The Mill Behind the Page: teacher key

How Paper Is Made, grade 4 edition, written for 4th grade. Rags, wood, stones and clay: how paper changed, and how a mill turns trees into smooth sheets.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What was most paper made from for hundreds of years?
   • Wood chips
   • Straw
   • Rags (answer)
2. Where was the first paper mill in the United States built?
   • Pennsylvania (answer)
   • Texas
   • Alaska
3. How can you see a watermark?
   • Rub it with a pencil
   • Hold the sheet up to the light (answer)
   • Dip it in water
4. What do mills burn for steam and power?
   • Old books
   • Salt
   • Bark and other leftovers (answer)
5. Why might a mill coat paper with fine clay?
   • To make it wet
   • To make it thin
   • To make it smooth and glossy for pictures (answer)

Words

• pulp: soft wet mix
• watermark: hidden pattern
• calenders: smoothing rollers
• size: paper coating