“Today we’re going to learn about the craft of weaving!” exclaimed Lower School Art Teacher Lauren McCarty as a section of Class 3 listened attentively from their seats around a large table. “There are so many rich traditions in Spanish-speaking countries.”
As part of Chapin’s school-wide celebrations of Hispanic/Latinx/e Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), Ms. McCarty developed a fun and informative lesson that honored the culture and artistry of Guatemala, one of 20 countries and a U.S. territory where Spanish is the official language.*
Dimming the lights, Ms. McCarty began the class with a real-aloud of a picture book, “Rainbow Weaver” (Tejedora del Arcoiris), by Linda Elovitz Marshall and illustrated by Elisa Chavarri. As the girls watched bright drawings projected on a screen, they were introduced to the main character, a child named Ixchel who wants to learn to weave just like her mother, grandmother and all the women in her ancient Mayan village.
Although her family is poor and cannot afford extra thread for Ixchel to practice with, she perseveres and after much trial and error, she solves her weaving dilemma – and improves her community – by fashioning discarded plastic bags into thread-like strips that, when woven together, resemble rainbows. Soon enough, Ixchel is selling her handmade wares at the local market.
As Ms. McCarty narrated this story about determination and imagination, the students listened actively, offering comments and posing questions. When they discovered that they would have the chance to weave just like Ixchel, the room buzzed with anticipation. First, they needed to understand how to use the requisite supplies and equipment, which included hammers, screwdrivers and a wooden frame called a loom.
“What is the difference between a nail and a screw? Raise a quiet hand,” prompted Ms. McCarty. She also asked the class who had experience with hammers or screwdrivers (almost every hand shot up). After their teacher demonstrated the correct method for safely using both instruments, the students had time to hone these skills under Ms. McCarty’s watchful eye at a designated “practice area.”
When they felt ready to embark on their own, the students collected what they needed and spread out. At their workstations, they secured their looms to the table edge with metal clamps and got busy hammering rows of equidistant nails along the top and bottom. This scaffolding would anchor the yarn for the actual weaving process.
Using screwdrivers, other students affixed metal hardware to the back of the looms to enable easy hanging. “Righty tighty, lefty loosey,” Ms. McCarty said, reminding a girl who was turning with effort. “I want you to grow in your comfort and confidence using these tools,” she added for the benefit of the full group.
“This is so hard,” another student remarked, as her nail kept toppling to the table. Ms. McCarty was encouraging: “Give yourself time to figure it out.”
She demonstrated to several girls how to align their bodies to achieve the most momentum and precision. They all tried again, noticing the difference a shift in position made.
For the rest of the class period, the students worked at their own speed, filling the Art room with lots of pounding and cheerful chatter. On this Thursday morning, there was no rush to finish a particular task. “We’re just moving forward, whatever that looks like,” Ms. McCarty assured them.
Once their looms have been prepared, the students will employ a basic warp and weft technique (over and under) to turn colorful strands of thread into fabric. We’re excited to see what our Class 3 weavers will create!
*Spanish-Speaking Countries Around the World
Spoken by more than 575 million people worldwide, Spanish is the official language of one U.S. territory and 20 countries:
Puerto Rico
Argentina
Bolivia
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Spain
Uruguay
Venezuela
