Making paper is a multi-step process. It starts with cutting down a tree. Then, it moves on to breaking down the wood and creating pulp. The pulp is pressed and dried into the thin white paper we use every day.
Teacher Note
Students may benefit from a discussion of the paper-related vocabulary: drip, drum, dry, mesh, mush, pulp, roller, sheets, tree, water, and wood. Additional vocabulary practice supports students’ language development, fluency, and comprehension.
World Connection
The images in this book were photographed on-site at a mill in Pennsylvania.
Fundations® Alignment
Fundations® Decodable Words through Level 1, Unit 6 all bam big bits buzz call can chips chop cut falls fit hot hum in it lap let logs lots lug mash mat mesh mill mix mush on pad pot set tall tap tell then thick thin this thud till up wet wham will with yes zip(s)
Fundations® Trick Words through Level 1, Unit 6 a and as by do does from have into is of the there to we what where you your
Words Not Yet Decodable in Fundations® through Level 1, Unit 6 book car come drip drum dry fast how made paper pulp put roll roller saw sheets small thump tree turn water wood
Recurring Content Words Routine Additional Vocabulary Practice
One of the words you will see in this book is book.
This word is book.
Read it with me: book.
In this book, a tree is turned into paper that can be used to make a book.
Book.
Read it with me: book
Let’s talk about another word in this book.
This word is paper.
Read it with me: paper.
In this book, the word paper is a noun that means “a thin sheet that can be written on.”
This book describes how paper like this may have been made (p. 4).
What key details tell you more about the main topic?
What is something in this book you would like to learn more about?
Specific
What is paper made from?
Paper is made from trees.
What are some of the machines or tools at the mill?
Some of the machines are a drum and a roller.
Some of the tools are pots and mesh.
How is pulp made?
Pulp is made when the wood chips are mixed with hot water.
What is the purpose of the rollers?
The rollers dry the paper and make it thin.
In this book, what is the last step in making paper?
The last step is cutting the paper into sheets.
Image Discussion Guide
Possible Opening Questions
What do you notice about the images? What do you wonder?
What can you learn from the images? How do the images build your knowledge?
Page
Things to Notice More to Discuss
3 There is a picture of a tree. Paper can be made from many types of trees, including fir, pine, and birch.
6 The logs are on a ramp. This machine is called a log conveyor. It moves, or conveys, the logs. These logs are also called round wood.
7 The logs are rolling in the drum. As the logs tumble over one another, the bark gets removed. This process is called debarking.
9 The chips and water are mixed together. By the end of this stage, the glue-like material that holds the wood fibers together will be removed. The fiber that is left is called pulp.
Teachable Moments
Author’s Craft | Understanding Figurative Language
Authors use similes to add description or detail to a book. A simile is a phrase that compares two things by using the words like or as.
On page 11 of this book, the mat in the roller “zips by as fast as a car.”
Ask: “What does this description tell you about the speed of the moving mat?”
Author’s Craft | Identifying Onomatopoeia
Authors use onomatopoeia, or words that represent sounds, to add life to their writing. On page 5, the words buzz, buzz, buzz are used to describe the sound of a saw.
Ask: “What other words like buzz can you find in the book?”
Encourage students to read aloud the words they find, such as bam, hum, thud, thump, wham, and zip.
Response Journal Ideas
Write about something in this book that surprised you.
Draw cartoons to show three steps of the process.
