Life Cycle of A T-Shirt Unit Plan

A four-lesson unit designed for Grades 4-6 (Ages 9-12), Grades 7-8 (Ages 12-14), and Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18), complete with a culminating Action Projects Guide featuring 3 project options; also available as three stand alone lessons.

In this unit students will delve into the life cycle of a t-shirt, from raw materials and manufacturing to end of life and beyond. Learners will explore the implications of the global clothing supply chain, the environmental and societal impacts of clothing consumption, and examine sustainable ways to manage unwanted clothing. Students will identify and research the unique characteristics and impacts of specific textiles used in clothing production, and examine an invisible aspect of the global plastic pollution crisis that stems from clothing; microfibres. Guided by the inquiry question—What is a supply chain, and how does the journey of a t-shirt through the global clothing supply chain affect people and the environment?—learners will use their understanding to positively reframe the challenges posed, and use their insights and creativity to brainstorm, design, and create innovative, impactful, and hopeful solutions through the 3 culminating project options. As an alternative, the unit has been modified and is available as three stand alone lessons that each focus on a particular area of content—the supply chain, the environmental impact of textiles, and understanding microfibres. 

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