Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

5 minutes

Tune in: Fast Fashion Blitz

45 minutes

Find out: Specialists, Unite!

5 minutes

Take action: Seek and you shall find.

5 minutes

Reflection

Tune In: Fast fashion blitz

Step 1

Greet the students and briefly introduce the topic of fast fashion.

Allow students 5 minutes to brainstorm everything they know about fast fashion using the prompts:

What do I already know about fast fashion?
What do I want to know about fast fashion?

Step 2

Write their responses on the board.

Step 3

Explain that in this lesson, they will learn about critical thinking skills and how to apply them to analyse texts related to fast fashion.

Find Out: Specialists, unite!

Step 1

Divide the class into groups of 6.

Assign the following roles to each group member:

2 students are assigned: Text Structure Specialists
2 students are assigned: Language Features Specialists
2 students are assigned: References Specialists

Assign each group a different fast fashion text (provided here).

Text 1: 5 Fast-Fashion Brands Called Out for Greenwashing
Text 2: How fast fashion can cut its staggering environmental impact
Text 3: The Advantages of Fast Fashion for Consumers
Text 4: Ultrafast fashion giant Shein takes greenwashing to a new low: charity wash

Step 2

Text Analysis in Fast Fashion (10 minutes)

To the entire class, introduce the concept of text analysis and explain that text analysis involves examining various elements of a text, such as its structure, language features, and references, to uncover underlying meanings and implications.

Discuss why text analysis is important in the context of fast fashion, emphasizing the need to critically evaluate information presented by fashion brands and media.

Step 3

Jigsaw group work (30 minutes: 20 minutes to read and search, 10 minutes to report back)

Within each group the following will take place simultaneously:

Text structure Specialists will read the text and spend time dividing the text up into introduction, body paragraphs and conclusions.

They are to create a table with these heading and in the columns, they are to identify and categorise the different sections of the texts into the corresponding columns, dot point the key points from the article into each one.

Language Feature Specialists will read the texts, but will instead, pay attention to the language used in the excerpts.

They are to look for language features such as persuasive language, emotive words, or rhetorical questions and highlight them

The students must also take notes that analyse the language features and explain how they are used to influence the reader's perception or emotions.

References Specialists students will read the texts but will instead pay attention to the references used in the excerpts.

Instruct the students to identify and evaluate the references used in the provided excerpts such as statistics, expert opinions, or celebrity endorsements.

Encourage them to take notes and consider the credibility and relevance of the references and how they contribute to the overall argument or message.

Step 4

Each specialist group should then report back their findings to their team members and discuss the following:

The purpose and effectiveness of each text structure, encouraging students to consider how they contribute to the overall message of the text.

The effectiveness and impact of these language features and how they contribute to the overall effectiveness of the text

The potential biases or limitations of the references found within the texts and how this might affect the overall effectiveness of the texts.

Step 5

Each group is to briefly report back their findings to the entire class.

Take Action: Seek and you shall find

Step 1

Assign a writing task where students are asked to critically analyse a fast fashion article or advertisement of their own choice incorporating the skills and knowledge gained from the lesson (to be set as homework)

Reflection

Provide a brief opportunity for students to share their reflections on the lesson by asking them to complete the following sentences:

I thought I knew
But now I realise

Fast Fashion: Introduction to Critical Thinking and Text Analysis in Fast Fashion

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Info

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