Last week, Twitter user @zellie got our brains turning with a debate that is only fitting for testing season: Is it scratch paper or scrap paper? It turns out, the teachers of Twitter have strong feelings on this issue, with some educators coming in hard for #teamscrap:
SCRAP!
— Crystal Boyt (@BoytCrystal) April 9, 2019
Well, for me personally it has and always will be scrap. But at my school we call it goos paper (good on one side)
— Catherine McGowan (@faithsreward) April 7, 2019
While others claimed allegiance to #teamscratch:
Scratch paper all day
— Dwilli37 (@ladyleje) April 7, 2019
Scratch. Definitely. 👊🏼📝
— Samantha Wasson (@SamanthaWasson_) April 9, 2019
It turns out the difference in opinion could be regional, with the West and the Midwest leaning toward #teamscratch and the Northeast representing #teamscrap. Other educators, however, swear that the terms have different meaning, and as such, different uses. The general consensus is that scrap paper means leftover pieces from projects, while scratch paper is a “temporary workspace.”
Scrap is scraps of paper: tear offs, leftovers from cutting, less than full size pieces, construction paper, etc.
Scratch paper is any piece of paper you use to take quick notes or work out a problem. It's your temporary workspace.
— Carl Zulauf 🌹 (@existensil) April 3, 2019
Scrap paper if it is something that would be put in the recycling or cut offs from a project, scratch paper is something that was good before students started scratching their pencils on it
— Mr. Boll (@TheMrBoll) April 6, 2019
Scratch paper is paper for doodling, working out problems, etc. that won’t be needed later. Scrap paper is leftovers from a project, sometimes enough to keep and sometimes a little that goes into the recycling.
— Amanda Johnson (@Ms_Johnson11) April 6, 2019
We’d love to hear—are you #teamscratch or #teamscrap? (For the record, we’re #teamscrap.) Come share in our WeAreTeachers Chat group on Facebook.
Plus, are teachers dog people or cat people?
