Paper shapes
Here's a paper cutting and folding exercise which I've used to draw in folks who like making things - as well as writing.
You Tube video of how to make steps
(It's a lot simpler than it sounds and quite possible for pupils age 8 and older to copy you and make their own versions - and variations.)
You will need:
HOW TO MAKE STEPS:
1. Take a piece of A4 paper that is blank on one side. With a narrow edge towards you, fold it in half so that the narrow edge meets its opposite. Hooray! You have folded a piece of paper in half!
2. Now turn the folded paper (A5 size) so that the FOLDED edge is toward you and, with a pair of scissors, make two straight cuts, 3 cms from either edge, half-way across the paper towards the unfolded edges. The central 'tongue' of paper can now be folded back to meet the opposite unfolded edges. Press it flat and run your finger along the crease.
3. Unfold the paper and open back to A4 size. Preserve the original A4 fold, and insert your fingers through the cuts so that you can hook out the central 'tongue' and reverse fold it. You should now have a single 'step'.
4. Gently fold this flat with the 'step' concertina-ed flat INSIDE the first folds. This should now look like very fat goal posts. Position the paper with the folded 'legs' towards you and, taking your scissors, make two straight cuts half-way towards the unfolded edges, starting each about 2 cms towards the centre from the top of the 'goal posts'. You should be cutting 4 layers of paper. This will create two flaps /tongues of paper that can be folded over to align with the unfolded edges. Press these flat. You should now have the Machu Pichu 'Inca' goal posts!
5. Carefully unfold and open the paper. You should see your first big 'step' and four other cuts. Gently inserting your fingers into these cuts, tease out a bottom and a top step and reverse fold them outwards. You should now have THREE steps.
6. Now close the A4 sheet in the same direction as you first folded it, with the three 'steps' concertina-ed INSIDE.
7. With the 'goal post' towards you, take your scissors and, 1 cm from the top of the 'goal posts' towards the centre of the paper, cut a shorter straight cut (through 8 layers of paper) half-way to the opposite unfolded edges. Take the central 'tongues' two at a time, and fold them back so that they align with the unfolded edges. Turn the paper over and repeat with the remaining two 'tongues'. Make sure that you crease the folds firmly.
8. Then return the central tongues to their original positions and carefully open the paper.
9. The three steps should reappear, and this time you will see eight cuts which will make 4 new steps if you tease them out and reverse fold them. You should now have the seven steps like the ones pictured on the left!
You Tube video of how to make steps
(It's a lot simpler than it sounds and quite possible for pupils age 8 and older to copy you and make their own versions - and variations.)
You will need:
- Paper
- Scissors (but you can also easily make these steps by tearing carefully with your hands)
HOW TO MAKE STEPS:
1. Take a piece of A4 paper that is blank on one side. With a narrow edge towards you, fold it in half so that the narrow edge meets its opposite. Hooray! You have folded a piece of paper in half!
2. Now turn the folded paper (A5 size) so that the FOLDED edge is toward you and, with a pair of scissors, make two straight cuts, 3 cms from either edge, half-way across the paper towards the unfolded edges. The central 'tongue' of paper can now be folded back to meet the opposite unfolded edges. Press it flat and run your finger along the crease.
3. Unfold the paper and open back to A4 size. Preserve the original A4 fold, and insert your fingers through the cuts so that you can hook out the central 'tongue' and reverse fold it. You should now have a single 'step'.
4. Gently fold this flat with the 'step' concertina-ed flat INSIDE the first folds. This should now look like very fat goal posts. Position the paper with the folded 'legs' towards you and, taking your scissors, make two straight cuts half-way towards the unfolded edges, starting each about 2 cms towards the centre from the top of the 'goal posts'. You should be cutting 4 layers of paper. This will create two flaps /tongues of paper that can be folded over to align with the unfolded edges. Press these flat. You should now have the Machu Pichu 'Inca' goal posts!
5. Carefully unfold and open the paper. You should see your first big 'step' and four other cuts. Gently inserting your fingers into these cuts, tease out a bottom and a top step and reverse fold them outwards. You should now have THREE steps.
6. Now close the A4 sheet in the same direction as you first folded it, with the three 'steps' concertina-ed INSIDE.
7. With the 'goal post' towards you, take your scissors and, 1 cm from the top of the 'goal posts' towards the centre of the paper, cut a shorter straight cut (through 8 layers of paper) half-way to the opposite unfolded edges. Take the central 'tongues' two at a time, and fold them back so that they align with the unfolded edges. Turn the paper over and repeat with the remaining two 'tongues'. Make sure that you crease the folds firmly.
8. Then return the central tongues to their original positions and carefully open the paper.
9. The three steps should reappear, and this time you will see eight cuts which will make 4 new steps if you tease them out and reverse fold them. You should now have the seven steps like the ones pictured on the left!
On the left is another example.
These seven steps provide ready-made small writing 'treads' or horizontal spaces which provide a 3D representation of language: 7 days of the week, 7 characters, 7 deadly sins, 7 adjectives from the text you're reading, 7 words from most to least (boiling, simmering, hot, warm, tepid, cool, freezing), 7 questions, 7 emotions ...
The steps' 'risers' or vertical faces provide 7 more places where you can write matching 'responses' of some sort - answers to questions, verbs for nouns, quotations for characters, definitions for terms etc.
One y3 girl wrote fictional characters from Winnie-the-Pooh on the horizontal faces, and real animals on the vertical faces. One y5 boy wrote animals - from fastest to slowest (cheetah to snail) - on the horizontal faces, and verbs of appropriate locomotion on the vertical faces (sprinted to crawled). One year 8 class compared Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's characters - one on the horizontal faces, one on the vertical faces; others matched feelings with corresponding quotations.
These two examples were made by teachers from the Whodunnit group. The first combines two lists of 7 positive and 7 negative characteristics of Frankenstein. The second combines 7 countries (Britain to Thailand) with 7 'relationships' (brother to chum)
I have posted on You Tube a video of how to make these steps. Good luck!
Simon Wrigley
Outreach director
21.3.2014
These seven steps provide ready-made small writing 'treads' or horizontal spaces which provide a 3D representation of language: 7 days of the week, 7 characters, 7 deadly sins, 7 adjectives from the text you're reading, 7 words from most to least (boiling, simmering, hot, warm, tepid, cool, freezing), 7 questions, 7 emotions ...
The steps' 'risers' or vertical faces provide 7 more places where you can write matching 'responses' of some sort - answers to questions, verbs for nouns, quotations for characters, definitions for terms etc.
One y3 girl wrote fictional characters from Winnie-the-Pooh on the horizontal faces, and real animals on the vertical faces. One y5 boy wrote animals - from fastest to slowest (cheetah to snail) - on the horizontal faces, and verbs of appropriate locomotion on the vertical faces (sprinted to crawled). One year 8 class compared Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's characters - one on the horizontal faces, one on the vertical faces; others matched feelings with corresponding quotations.
These two examples were made by teachers from the Whodunnit group. The first combines two lists of 7 positive and 7 negative characteristics of Frankenstein. The second combines 7 countries (Britain to Thailand) with 7 'relationships' (brother to chum)
I have posted on You Tube a video of how to make these steps. Good luck!
Simon Wrigley
Outreach director
21.3.2014