Thinking and Working as Artists-Tearing and Cutting Paper

Paper Play! 

Tearing Paper
Artists sometimes use their hands to tear paper. 
What kind of shapes do you see?
Why do you think this artist used torn shapes? 

from Leo Lionni's book Frederick

Paper tearing:

• With the grain
• Against the grain
• Finger position
• Tearing a Line
• Tearing a Shape

Cutting Paper

Artists use scissors to change the shape of paper.  

How can you tell that the artist cut these shapes with scissors?
What shapes do you see?

The Snail by Henri Matisse

Cutting Shapes:

• Using Scissors
  -safety-how to hold
  -scissors poem
• Cutting squares, rectangles, and triangles
  -using more than one strategy

Arranging Shapes: 

What will you think about as you arrange your shapes? 

Try several arrangements

Dog made by Kindergarten student

Share Time/Reflection:
What two ways can you make shapes with paper? 
What kind of shapes can you make by tearing? cutting? 
Which method to you enjoy most?