Shoes

Learning objectives

Pupils should be able to:

understand that shoes are products which are designed for a particular purpose and are suitable for different users
understand that a shoe designer needs to consider appearance, function, cost and safety when designing products and that these areas all require Standards to be applied to them to ensure they work effectively
complete a shoe design, labelling material and special detail, including the areas in which they have specifically thought about Standards.

Vocabulary

Abrasion, accurate, design, fabric swatches, heel, inner, insulation, lining, mock-up, pattern/template, reinforce, resistance, sample, seam, seam allowance, sole, specification, Standards, stitching, upper, user, wadding, waterproofing.

Cross-curricular links

Literacy, Numeracy, Science, Design and Technology, History, Art

View the Scottish Curriculur Map

Resources

Standards for shoes

The following are all areas in which Standards can be applied to the design and construction of shoes. They may be used to provide appropriate ideas for pupils when thinking about designing their own shoes.

Breaking strength of shoe laces
Walking test
Practicality (warmth and washability in a domestic washing machine)
Water absorption and desorption (materials)
Determination of slit tear strength (quality)
Heel attachment should be non-slip (aesthetics)
Resistance of heels to impact
Non-slip safety
Softness
Thermal insulation

Starter

Introduce the topic by talking through the background information about BSI and Standards with pupils and hand out the pupil information sheet.

As a class, encourage pupils to think of all the circumstances in which shoes are worn, for example in sport, on the beach, for walking, in the house and create a shoe checklist on the board. Which Standards do pupils think shoes would need to have in these different situations? The following specific standards, produced by BSI, may be helpful:

Materials (durable and water absorbent/desorbent)
Safety (non-slip)
Practicality (warmth and washability in a domestic machine)
Quality (split tear strength)
Aesthetics (attachments must not be hazardous and heel attachments must be non-slip)

Pupils should then think of what might happen to different types of shoes if these Standards were not met.

Teaching sequence

Activity 1 – Ask pupils, in pairs, to list all the types of shoes they can think of in three minutes, for example ballet shoes, stilettos, school shoes, trainers, moccasins, pumps, slippers, flip-flops, kitten heels, Wellington boots. Give pupils additional ideas where appropriate. Pupils should record their ideas on Activity sheet 1.

In their pairs, pupils should then select five different types of shoes from their list and think about the type of person who would wear them, and what the purpose of each shoe is. Thinking about issues of safety, practicality, aesthetics and quality, pupils should suggest three Standards for each of the shoe types – for example Wellington boots need to ensure that the sole is non-slip for walking in rain and mud, durable materials must be selected to ensure it lasts, they should have a level of thermal insulation to ensure feet stay warm in cold, wet weather. Make sure pupils understand the different materials used to make shoes, such as rubber, leather, plastic, fabric.

As a class, discuss the examples pupils have worked on in their groups.

Activity 2 – Ask pupils to then each produce a labelled drawing of a shoe design of their choice. Before they begin their design, ask pupils to answer the following questions to enable them to determine which Standards will be most important for their shoe design:

Who is going to wear the shoe?
What type of shoe is it?
When will the shoe be worn?
What different types of ground/weather will the shoe have to endure?
What would be the best material for the shoe to cope with the environment?
If you were to make your shoe, which things would you always have to keep the same?

Pupils can record their answers and design on Activity sheet 2.

Extension

Ask pupils to collect swatches of fabric and other materials for making shoes, including different colours and textures and bring them to school. Help them to arrange these into a moodboard that represents the overall ‘look’ of their design.
Challenge pupils in pairs to design a shoe for an elderly person.

Plenary

Prepare a presentation to talk about, and display, their shoe design. Pupils should evaluate each other’s designs, using the checklist created in the starter activity, and then choose the most appropriate design in the class.