What would the scissors say on screen?
5
Using the expertise of the classroom assistant and parents
It is important that the children in your class learn to use from the knowledge and experience of others who have understanding that is relevant to the design task they are tackling. The motto for you as the teacher should be 'I don't know, but I know someone who might!'
In this case the people who know a lot about the problems that young children face when learning to use tools and equipment for the first time are classroom assistants. As part of the teaching sequence leading up to the Big Task, find time for your class to interview the classroom assistants who help with young children.
It is important that the classroom assistants are well prepared by you for this activity as being quizzed by a group of assertive Year 6 children can be an intimidating experience if they are used to much younger children!
A useful homework activity is to work with your class to prepare a list of questions that they could ask their parents and then report back to the rest of the class.