I would follow my mom to the design center where I learned all about textures and colors and how lines can change our perspective of a painting.
~ words from Dayna that keep us thinking and wondering ~
Not hers. Not yours. People are always more than the chapters anyone could share. Hold what is here gently. Approach with curiosity, before judgment.
Notice what you notice. Wonder what you wonder. There is no quiz, no right way. Read until something stays.
this film has no words. notice what you notice. notice what you wonder. wonder out loud. and don't forget to notice what you feel, too.
Beyond Appearance
Hi there, come on in! See these wooden blocks? These are what I use to create the shapes of the hats I make! More on that later… first I want to tell you a bit about the journey that has been my life so far. I never dreamed of becoming a milliner. Any idea what type of job that could be? It means I am a hat maker, and it just sort of happened. Life is funny that way. Although, apparently when I was young I always wore this crazy little stocking cap with two horns! I think I liked it because it was really silly looking. This is what my parents tell me, at least, and it doesn’t surprise me one bit. Life tends to work out the way it is supposed to.
What do you think about my belief that “Life tends to work out the way it is supposed to?
” What do you think I mean?
Do you ever feel that way?
Why or why not?
Can you think of examples from your own life where something weird or funny happened a long time ago, but later you realized how it fit into what you are doing with your life right now?
Let’s say I stack some blocks together so that the total height is 9.5 inches. Then, I take out the one that is 4.3 inches tall. What is the height remaining?
I’ll tell you something else kind of funny about my life. My parents were both interior designers. When I was young I would follow my mom to the design center where I learned all about textures and colors and how lines can change our perspective of a painting. I was fascinated. I remember one time, my mom was working to design someone’s kitchen in all blues and yellows. I pulled the paint samples off the counter in order to take in the colors with my own eyes. I’m not sure my mom liked that, but I sure learned a lot about which colors look good together!
I remember that I had 5 blue paint samples with different shades, and I really liked 3 of them.
Can you convert this fraction of ⅗ into a decimal?
I also remember that I liked 0.
25 of the yellow paint samples (hint: I had 4 of them).
Can you convert this decimal into a simplified fraction?
My mom was a really good teacher, plus there were always art classes going on in that design center, so I guess you could say I grew up in a pretty artistic environment. And the funny part? When I was little, I never wanted to do what my parents did. Now that I’m older, I realize my business is pretty much the same as theirs! The difference is that my design shows up in a hat and theirs was in a room or a house.
Do you think you are similar or pretty different from your parents and the rest of your family?
Can you share with me some ways that your family influences you, and some ways that you influence your family members?
Let me tell you something else about my childhood that really influenced me. The little town where I grew up was in a rural part of Washington, which is in the northwestern most part of the United States. We were surrounded by farmland and beautiful countryside. I loved everything about the outdoors. I would often lie face down in the grass just watching the life that would happen in the dirt between the green blades. I was fascinated by bugs and I kept an ant farm. This fascination led me right to studying Biochemistry in college. I figured that this is what I do well, so I have to do it.
Do you think that is true– that if you’re good at something, you have to do it?
What if you don’t enjoy it as much as something else you’re not quite as good at?
Or what if you are really good at something, but don’t love spending time doing it?
What are some ways that your ability (whether you are good or not great at something) influences your actions?
What are some ways that the things you enjoy impact how good you are at them?
I used to love watching ants, especially as they always seemed to be on the move! Once I watched an ant travel the distance of 12.2 feet, then stop and rest for a minute, and then travel another 9.3 feet. Can you tell me the total distance it travelled in feet?
Guess what? I only made it to the third year of college. It was my first time away from home and I felt I was experiencing a whole new world. There is so much out there! I was no longer sure I wanted to study Biochemistry. Not that there is anything wrong with it, I just felt that it might not be for me. I began to question if I was doing it for the right reason.
I was concerned not just about what I was doing, but why I was doing it.
Do you ever think about the reasons behind your actions?
Do you think the reason matters?
Can you share why you think it is important or why you think it does not matter?
I felt a lot of stress while trying to determine what I wanted to do with my life. Stress impacts me in a really unique way. Suddenly, all my hair fell out. Since I was a little girl, I’ve had a disease called alopecia. It impacted me a little during my teenage years, but not until I was in college did I lose all my hair. See, alopecia is what is called an “autoimmune disease.” This means that my body doesn’t recognize some cells as my own, so they attack those cells that are meant to protect me. This actually causes my hair to fall out. It is a really rare disease: only about 2% of the population has it!
What do you imagine I felt when my hair fell out during my time in college?
What might be challenging about being bald?
Imagine you saw someone your age who was bald: How might you feel toward them?
What could you say to them so they feel supported?
During that time when all my hair fell out, something called “punk rock” music had just become popular. This was another one of those times where life just kind of works out. People who listened to this type of music also had a really unique style, and they didn’t think I was weird… suddenly, I was this really cool girl who everyone thought shaved her head bald! So during the day I wore a wig, but at night I could go listen to music with this new group of friends and just be myself. No wig included. It felt like I was living two lives though, and I really didn’t like wigs. They were not me, and I cannot be anyone other than who I am. I need to let everyone else around me see the real me- even if that sometimes means without hair! I was 24 years old then, and that is when I started to look for alternatives to wigs and discovered hats.
What do you think I mean when I say, “I cannot be anyone other than who I am?
” Can you relate?
Is there anything in your life that hides who you really are?
Why is that?
Have you ever thought about changing it so that your true self comes through?
This disease has flip flopped on me a lot. From the time I was 24 until I was in my 40s, I would go bald and then my hair would grow back. My emotions would flip flop also—worrying about whether or not it would grow back caused me a lot of stress. Now I’m in the final stage of the disease, which means total hair loss. It is not going to grow back. And you know what? I am thrilled! It took a long time, but I don’t think about it anymore. There are more important things to think about! Alopecia has impacted my life in many ways, but it has not taken over.
Can you think of anything in your life that may seem negative, but has some positive aspect to it?
Can you share some good things that have come out of something difficult in your life?
I’m really grateful for where alopecia led me: It introduced me to the world of hats, and I love my career as a milliner!
Begin class with a collective 2 minutes of silence as students help arrange chairs in a circle to encourage discussion and reflection
“What does it mean to look beyond the surface of something?
Why might this be important?” You can ask students, “What does the surface of something show us?” Examples of answers could be it shows only a part of something, or it shows what is on the outside or what is easy to see in a quick glance. You can then follow up with, “What do we miss when we only focus on what we see on the outside, instead of really diving into understanding something?” Students may answer that you miss out on things that are not as obvious right away, or the aspects that are more complex or difficult to understand. You can acknowledge that this isn’t always easy– sometimes it takes a lot more time to get to know what is inside something beyond your first impression. “Do you have any advice on ways to ‘dive beneath the surface’ to get to know something or someone better?”
With your class, watch the video “I am Dayna”.
Prompt students, “As you watch the video, look for clues into unique things that make Dayna who she is!” After the video ask your students, “What clues did you get into what makes Dayna special?” Most likely, students will point out that she is bald. Acknowledge this, and encourage them to think beyond her lack of hair as well. “What else might we be able to notice about Dayna in this video? What can we not know about her from just watching this video?” Once your class has shared a few ideas, suggest reading the Learning Journey story “I am Dayna”. To check for reading comprehension, ask students, “What did Dayna feel when her appearance began to change?” Ask students to reflect on some of the physical changes that they have gone through in their own lives (and make it clear to students that they can share with the class if they are comfortable, write it down, or just mentally reflect if they prefer). Prompt students to think about how it made them feel when they began to physically change, and what they wish people knew about their inner self– for example, maybe people assume that their physical changes make a difference in who they are as a person, when this actually isn’t true. Or, perhaps their changes have affected how they see the world but they feel that others don’t understand. Once students have had time to reflect and share if they chose, you can say, “Remember that our surface appearance is just one aspect of ourselves- remember to be proud of your inner uniqueness that make you who you really are!”
Let’s check out how decimals can help us look at numbers in a different way!
You can begin by asking students, “How can decimals help you think about whole numbers in a different way?” An answer could be that decimals show that a whole is made up of and/or can be split into smaller parts. You can explain that this is the same for fractions, and to show the relationship between fractions and decimals you can practice the math example about common fractions and decimals on page 2 of the Learning Journey story “I am Dayna.” Then, you can look at the math examples on pages 1 and 3 and have students add and subtract decimals to show how the small parts of the wholes can affect the totals. Ask students to reflect on how this may be similar to their own lives by saying, “Those decimals showed us that parts come together to make up sections of a whole– can you think of any ways this is reflected in your own life? Are there many different parts of who you are that make you yourself?”
Ask students to make a list of all of the different aspects of themselves– both the things that they love about themselves, and also those things that they might not like quite as much.
Remind students that even though Dayna has alopecia, she is still grateful for it because it led to her interest in hats and eventually to her becoming a milliner. Challenge students to focus on a few of the aspects of themselves that they don’t totally love, and to flip their thoughts around and write down a few reasons why they should be grateful that it makes them who they are.
This is one way to teach this story. You could also weave your own way, threading two or three other people the AI finds for you alongside.
Want to weave a full lesson around this story?
The weaver finds 3-4 real people whose stories thread together with this one.
Weave a lesson →Ripple Effect
One way I love to learn is through my own mistakes or limitations. I’ve come to realize that is where creativity comes from! What do you think about this? What have you learned through your own mistakes or limitations? In what way do you think creativity might stem from those experiences?
We sure do get a lot of rain in Washington! In January, the average precipitation was about 5 1/2 inches, and in February it was 3 2/5 inches. What do you get if you add them together?
I bet that woman has no idea what an influence her one little action had on me! Had she not given me John’s phone number, who knows what my life might look like now. Have you ever thought about how one little action you take may have a great impact on someone else without realizing it? Have you ever experienced that in your life?
How do you feel about challenges? What do you imagine I was feeling during this time? Can you tell me about a time that you or someone you know jumped on an opportunity like this, even if it was a little scary?
Assuming there are 4 weeks in a month, and I spent 3/7 of each week working with John, how much did I work with him each month?
Can you tell me about a time that you stuck with something, even though it might have been difficult sometimes? Why did you continue doing it?
If on a Monday I spent 1/4 of my day working a part-time job and 1/8 of my day making hats, what fraction of my day was spent on those activities?
Some people call these “transferable skills.” I’d love to hear an example from your life of something you learned in one place that ended up being really helpful somewhere else!
Have you ever felt that you were not at a stage in your life where other people thought you should be? How did it makes you feel that other people had certain expectations that weren’t aligned with what you were experiencing? What are some ways that you could share what you were experiencing to help other people understand that stage in your life?
Looking for a way to foster inclusivity? Sit in a circle on the floor for this lesson!
“What does it mean to have a ‘ripple effect’?” You can ask students to describe what happens when a pebble is tossed into water; if possible, you could take them outside to a nearby pond or puddle, or imitate one in a bucket and let them gently toss in pebbles.
“Do you see how many ripples are caused by that one tiny pebble? How cool is that!” Once the stage is set and students understand the ‘ripple effect,’ flip it around and point out to them that one tiny action we take might also ripple out. “Do we really ever know just how far our actions reach, or the impact that they have on others?”
Watch the video “I am Dayna” and then read the story “Dayna on Life’s True Course” to explore the impact that a ripple effect had on her.
To check for reading comprehension, ask students to point out what the original action was (a woman in a hat shop that gave Danya John’s phone number), and what some of the effects were (that she called John, learned from him, and now has her own hat shop). “Let’s think even bigger– can you imagine how that ripple effect might still be travelling even further?” Answers could be about the people who buy the hats from Dayna, or about how she impacted John’s life, or even about how students are learning about Danya’s story right here in class! After delving deeper into Dayna’s story, invite students to share aloud, in a story, or in a drawing about a time they noticed a ripple effect in their own life. If they cannot think of a personal example, they can share from a story they have heard or from someone that they know. You can also share an example from your own life! Then, engage in an activity that promotes acts of kindness. “What type of small actions could we take that might have a ripple effect?” As a class, brainstorm ideas for a few, simple acts of kindness. You could challenge the class to all try out the same one and observe what type of responses they get. For example: smiling at someone else in the school who isn’t in their class, or starting up a conversation and really listening to someone that they don’t normally talk to. Or, you could enter all the ideas in a jar and invite each student to pull one out as their daily act of kindness. “Imagine, if we all do at least one a day, how far out might our ripples stretch?!”
Let’s explore how answering some math examples might have far reaching ripple effects! With your students, check out the math example about adding/ subtracting mixed numbers with unlike denominators on page 2 of the Learning Journey story “Dayna on Life’s True Course”.
Once students have solved the question of how many inches it rains in Washington on average in January and February, ask them, “Can you think of any ways that your action of figuring this out could have a ripple effect if you shared the answer with people?” Thoughts could include that it can help people prepare for a trip to Washington since they will have a better idea of the weather, or if someone wants to collect rain water during those months they have a sense or how large the container should be– encourage students to be creative! You can also explore math examples about multiplying fractions and whole numbers (page 3) and adding/ subtracting fractions with unlike denominators and word problems (on page 4). Again, ask students to be creative and to think of ways that the answers to these might have impacts that affect people in ways that they did not originally imagine!
To wrap up this lesson, ask students to write a short story or letter that they think would help explain the ‘ripple effect’ to a younger sibling or to students in a younger classroom.
If possible, you could coordinate to meet with a younger class, and students could share their own story of ripple effects with a younger buddy.
This is one way to teach this story. You could also weave your own way, threading two or three other people the AI finds for you alongside.
Want to weave a full lesson around this story?
The weaver finds 3-4 real people whose stories thread together with this one.
Weave a lesson →Ripple Effect
After eight months, it finally began to rain. I ran thrilled out into the night and stood in the warm, comforting drops. At that moment I knew I needed to move back home to the Pacific Northwest of the United States. I had been offered a great opportunity to work on my hats in southern California where the sun shines nearly all year and the brilliant blue ocean meets golden sand and green hillsides. Who wouldn’t love that? Me, apparently. The climate in Washington, where I’m from, is cooler and rains a lot. It took moving to California and trying to make it work to learn that it wasn’t for me. And that’s the way a lot of my life has gone. I’m smiling right now thinking about all I’ve learned through doing the “wrong” thing.
One way I love to learn is through my own mistakes or limitations.
I’ve come to realize that is where creativity comes from!
What do you think about this?
What have you learned through your own mistakes or limitations?
In what way do you think creativity might stem from those experiences?
I am sometimes surprised at how my life has really just followed a true course. And I’ve just let my life take me on this journey, not the other way around. Life has always shown me what to do. Let me give you an example: When I was a young woman living in Seattle and struggling with hair loss from the disease I have, alopecia, I walked into a hat shop. I tried to sneak into the corner to try on hats without everyone noticing I had no hair. It didn’t work though, because this woman sidled up to me and said, “You’re not going to find what you want here. I have a name of a man who might be able to help you though.” She gave me the number of a hat maker named John. And you know what I did? I marched right out to the first phone booth I saw and called him! To this day I am still surprised I took that initiative, but I did, and not to sound cheesy but...it changed my life.
I bet that woman has no idea what an influence her one little action had on me!
Had she not given me his phone number, who knows what my life might look like now.
Have you ever thought about how one little action you take may have a great impact on someone else without realizing it?
Have you experienced that in your life?
I could tell by the sound of John’s voice that this was going to be fun. I asked him about buying a hat that would fit low over my ears. He just sighed, told me to take a class from him, and then to make it myself. He said it in a way that challenged me, and I immediately liked him for that. So I did, I signed up for a class! And it all started from there, just because this stranger gave me his number and because I love being given a challenge.
How do you feel about challenges?
What do you imagine I was feeling during this time?
Would you tell me about a time that you or someone you know jumped on an opportunity like this, even if it was a little scary?
One thing led to the next: I took a 6-week class and after just 3 weeks, John and I knew we clicked. Sometimes you just know these things. He invited me to apprentice under him, and I felt so honored and thrilled because no one had apprenticed under him for 10 years! I had the opportunity to learn from him for 4 years. I was probably there 3 days a week, just trying to absorb every single thing I could. Like how to never use glue and how to hide my stitches, because it gives our hats a sort of whimsical look. I’ve been able to reciprocate this experience by having over 60 interns throughout my career. And I love them all just like family!
Most recently, I had 8 interns. If I’ve had 60 total, how many did I have prior to this year?
You know, I didn’t enter this hat making world with the intention to make it my career. I just knew that I couldn’t put it down because there were too many things I could imagine making. It was never like that with anything else. Not with the piano, not with the saxophone. I never stuck with anything else the way I did with hats. It wasn’t planned out, it just happened. All the little things that happened seemed to feed each other. Not to say it was easy. It was the opposite, in fact. I never took a business class or anything to help me learn how to run my own business, so there are always stumbling blocks. Like my first line of hats. I moved to a small coastal town with my husband and started my business in a tiny 10 ft. X 10 ft. room. It was an interesting experience that didn’t go very well, but little by little I started to learn what to do and, especially, what not to do! That is just as important. The process also taught me to recognize my flaws, like procrastination, and find little tricks to work around them and keep moving forward. And through all this, I kept working part-time jobs. Even when I was in my 3rd shop, I still had 4 part-time jobs! So it was a long time and a lot of hard work, but it all paid off because I was doing what I loved.
I was 45 years old by the time I was in my current shop, and I started working when I was 24. Would you help me calculate how many years I spent working part-time jobs to make my dream happen? What do you imagine might be a big motivation all those years?
Now, try measuring out a space that is 10 ft.
X 10 ft.
What would it be like working in a space that size?
That was the size of my first studio!
It was perfect, because I could just swivel around in my chair to wherever I needed to be.
What might be some challenges of a space that size?
Each of those little jobs helped me in some way along my journey as a milliner, which is another term you can use for a hat maker. Like being a dental assistant helped me really develop my dexterity and comfort with tools. Being an office manager at a printer shop helped me learn how to manage financial books. Working in the service industry, well, people skills are always helpful in any business! So you see, every little thing led to the next.
Some people call these “transferable skills.
” I’d love to hear an example from your life of something you learned in one place that ended up being really helpful somewhere else!
What I’ve learned through all of my experiences is that, if you have a dream, you cannot be afraid to work to make it happen. Do not let the fear of where you “should” be hold you back from where you want to be. You can trust life to take you down the right course.
“What happens when you toss a pebble into water?” If possible, you could take students outside to a pond or puddle, or use a bucket of water and let them gently toss in pebbles.
“Do you see how many ripples are caused by that one tiny pebble? How cool is that!” Once the stage is set and students understand the ‘ripple effect,’ flip it around and point out to them that one tiny action we take might also ripple out. “What do you think I mean by that?”
Watch the video "I am Dayna" and then read her story, "Life’s True Course" to explore the impact the ripple effect had on her.
After delving deeper into Dayna’s story, invite students to share aloud, in a story, or in a drawing about a time they noticed a ripple effect in their own life. If they cannot think of a personal example, they can share from a story they know or from someone in their life. “What do you think Dayna means by ‘life’s true course’? How might the ripple effect influence our life?” Consider sharing an example from your own life. Next, engage in an activity that promotes altruistic acts of kindness. “What type of small actions could we take that might have a ripple effect?” As a class, brainstorm ideas for a few, simple acts of kindness. You could challenge the class to all try out the same one and observe what type of responses they get, for example: smiling at someone else in the school who isn’t in their class. Or, you could enter all the ideas in a jar and invite each student to pull one out as their daily act of kindness. “Imagine, if we all do at least one a day, how far out might our ripples stretch?!”
Practice subtraction with 2-digit numbers, subtraction within 100, and measuring length with Dayna! As a warm-up, you’ll find a short math prompt that asks students to use subtraction with 2-digit numbers to calculate how many interns Dayna has had over the years.
From there, you can move on to a more challenging subtraction within 100 problem by calculating how many years Dayna worked part-time jobs to bring her dream to fruition. You could then ask students to add that number of years to their own age, “Now, close your eyes and imagine you’re that old! What are you doing? What do you love?” To practice measuring length on a large scale, facilitate a class activity wherein students measure a 10 ft. X 10 ft. space within your classroom. They can work together to figure out how to do this. How are they going to mark the space? Where do they begin measuring? What do they use to measure the space? If your class is large, consider breaking them up into smaller groups. Once the space is defined, they can have fun seeing how many students can fit into the space, practice swiveling around in a chair like Dayna, or other creative ideas that help them interact with the space to get a feel for 10 ft. X 10 ft.
To wrap up this lesson, ask students to write a short story or letter that they think would help explain the ‘ripple effect’ to a younger sibling or younger classroom.
If possible, you could coordinate to meet with a younger class and students could share their story with a younger buddy.
This is one way to teach this story. You could also weave your own way, threading two or three other people the AI finds for you alongside.
Want to weave a full lesson around this story?
The weaver finds 3-4 real people whose stories thread together with this one.
Weave a lesson →Solo and Together
Is there something you can imagine yourself doing for more than 30 years? What do you hope to know a lot about someday, or to have a lot of experience in?
Have you ever felt this way about a hat or a piece of clothing? Why do you think that is? In what way might a hat have personality or give you strength? If you could design any type of hat for your personality, what might it look like? Tell me about your design!
What do you think I mean when I say, “Some things need improving, but some things don’t?” What are some examples from your life where that is the case?
Hats have been around forever here in the U.S. What is the hat culture like where you live?
I’d love to hear about some ways that you or people in your community are resourceful! What are some examples of common, everyday items that you use in a creative way? Or that you could use creatively? People at first may not think of hat making as an art form, but hopefully you understand that it is. What are some other unique art forms?
“We are stronger together.” I really believe that, in all sorts of scenarios. Do you? Why or why not? What are some examples from your life where you’re stronger together with others? Maybe you could write a story about it!
I have divided a piece of felt into four sections, and then I need to divide that in half again to get the amount I need for this piece of the hat. Can you use the image below to help me figure out the equation ¼ ÷ 2?
I need to stack a few blocks to make a hat. Let’s say that I am currently making 4 different hats, and they each are divided into blocks that are each ⅓ of the whole hat. How many blocks am I using in total?
I will also sometimes use ribbon on my hats! If I have a spool of ribbon and use ¼ of it to add ribbons to 2 hats, what fraction of the spool did I use on each hat?
“Are we stronger when we work together, or independently?” You can write down the words “Collaborate” and “Independent” on the board, and then under each make two columns each labeled “positive” and “negative”.
When students share their opinions about the question, you can write down their responses in the appropriate columns. Some positive responses to collaboration could be that we can learn new things from each other and build on each other’s ideas to grow, while some negative responses could include that people may promote false or misleading ideas or it can be confusing when there are too many people involved and it is not organized. A few positive ideas about working independently could include that it gives you a chance to learn at your own pace and you can prove to yourself that you understand the material instead or relying on other people’s answers, while negative aspects could be that you don’t have support when you need it or you may become narrow-minded because you are not exposed to other ideas. When a student shares thoughts on which approach is stronger, encourage him/her to give an example from his/her life of why he/she believes this. “Remember that giving a reason for why you think a certain way can help someone else understand your perspective, even if they do not agree with you!” You can also explore with students how to integrate the positive aspects of each approach. “What are some ways we can still learn from each other if we initially work independently? How can we make sure we fully understand the material and be accountable if we work as a group?”
Watch the video “I am Dayna” with your class, and then read the story “Dayna and the Art of Hats.” After reading, check for comprehension by asking students if Dayna said there used to be many milliners in the past, or if they were rare to find.
“What reason does Dayna give for it being that way?” (Hint: people could use common household items that were widely available). Dayna says that these days, milliners are much more open to sharing ideas. Ask students to reflect on the relationship among collaboration, independence, and creativity. “Do you think people are more creative when they work together and can share ideas? Or when they work independently and are driven to innovate by the spirit of competition? Can their be a positive mix of both?”
Let’s explore different approaches to math that involve working together and figuring things out solo!
Look at the three math questions in “Dayna and the Art of Hats,” and decide together which one you will work as a class to solve, which one students will figure out independently, and which one is up to each person to decide the approach they will take (students can either form small groups, or work by themselves). Students can then work to divide unit fractions by whole numbers, divide whole numbers by unit fractions, and solve word problems regarding the division of fractions and whole numbers (all on page 4 of the story). Once they have interacted with the math, ask students, “How did working as a group help you better understand the material? What did you most enjoy about getting the chance to figure something out alone?” Remind students that throughout their lives, they will have plenty of opportunities to learn both ways!
Ask your class to think about a time they created something (such as an item, drawing, dance, song, story, etc.), and then to write a short poem about it.
Some ideas could be about what inspired them to make it, or the experience of creating it, or how it makes them feel, or what it was like to share their creation with others. The poems can be short and don’t have to fit a perfect structure– the important thing is to have students feel they have freedom to express what it is like to create! Once students have independently written their own poems, you can then work together as a class to create a collective poem about creativity! You can start off the poem with a line of your own, and then can go around the room and ask students to each provide the next line that you then write down to form an awesome group poem!
This is one way to teach this story. You could also weave your own way, threading two or three other people the AI finds for you alongside.
Want to weave a full lesson around this story?
The weaver finds 3-4 real people whose stories thread together with this one.
Weave a lesson →What is Art
Is there something you can imagine yourself doing for more than 30 years? What do you hope to know a lot about someday, or to have a lot of experience in?
Have you ever felt this way about a hat or a piece of clothing? Why do you think that is? In what way might a hat have personality or give you strength? If you could design any type of hat for your personality, what might it look like? Tell me about your design!
What do you think I mean when I say, “Some things need improving, but some things don’t?” What are some examples from your life where that is the case? Hats have been around forever here in the United States. What is the hat culture like where you’re from?
I’d love to hear about some ways that you or people in your community are resourceful! What are some examples of common, everyday items that you use in a creative way? Or that you could use creatively? People at first may not think of hat making as an art form, but hopefully you understand that it is. What are some other unique art forms?
“We are stronger together.” I really believe that, in all sorts of scenarios. Do you? Why or why not? What are some examples from your life where you’re stronger together with others? Maybe you could write a story about it!
One of the first steps in hat making is creating the block that will help you shape the hat. As you may have noticed in the video, I have tons of blocks! Let’s say for your hat I’ve decided to stack two blocks, and I have it narrowed down to three choices of different pairs. What is an equation and a picture to illustrate how many blocks I am choosing between? How many different combinations could you make with all those blocks?
Earlier I mentioned the first step in making a hat is stacking the blocks. The second step is measuring and cutting your material, like felt, to the right size! Eventually it will become a circle, but let’s start with a square. It needs to be 3 inches bigger than the block on all sides. Let’s say your block is 6 inches wide and 7 inches long. What are some different ways to measure 3 inches? Remember, I said milliners are resourceful! Look around the room and find other ways to measure your felt. How long is it total on each side?
Ask students to help set chairs in a circle and begin class with a collective 2 minutes of silence
What is art?” Let students take this question any direction they want - the intent is to spark creative thinking and link it to the concept of art.
If your students need support, ask questions like, “What are some common forms of art? What makes something ‘art’?” Consider making a list of the things that make art, art.
Watch the video, I am Dayna. Ask students to pay attention to what might make her craft an art. After the video, ask students to share reasons why hat making may be an art.
You can use the list you made in step 1 or, if you didn’t make a list, use this opportunity to think creatively about what composes ‘art.’ Next suggest, “Let’s read Dayna’s story to learn more about what she thinks - straight from the artist’s mouth!” After reading Dayna on the Art of Hats, check for comprehension by asking them to share some reasons why Dayna feels that hat making is an art. “What can we add to our what-is-art list?” Once students are content with their list, then brainstorm ideas of other skills that could be considered art, even if the norm is not to call it art. At the top of page 3, Dayna discusses resourcefulness as a factor in art. “Let’s be resourceful also and see what type of art we can make out of what we already have!” Here are some ideas.
Practice repeated addition and working with length by thinking about the first couple steps to hat making! In the middle of page 4, Dayna describes a couple important first steps when making a hat.
In the first prompt, Students can use imitation blocks to figure out how many combinations of two blocks Dayna could make when designing the shape of the hat. This creates an opportunity to count by twos, practicing repeated addition. In the second prompt, Dayna asks for help measuring the felt material she is going to use for creating the hat. She provides dimensions, giving students a chance to practice measuring length, comparing and estimating length; it is also a length word problem. Encourage students to think creatively about how they might measure the felt if they didn’t have a ruler - look around the room and see what else they can come up with!
If possible, wrap up the lesson with a wet felting project - the same type of material Dayna uses for a lot of her hats! Once students are set up with their wet felt, ask to take 5 - 10 minutes of silent, independent work with their felt.
As they do so, encourage them to reflect on what types of art - unique or common - with which they may like to experiment. Feel free to invite students to share at the end.
This is one way to teach this story. You could also weave your own way, threading two or three other people the AI finds for you alongside.
Want to weave a full lesson around this story?
The weaver finds 3-4 real people whose stories thread together with this one.
Weave a lesson →Not hers. Not yours. People are always more than the chapters anyone could share. Hold what is here gently. Approach with curiosity, before judgment.
If a moment stayed, follow it. If a question rose up, hold it. The quiet teaching is still teaching.
Three or four real stories woven into one lesson, your topic, your time. Dayna is one. The weaver finds the others, threads the math, the literacy, the values, the reflection.
Open the weaver →