Grade 6 Humanities Students Learn the Art of Papermaking

From Esteban Monge, Middle School Spanish teacher: In Unit 2, our Grade 6 students have been learning about systems in the ancient world. One system that has been especially important is writing. To better understand how writing was recorded and preserved, we took a step back to explore the materials ancient civilizations used, which led us to a hands-on project of papermaking.

Students learned the papermaking process and even created their own sheets by tearing up their Unit 1 worksheets. With help from Tregaron Making & Design Initiatives Coordinator Kristen Kullberg in the Alan Reese Design Lab, the scraps soaked overnight in water — earning the nickname “homework soup.” By morning, the softened paper was ready to be blended into pulp and poured into frames for sifting and shaping. After pressing out extra water with sponges and leaving everything to dry, students had created their very own handmade paper. Some students even added spices for a unique (and great-smelling!) finishing touch. When they weren't pressing paper, students engaged in a Chalk Talk about the importance of paper.

This activity allowed them to experience, in a fun and meaningful way, the effort involved in producing writing materials. After making their paper, students used their handmade sheets to reflect on the historical impact of paper and why its creation was not an easy task.

One student, Nina, summarized the learning beautifully when she said: 

“Crear papel en el laboratorio de diseño me ayudó a entender qué hacer papel no es un proceso fácil; toma tiempo, plata y árboles para hacer un pedazo chiquito de papel. Necesitamos usar menos papel y no malgastarlo.”
 

English translation: “Creating paper in the Design Lab helped me understand that making paper is not an easy process; it takes time, money, and trees just to make a tiny piece of paper. We need to use less paper and not waste it."