Paper is made of plant fibers, usually from trees, but also from grasses, cotton, or other plants. The fibers are extracted from the plant by soaking, grinding, and sometimes by the use of chemicals. The fibers are in a solution of water and other materials. The solution is called pulp. The fibers are then pressed together and dried into thin sheets.

The fibers that make up paper are very similar to each other, but papers are different from each other. They are different because of the thickness of the layer, materials that are added to the pulp, the particular kind of fibers that are used, and the process by which the paper is made.

Different papers have different traits, such as flexibility, water absorbancy, thickness, strength, and so on. These traits, some of which can be measured, are called properties. A property is a trait (characteristic) of a material or object that can be described and usually measured.

Observe the paper samples How are their properties alike? How are they different? How can you test the papers to find more about the similarities and differences among their properties? How can you describe the similarities and differences among the properties of the papers? How could you measure the similarities and differences among the properties of the papers? What would you infer is the purpose for each kind of paper? How do the properties of the different kinds of paper fit their purpose?

What are some other sources of materials that you could try using to make paper? What makes you think those would work? How are they like/different from the pulp you used? How is it like/different from the material used by the hornets? What might happen if you added those to the pulp that you used to make recycled paper? Let’s look at how the hornet gets its pulp: Now let’s see it build it’s nest: How is this like and unlike the process we used? How is this like and unlike the paper we made?

Integrated We talk about “integrated” instruction. What does “integrated” mean? What are the attributes (properties?) of an “integrated” lesson (sequence)?

Define “Problem” We talk about “problem solving” in different curriculum areas. What is a “problem”? What are the attributes (properties?) of a good “problem”?

Processing What worked easily? What was challenging? How can we address those challenges?

Try This! What is the least paper you can leave and still support the weight?

Try This! What is the least paper you can leave and still support the weight?

Think About It? What would you study to understand this? – Materials? – Forces? Where might this knowledge be useful? What could be designed using this knowledge? How might changing the materials change the result?

Science Using scientific processes (e.g., observation, prediction, inferring, hypothesizing, measuring) to gather evidence that can be used to develop conclusions about how the natural world works.

Technology Anything that is designed to solve a human problem or fill a human need.

Engineering Analyzing, (re)designing, and building a technological product so that it performs a desired function (job) within given parameters and constraints. According to the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET): ENGINEERING is the profession in which a knowledge of the mathematical and natural sciences gained by study, experience, and practice is applied with judgment to develop ways to utilize economically the materials and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind.

Technology Purpose – what the designed item will do Design – how materials will be shaped (joined, revised, combined) Constraints – limitations on the design Parameters – criteria the design must meet