Paper

High school (ages 12+)
Making & Design

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/paper

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the earliest known production?China, around 105 CE
2. What is the primary fiber source?Wood pulp (cellulose fibers)
3. What is paper made from?Paper is made from natural materials like bark, hemp, rags, fishing nets, and especially wood fibers. These materials are turned into a soft pulp and then dried into sheets.
4. How did paper help people learn?Paper is light, cheap, and easy to make, so more people could read and write. This helped schools, books, and news spread to many people.

Lignin: A complex polymer in plant cell walls that binds cellulose fibers, removed during chemical pulping.
Fourdrinier Machine: A continuous papermaking machine that forms, presses, and dries paper from a pulp slurry.
Sizing Agents: Chemicals added to paper to control its absorbency, particularly for ink.