Last week, I had a parent ask me a really valid question about some of the homework I've sent home over the last few weeks. They were wondering why I send home cut-and-paste activities. Great question, right?! Maybe some of you are wondering the same thing, so I thought I'd share with all of you what I said to them.
There are several reasons why I like and assign those types of activities. First off, this is still a developmentally appropriate gross motor activity in kindergarten. Like every other concept the kids will learn for the rest of their lives, they're all also in a different place with this skill. Some kids are still figuring out the proper grasp for their scissors, while others can cut a beautifully straight line but cannot yet do so at an efficient pace. We're honing all of these skills! It is not typically until around age 7 that a child masters cutting skills, and it isn't without practice that they get there.
Second, I also think cutting and gluing activities are a great way for students to work on concepts in a different way. I love using manipulatives in the classroom (as you'll see later in the post), and these activities offer another way to manipulate materials and solve problems.
Also, there is some critical thinking involved in these activities. Manipulating your work through cutting and gluing is permanent. Because you can't un-cut or un-paste your work, students need to think critically about the moves they are making with their scissors and glue. How much should I cut? Should I trace/draw the shape first, or eyeball it as I cut? How much glue do I need? That's too much...what now? Where should I put the glue? How long will this take to dry before I can color it/touch it/etc.?--all of these are valuable questions that the students should be learning to ask themselves while they work.
Finally, while simply cutting and gluing aren't exactly "artistic" per se, I do think there should frequently be some sort of "creative" work done at this age. While a lot of the homework activities like this require tracing or writing of some sort, I think it's important to have something more here and there. A lot of times in the classroom this means coloring, cutting, taping, gluing, and manipulating various materials, and I want that to sometimes transfer to the homework.
Learning should be fun, and I can say that, overwhelmingly, the kids are always excited when I tell them the activity we are about to do will require them to get their scissors and glue. They don't know they're developing the skills I mentioned above...but they sure are! I don't want their homework to be "busy work"...that is entirely worthless to them (and to you and me)! At the same time, I want to keep working with the kiddos to develop these skills. I appreciate that you've all been patiently bearing with me as I work to find that balance between the busy work and the meaningful work that develops the skills necessary for them to succeed in this grade and all those to follow! :)
As I mentioned above, I LOVE manipulatives. I try to use them in every subject. They take various forms and serve many purposes. Sometimes they are to make a product, make counting easier, develop a skill, or create a catalyst for conversations. Below, you will see some of the ways we used manipulatives in class in just 3 school days.
There are several reasons why I like and assign those types of activities. First off, this is still a developmentally appropriate gross motor activity in kindergarten. Like every other concept the kids will learn for the rest of their lives, they're all also in a different place with this skill. Some kids are still figuring out the proper grasp for their scissors, while others can cut a beautifully straight line but cannot yet do so at an efficient pace. We're honing all of these skills! It is not typically until around age 7 that a child masters cutting skills, and it isn't without practice that they get there.
Second, I also think cutting and gluing activities are a great way for students to work on concepts in a different way. I love using manipulatives in the classroom (as you'll see later in the post), and these activities offer another way to manipulate materials and solve problems.
Also, there is some critical thinking involved in these activities. Manipulating your work through cutting and gluing is permanent. Because you can't un-cut or un-paste your work, students need to think critically about the moves they are making with their scissors and glue. How much should I cut? Should I trace/draw the shape first, or eyeball it as I cut? How much glue do I need? That's too much...what now? Where should I put the glue? How long will this take to dry before I can color it/touch it/etc.?--all of these are valuable questions that the students should be learning to ask themselves while they work.
Finally, while simply cutting and gluing aren't exactly "artistic" per se, I do think there should frequently be some sort of "creative" work done at this age. While a lot of the homework activities like this require tracing or writing of some sort, I think it's important to have something more here and there. A lot of times in the classroom this means coloring, cutting, taping, gluing, and manipulating various materials, and I want that to sometimes transfer to the homework.
Learning should be fun, and I can say that, overwhelmingly, the kids are always excited when I tell them the activity we are about to do will require them to get their scissors and glue. They don't know they're developing the skills I mentioned above...but they sure are! I don't want their homework to be "busy work"...that is entirely worthless to them (and to you and me)! At the same time, I want to keep working with the kiddos to develop these skills. I appreciate that you've all been patiently bearing with me as I work to find that balance between the busy work and the meaningful work that develops the skills necessary for them to succeed in this grade and all those to follow! :)
As I mentioned above, I LOVE manipulatives. I try to use them in every subject. They take various forms and serve many purposes. Sometimes they are to make a product, make counting easier, develop a skill, or create a catalyst for conversations. Below, you will see some of the ways we used manipulatives in class in just 3 school days.
I've forgotten to mention in the past...when there is a photo gallery (like the one below), hover over the photos for captions!
We use manipulatives in math every single day. Our favorites are these chips...they're multicolored AND transparent, so we can see our work right through them! We use them for model making, problem solving, building patterns, and are currently learning to use them to help check our work for accuracy. At this math center, the kids were using them to represent the given numbers before and/or after coloring in the corresponding bar to represent more or less.