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Friday, July 22, 2011

What Are You Doing With Those Scissors?






I am fairly rationale when I am in my classroom but have you ever put scissors in the hands of a child who has never used them. It is a true leap of faith. I have seen children handle them in the most unusual and "creative"
way. .We need to give young children many opportunities to use scissors (under supervision) to build their fine motor control so every year I take a deep breath, model the activity carefully, and walk around assisting children who are unsure of themselves. Keep your eye on the four year olds since you will not enjoy sending anyone home with a new haircut or shredded clothes. This is a hard skill for our little ones and they need lots of opportunities to practice this skill. Practice, practice, practice. This is just one activity I provide but at the beginning- KISS (keep it super simple).

14 comments:

Krileshia said...

This is so cute. I love the idea of kids cutting sight words because they are thinking when they are cutting, and this is a great way to make them think of the word while they cut. Fabulous!

Kristin said...

Fran, I love love love your blog. I'm starting my 15th year in first grade and last year was the FIRST time one of my boys cut another boy's hair. Now I wear that experience like a badge of honor! :) I can only imagine the shenanigans in Kinder!
PS I have posted about the Dr. Jean link you gave us for the cheer cards twice now!! Thanks so much for sharing.
Kristin
A Teeny Tiny Teacher

Learning with Mrs. Parker said...

My order of introduction...pencils and crayons days 1 and 2. And then, scissors and glue. Those can be very scary. I didn't learn that until I went down to k. Yes, many children have not seen any of these tools before. First trimester is filled with cutting and gluing. My floor is littered with little tiny bits of paper.

Carol said...

Fran, I like this idea! Do you ever do it with having them match words - say having four different words on the page? I teach 5 a week (not by choice...) and I'd probably adapt this for doing 5 different words. I'd probably do more stuff like this words with my class, but I', always phobic of running out of copies. Had a bad experience with that last year...>.<
Mrs. Cobb @ Mrs. Cobb's Kinder Sprouts

g-girl said...

I have mine cut out large shapes. I also do these puzzles that I got from an old teaching partner.

Barbara said...

I love the way you write it is as though we have been in the same room teaching together the past 20 years...I know many of my parents will not let their children have scissors at home...so sad that they won't take a little time with them. But your right after the first month or so they are up to speed..each in their own way..sometimes I can't believe the way they hold them..upside down is my favorite.LOL

Alessia Albanese said...

Thanks for this idea, Fran. I usually have a large plastic bin at a table at the beginning of the year. I fill the bin with all kinds of scrap paper (coloured paper, tag manila, cardboard, construction, etc.) and just have students sit there and cut. It helps with fine motor practice and strengthens their grip.

ΡΌ Alessia
Mrs. Albanese’s Kindergarten Class

Kerri Buckner said...

I love your ideas and just discovered the world of kindergarten blogging. I'm really curious about what you use to create these sheets. You have some great resources. Thanks so much for sharing.

Cindy said...

Hi Fran,
Yes, to the amazement of my friends who teach older students, we have to do LESSONS on how to hold scissors. We talk about where your fingers go versus where your thumb goes, elbows down, turn the paper not the scissors, etc. Then there's lessons for putting tops back on glue sticks and markers...gotta love kindergarten! ;-)
I like the sheet you have here...simple and to the point. ;)

Becca said...

Fran could you add this to TPT. I love it and once I have your form I can substitute my own words. I have WORDS THEIR WAY to help with phonemic awareness. Thanks. Rebecca

Anonymous said...

Just found your blog! Thank you for sharing all of your great ideas!

Lauren said...

This is wonderful! I just want to tell you how much I LOVE your blog. I always get so excited to see the great ideas you post. I'm going into my 2nd year of teaching K and I have learned so much from just reading your blog! Thank you!

iteachk said...

Oh Fran! As a fellow kindergarten teacher of the past 30 years, I can just laugh and nod my head in agreement. We are a different breed, aren't we? I don't know how many times I have had to go explain to parents why their child has a notch cut out of their hair or why their pants have a whole in them. Last year, GULP...I had to go explain to a mother that another child had cut her son's clothing!!! UGH!!! Thanks for all you do!
Shelly

Wintaka said...

Hi Fran,
Love, love, love your materials. Do you have the cut and paste sight words on TpT? I have 7 out of 23 children this year who have never held scissors. They need practice. I also am pushed to hit all the sight words etc. So this practice helps with both. We use Treasures for our reading program.