an individual or group.

Children will:

  • Consider some of the best and worst periods in history to have lived through and explain why.
  • Plan and design a futuristic outfit, thinking carefully about design features that will be useful for the wearer.
  • Understand that clothing design has changed so much because of many, many influences and the future of clothing design is limitless!

Provided Resources

This session does not need any provided resources.

You Will Need

You do not need any particular resources for this session.

Session 10 Fashion timeline project

Objectives

History

  • Study an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
  • Study changes in an aspect of social history such as clothing.
  • Address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference and significance.
  • Construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.

Computing

  • Use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital content.

Lesson Planning

Final evaluation project- create pictorial timeline of Britain using clothing developments and changes in fashions and materials.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To demonstrate an understanding of the changes in social history since 1066 by answering questions and by organising and presenting relevant historical information.
  • To use an online search engine effectively to research clothing through history and to begin to understand how to keep themselves safe online.

Children will:

  • Demonstrate their understanding of the periods in British history since 1066.
  • Choose an item of clothing to research, including the changes in use, design and expectation, for example the hat, shoes, dresses.
  • Create a pictorial timeline of Britain using clothing developments and changes in fashions and materials.

You Will Need

You do not need any particular resources for this session.