DIY tessellations - Paper cut method

Paper Cut Method

This method is easy and foolproof.

This particular tessellation tutorial is also a landmark: our first from a guest artist. It comes to us from 15-year-old Guest Artist Rachael G. We salute Rachael's creativity.

Art and Math teacher Jan Miller has this to add, based on using Rachael's tutorial in her classroom:

"The tessellation method from your site which I tried to use with my 3rd—6th graders was Rachel’s 'Papercut Method' but I had a lot of trouble getting it to work. I finally added some little refinements which make it work nearly every time. Step #1 and #3 are to get the tessera to tessellate. Step #2 is to help kids cut accurately. Here are those modifications:

1) Before cutting out the drawn lines we write “NW” in the northwest corner, “SW” in the southwest corner, “NE” in the northeast corner and “SE” in the southeast corner.

2) Start cutting either line and cut to just past the point where it intersects the other line and stop. Then cut out the entire second line. Now when the kids go back to finish the first line (starting exactly where they left off) we know they will get an accurate cut.

3) Lay the pieces out on the table just as they were before cutting, except leave a little gap in between. Now swap the NE with the SW corners and swap the NW and SE pair.

This seems to work nearly every time. The kids really enjoy knowing that someone closer to their own age invented this method. We also eliminated step #4 as it isn’t necessary—the tessera is going to get plenty of stray marks by the time the tracing is finished."



		Paper Cut Method This method is easy and foolproof. This particular tessellation tutorial is also a landmark: our first from a guest artist. It comes to us from 15-year-old Guest Artist Rachael G. We salute Rachael's creativity. Art and Math teacher Jan Miller has this to add, based on using Rachael's tutorial in her classroom: "The tessellation method from your site which I tried to use with my 3rd—6th graders was Rachel’s 'Papercut Method' but I had a lot of trouble getting it to work. I finally added some little refinements which make it work nearly every time. Step #1 and #3 are to get the tessera to tessellate. Step #2 is to help kids cut accurately. Here are those modifications: 1) Before cutting out the drawn lines we write “NW” in the northwest corner, “SW” in the southwest corner, “NE” in the northeast corner and “SE” in the southeast corner. 2) Start cutting either line and cut to just past the point where it intersects the other line and stop. Then cut out the entire second line. Now when the kids go back to finish the first line (starting exactly where they left off) we know they will get an accurate cut. 3) Lay the pieces out on the table just as they were before cutting, except leave a little gap in between. Now swap the NE with the SW corners and swap the NW and SE pair. This seems to work nearly every time. The kids really enjoy knowing that someone closer to their own age invented this method. We also eliminated step #4 as it isn’t necessary—the tessera is going to get plenty of stray marks by the time the tracing is finished."