Kente Cloth

First graders watched a short video about African culture and what it is like for a child to grow up in Africa. They learned about some of the everyday routines of African children, like going to school, helping with animals and crops, getting water for their families, and of course playing. They are in many ways very similar to the lifestyle that they lead.

First graders learned about Kente cloth. Kente cloth has its origin with the Ashanti Kingdom, and was adopted by people in the Ivory Coast and many other West African counties. It is royal and sacred cloth worn only in times of extreme importance and was the cloth of kings. Over time, the use of kente became more widespread. However, its importance has remained and it is held in high esteem with African people.

The students looked at several examples of kente cloth. The students observed that they are brightly colored, have patterns using lines and shapes, and are beautiful.

First graders created their Kente cloth design using construction paper. Their learning targets were:

I can cut a straight smooth shape with no jagged edges.

I can glue my paper shapes with control by using the correct amount of glue.