Word Surgery

A strange sight appeared across the hall the other day...first graders wearing surgical masks, gloves, and caps were cutting thoughtfully. I could not resist a visit to their room.

"We're doing word surgery," I was informed.

Each had word lists to cut...words like would not, she will, he is, you are, let us, and could have. They used "band-aids" to put the words together.

"Really they are apostrophes," a child told me as an aside.

Ingenious! I would've loved that process of learning contractions as a child!