Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

30 minutes	Part B: Fast Fashion Impacts
60 minutes	Part C: Finding A Way Out Of Fast Fashion
10 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

Begin by introducing the word ‘fashion’ to the class and ask students to suggest what they think it means. You can use the following definition to guide students:

Fashion is a style of clothing or a way of behaving that is popular at a particular time'. - Collins Dictionary

To explore the concept of fashion further you could create a mind-map. Consider using the following prompts (suggested answers/discussion points included):

What does it look like?
Suggested answer: Fashion can be things that we wear, such as clothes, shoes, jewellery, accessories. Fashion can also be about changing how we look, including hair styles and colour, tattoos or piercings.
Why do we do it?
Suggested answer: People are interested in fashion for different reasons: some people see fashion as a way of expressing their personality; someone else might see fashion as cool or as a way to help them feel like they ‘fit in’; some people see certain types of fashion as art and wearing art can make you feel good; some people like fashion because it’s always changing and they find this change exciting, especially when they can be a part of it.
How can fashion be about behaviour?
Suggested answer: Fashion can also be about the language we use, for example, can you think of any words that are ‘cool’ at your school? Fashion can also be about the activities we participate in, like skateboarding or playing sport, or making or listening to certain music.
Where do we ‘get’ fashion?
Suggested answer: We see people who look or behave in ways we like either on the catwalk, street, television or the internet. We can then try to find a shop that sells the clothes and accessories we like.

Step 2.

Now introduce students to the term 'fast fashion'. Ask students to suggest if they have heard of this term before, and what they think it might mean.

Explain to students that 'fast fashion' refers to clothes that are made quickly and sold cheaply, usually in large quantities. The designs come from the catwalk and clothing manufacturers quickly produce the clothes so that consumers don’t have to wait to be able to buy the clothes. The shops that sell these clothes are bringing in new designs almost every day so that shoppers always have something new to buy.

Take a moment for students to reflect on this information by asking the following question:

Can you think of any reasons why fast fashion might be a problem?

Explain that students will explore the answers to this question in the next part of the lesson.

Part B: Fast Fashion Impacts

Step 1.

Break the class into pairs and distribute one copy of the Student Worksheet to each student.

Students should work in groups to discuss the following Fashion Images (also available on the Student Worksheet) using a SEE THINK WONDER routine. Depending on age, ability or time available, you could assign one image to each pair, ensuring that each image is assigned at least once.

Before beginning, explain that all these images relate to fast fashion.

Information about Image 1: In the case of many fast fashion brands, the people making the clothes work long hours with very little pay, often not enough to support themselves and their families. Unable to find better paid work, workers in these conditions are often trapped in a cycle of poverty which can be compared to slavery. (Image source: Huffington Post)
Information about Image 2: For people in countries like Australia, shopping is seen as a fun activity or hobby; in the case of fast fashion the aim is to get fashionable clothes to shoppers quickly and cheaply.
Information about Image 3: The production of many clothes has serious environmental consequences. In this image, fabric dye from a factory has leaked into a river causing wide-spread purple pollution. In addition to pollution, other environmental impacts from the production of clothes include the depletion of non-renewable resources, greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of massive quantities of energy, chemicals and water. (Image source: Greenpeace)
Information about Image 4: This is an image of a 'sweatshop': this is a workplace that has very poor working conditions that may be difficult, dangerous, climatically challenged (very hot or very cold) or underpaid.
Information about Image 5: As fast fashion items are designed to be worn for only a short time they go out of fashion or fall apart. As they are made from cheap fabrics there is little or no chance for them to be reused or recycled and so they end up in landfill.

Step 2.

Once complete, invite students to share their thoughts and observations with the class. What do these images tell us about the problems of fast fashion?

Step 3.

Collate the questions generated by students through the WONDER step of the previous SEE THINK WONDER routine. Record these on the board.

Work with students to group these questions into themes. Invite students to select a theme and to form small groups around that theme. Each group needs to work collaboratively to generate a question around their theme that they think they could answer through online research.

Once they have generated a question they should write it on a piece of paper and swap questions with another group.

Each group can then undertake the research necessary to answer the question they have been given.

Groups should then create a one to two-page presentation that can be shared with the class.

Note: Further information about fast fashion in Australia can be found in this clip from War On Waste (iTunes, Clickview ):

Episode 3, Australia - 2:00 to 5:38

In addition, you could share these Fast Fashion Facts with students.

If students have completed the Plastic Pollution lesson, remind them of the ways that microplastics can harm our environment. Otherwise, you can explain that plastics never go away, they just break down into smaller and smaller pieces that get ingested by animals and pollute our environment.

Part C: Finding A Way Out Of Fast Fashion

Step 1.

Explain to students that wanting to avoid the social and environmental impacts of fast fashion doesn’t mean we have to give up cool clothes or great shoes. We all need clothes and most of us are a little bit interested in how we look in our clothes. But avoiding fast fashion means we need to think about our needs and wants, and what they mean in terms of the things we buy and the things we already own.

In this part of the activity, students will use the 4Rs tool to create a pocket shopper guide to help them make better choices when shopping.

EXTEND: If you want to explore the concept of needs and wants in the context of shopping, invite students to conduct a 5 Whys investigation into a product they currently want:

• Invite students to think of a product they want to buy.
• Ask them to write this down and then pose the question: Why do you want this? Students should respond to this question and record their answer. They should then add a ‘Why?’ to the end of their response and again think about their answer and write it down. They can then add another ‘Why?’ to the end of this answer. They can repeat this exercise until they have written five responses.
• You can then repeat the activity around the same product but this time asking: Why do you need this?

This activity should be conducted individually; it is not an exercise in shaming students, but rather an opportunity for them to think about the difference between needing and wanting something.

Step 2.

Invite students to suggest what they already know about the 4Rs. Lead students in a class discussion around the 4Rs, recording ideas on the board. If students need prompting, you could suggest the following:

Refuse - Say no to something like a plastic bag or choose a product that has less packaging or whose packaging is made from material that is biodegradable or can be recycled.
Reduce - Use less of something, like buying fewer individually packaged products, or buying less stuff wrapped in plastic, or buying fewer clothes.
Reuse - Reuse things instead of throwing them away, like reusing bags when you go shopping, or reusing jam and sauce jars for other things, or reusing wrapping paper or envelopes/parcel bags.
Recycle - Choose products that can be recycled and then make sure these products go into the recycling bin.

Step 3.

Break the class into small groups and ensure each student has a copy of the Student Worksheet.

Groups should work through the 4Rs table, adding suggestions and ideas for shopping. Suggestions to get students started below:

4Rs	Shopping tips or suggestions for this ‘R’
Refuse	E.g. When going shopping, ask yourself; ‘Do I really need this?’
Reduce	E.g. Limit yourself to one major purchase every six months.
Reuse	E.g. Mend clothes.
Recycle	E.g. Share your clothes with your friends or find a new use for them.

Students may need to undertake research to find out more tips and ideas. This research could be conducted online. Alternatively, if you wanted to extend this lesson you could ask students to develop interview or survey questions to find out what other people in the community do. You could use the following information:

Step 4.

Students can convert their ideas into a pocket-sized shopping guide. Students can work in pairs, small groups or independently to create their guides.

They will firstly need to create a draft of their design which will be shared with the class for feedback. Encourage students to be creative when creating their pocket guide; however, students need to ensure they include relevant information and helpful suggestions about reducing the social and environmental impacts associated with fast fashion. This may mean including facts and stats about fast fashion.

The Australian Sustainable Seafood Guide could be used as an example of what a pocket guide can look like.

Some suggested resources for finding fast fashion facts include:

Fast Fashion Facts
War On Waste: It’s time to step off the fashion trend-mill (https://about.abc.net.au/war-on-waste-its-time-to-step-off-the-fashion-trend-mill/)
Fast fashion quick to cause environmental havoc (https://sustainability.uq.edu.au/projects/recycling-and-waste-minimisation/fast-fashion-quick-cause-environmental-havoc)
It’s time to care about what you wear (https://stand.uow.edu.au/fast-fashion-crisis/)
Fast fashion: Seventy five per cent of Australians tossing clothing in the bin (https://www.smh.com.au/national/fast-fashion-seventy-five-per-cent-of-australians-tossing-clothing-in-the-bin-20171205-gzzbas.html)
The true cost of fast fashion (https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/true-cost-fast-fashion)
Made In Poverty: The true price of fashion in Australia (https://whatshemakes.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Made-in-Poverty-the-True-Price-of-Fashion.-Oxfam-Australia..pdf)

Step 5.

Students can share their drafts with the class through a gallery walk:

Remind students to be kind, helpful and specific when providing feedback.

Step 6.

Encourage students to share their pocket guides with their family and friends.

Reflection

Invite students to work independently to think about what they looked at in this lesson and to complete the following (also available on the Student Worksheet):

I used to think…
But now I think...

Take It Further

If students are conducting the waste breakdown experiment, investigate what is happening to the waste so far, especially any fabric you have buried.
If you are planning on completing the follow-up social action lesson, War On Waste – Going To War On Waste – Years 4 to 6, you can use learnings from this lesson to develop a plan for waste at your school.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

War On Waste - Fast Fashion Fallout

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