The Language of Paper

Isabella was curious about the recycled paper in the classroom. She wanted to see if the paper could be reused. Isabella wondered if the marks, drawings, and lines would disappear if she soaked the paper in water. She decided to test her theories by finding a large glass bottle to place the paper in water and observing what happened over a few days. 

She made a sign to inform others about her paper experiment and documented her observations over time.

Isabella noticed that the water began to change colour and the texture of the paper changed from dry to wet to ‘mushy’. Finally, she placed the pieces of paper on a drying rack and presented her findings to the class.

The children were inspired by Isabella’s experiment and decided to make their own paper. We began by creating a plan, documenting all the steps that might be essential in the process.

As we drew and wrote what we heard the children say. We included images and labels to help us express our ideas clearly. The children volunteered to lead different parts of the process, beginning with informing others of their plan for paper-making and collecting recycled paper from the community.