Have You Heard About The "One Scrap Challenge" or Pocket-Lockets?

Here is the challenge:

Every day I ask my students to try and create only one scrap per page when cutting out their project.

This takes a lot of thought, a bit a planning, and some imagination.  

Click the image for the download.

When I am demonstrating how to construct each project, I cut out all of the piece on each page creating only one scrap.  

I had to think & plan how would cut this out.

Thought:  I have to think about which way to direct my scissors in order to create only one scrap.

Planning:  I have to plan out my attack before cutting out each piece in order to create only one scrap.  

Imagination:  After I cut out my pieces, I study my one scrap and decide what it looks like.  Does it look like the goggles, a telephone, a pair or glasses, a the number 8?  It is amazing what the kids will come up with!

"It looks like a keyhole!"

Who Knew That Cutting Things Out Could Be So Much Fun?

The best part is that it challenges students to think while cutting instead of mindlessly cutting away and creating a mess of tiny scraps all over the table and floor.  

Last, we do our "finger exercises" as we fold the one scrap as many times as we can before throwing it away.  This not only works the muscles in their little fingers, but it makes them more mindful about keeping our classroom neat and tidy.

I folded this 5 times!  

There your have it!  Try to make one scrap, tell us what your one scrap looks like, and exercise your fingers by folding your one scrap as many times as you can.  This also helps to keep our trashcans from overflowing with huge, unfolded scraps!  

Did You Notice The Sight Words Pocket-Lockets?

Is it a pocket watch or is it a locket?  Here is the Pocket-locket for the sight word "see".

We have them for all of the Houghton Mifflin sight words!

Cut out the letters and glue them on in order.

 

Add yarn.

Is it a pocket watch or...

Is it a locket?

You can find them {Here}.  

I'll blog about them tomorrow!  

See you all tomorrow!

Palma :)