Kente-Informed Pattern
Free to teach, adapt and share in your classroom.
- Grade 5–8
- Subject Visual Arts
- Duration 4 sessions · 45 min
- Instructor Mr. George
Overview
Unit Context: Pattern, structure and cultural context · strip weaving from Ghana and Togo · a paper strip design informed by how Kente is built
Big Idea
Kente is a woven cloth with its own makers, history and names. Students study how it is built, in narrow strips woven separately and sewn edge to edge, then design a paper strip composition that uses that structure, while being clear that their design is inspired by Kente rather than being Kente.
The central question is: How does the structure of a cloth shape its pattern, and how do we learn from a tradition respectfully?
Kente is a strip-woven textile associated with Asante and Ewe weavers in Ghana and Togo. It is woven on narrow looms in strips a few inches wide; the strips are then sewn together edge to edge to make a larger cloth. Stripes run along each strip, and blocks of pattern cross it. Weavers give patterns names, and the cloth has long been worn for important occasions. Today it is also widely worn and celebrated across the African diaspora.
Colors and patterns carry meanings that weavers and communities name. Those meanings vary, so this lesson does not assign one fixed meaning to each color. Students research a specific named cloth from a museum record when they want to discuss meaning.
Planning note: Built from KC George’s Kente cloth design unit, documented in his process portfolio. Students make a paper design and call it “Kente-informed,” not Kente.
Unit at a Glance
| # | Session and goal | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | How is it made?Describe how a strip-woven cloth is built and who makes it. | 45 min |
| 2 | Paper weaving samplerWeave paper so I understand warp and weft. | 45 min |
| 3 | Design the stripsPlan a set of strips with a repeating and alternating pattern. | 45 min |
| 4 | Assemble and explainAssemble my strips edge to edge and write an artist statement. | 45 min |
| 4 sessions | 180 min |
Looking and Context
Look at Kente in museum collections, for example by searching “kente” at The Met or the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Read the label: who made it, where, when, and what the pattern is called. Notice the seams between strips. When possible, invite a family or community member who wears or weaves Kente to share. Their knowledge outranks any handout.
NYS Visual Arts Standards Alignment
- VA:Re7.2.5a–8a Responding: analyzing how visual features and structure communicate.
- VA:Cn11.1.5a–8a Connecting: art in its cultural and historical context.
- VA:Cr2.1.5a–8a Creating: developing a design through experimentation.
- VA:Cr3.1.5a–8a Creating: explaining choices in an artist statement.
Instructional Outcomes (Objectives)
- Studio / Experiential Students will design and assemble a paper composition of narrow strips with stripes along them and blocks across them, sewn or glued edge to edge.
- Cultural / Analytical Students will describe how Kente is made and by whom, and explain the difference between being inspired by a tradition and reproducing it.
Key Vocabulary
- Strip weaving Weaving long narrow strips that are joined to make a cloth.
- Warp / weft The lengthwise threads on the loom, and the threads woven across them.
- Warp-faced / weft-faced Areas where the lengthwise threads show (stripes), or the crosswise threads show (blocks).
- Pattern / repetition / alternation A designed repeat, and switching between two arrangements.
- Inspired by vs. copied Learning from a tradition’s structure without claiming to make the tradition itself.
Materials & Resources
- Paper strips: construction paper cut into 1-inch and 2-inch strips in several colors, plus 12 × 18 sheets for the base.
- Grid paper for planning a strip design.
- Markers, colored pencils, scissors and glue sticks.
- Museum records: two or three Kente cloths projected with their labels.
- Optional: yarn and a cardboard loom for one woven strip.
Differentiation
- Fine-motor supports Wider strips, pre-cut blocks, and a paper weaving loom with pre-cut slits.
- Multilingual learners The strip diagram is the anchor; students label “along” and “across” on their own plan.
- Cultural connection Students with family connections to Ghana, Togo or Kente may share by choice, never by assignment.
- Extension Weave one real strip on a cardboard loom, or research and present one named pattern from a museum record.
Anticipated Misconceptions
Misconception Kente is just a pattern you can print.
Intervention Show the seams. Kente is woven strip by strip; the structure makes the pattern.
Misconception Every color has one fixed meaning.
Intervention Meanings are named by weavers and communities and vary. Cite a specific museum record before stating one.
Instructional Sequence
Four 45-minute sessions: entry (0–5), demo or looking (5–12), studio (12–33), share (33–38) and reset (38–45).
Session 1How is it made?
45 min
Today, I can… describe how a strip-woven cloth is built and who makes it.
Materials today: Projected museum records, the strip diagram, sketchbooks.
Do Now: look closely
Project one Kente cloth.
“Find a line that runs the whole length. Find one that stops.”
Looking: seams and strips
Point out the seams and the narrow strips. Share the makers, places and how it is woven. Read the museum label aloud.
“Who made this, and where? What is it called?”
Studio: label the structure
Students sketch one strip and label stripes along it and blocks across it, then note one fact from the label.
“Draw the structure, not a copy of the cloth.”
Check: A labeled strip sketch and one fact.
Share: inspired vs. copied
Discuss the difference.
“What would make our work inspired by Kente rather than pretending to be Kente?”
Reset
Sketchbooks returned.
Session 2Paper weaving sampler
45 min
Today, I can… weave paper so I understand warp and weft.
Materials today: Paper looms with slits, paper strips, glue sticks.
Do Now: over and under
“Weave one strip over and under through the loom.”
Demo: plain weave and blocks
Show plain weave, then make a block by going over several warps at once.
“When does a stripe become a block?”
Studio: sampler
Students weave a sampler with at least one stripe area and one block area.
“Can you make stripes along and a block across?”
Check: A sampler with both.
Share: read the sampler
Partners point to stripes and blocks.
Reset
Samplers flat in folders; strips sorted.
Absent last time? Weave six strips over-under, then try one block.
Session 3Design the strips
45 min
Today, I can… plan a set of strips with a repeating and alternating pattern.
Materials today: Grid paper, markers, colored pencils, the strip diagram.
Do Now: choose a rule
“Pick one rule: repeat, alternate or mirror. Write it.”
Demo: plan on a grid
Plan two strips on grid paper with stripes along and blocks across, offset so the blocks alternate when strips sit side by side.
“Your rule should be visible from across the room.”
Studio: plan four to six strips
Students plan four to six strips following their rule, choosing their own palette.
“Why these colors? Write a reason that is yours.”
Check: A planned strip set.
Share: rule check
Partners name the rule they see.
Reset
Plans stored.
Absent last time? Plan two strips on grid paper first.
Session 4Assemble and explain
45 min
Today, I can… assemble my strips edge to edge and write an artist statement.
Materials today: Paper strips, scissors, glue, 12 × 18 base, statement cards.
Do Now: statement starter
“Finish: “My design is inspired by Kente because…””
Demo: assemble edge to edge
Build each strip, then glue the strips edge to edge on the base, keeping the seams visible.
“Leave the seams showing. They are part of the structure.”
Studio: assemble
Students build and assemble their strips, then write a statement naming the structure they learned and the choices they made.
“Name one thing you learned from Kente and one choice that is your own.”
Check: An assembled design and a statement.
Share: gallery
A gallery walk with statements beside each work.
Reset
Display and cleanup.
Exit Ticket Prompt
Explain one thing you learned about how Kente is made and one choice in your design that is your own.