Pencil

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

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/pencil

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 a pencil made of?A pencil has a core of graphite mixed with clay, wrapped in a cedar wood case. The graphite leaves marks when rubbed on paper.
2. Why do some pencils write darker than others?Pencils with more graphite and less clay are softer (B grade) and leave darker lines, while pencils with more clay are harder (H grade) and write lighter lines.

Allotrope: Different structural forms of the same element in the same physical state, like graphite and diamond for carbon.
Ferrule: A metal band used to attach the eraser to the wooden casing of a pencil.
Mechanical Pencil: A writing instrument that uses a replaceable graphite lead advanced by a mechanism, requiring no sharpening.