Key words : record paper surface of stone bark encyclopedia wood plunk digital

A. Look at the picture and say what this is. Discuss with your partner.

B. Read the text and answer the following questions.

Communication of ideas is at the centre of civilisation. It needs written records. Most of our records in the modern age are on paper. Though writing was invented very early, paper is a more modern invention.

For long in history, people exchanged ideas through speaking and listening. Then there came the art of writing. But to record thoughts in writing was difficult. Writing materials were not available. People used the surface of stone, metal, wood, bark, leaves, etc. for writing. Those things were not easy to carry. Then for ages, people looked for easy writing materials. Finally, paper was invented in China in 105 AD.

Before the paper age, knowledge was very restricted. Can you think of that time? There were very few books in the world. Maybe, they were written on stone or on heavy wood plunks or on metal sheets. Suppose, one page was a heavy stone block. So, think of a hundred-page book! In our age, you can carry the entire world of knowledge in digital form in your laptop bag. You can even carry a huge volume of paper encyclopedia. But who could produce and carry tons of heavy stone books and documents in those paperless days? In fact, paper has made publication and the spread of knowledge and information easy. So, you can see how paper has changed our life.

Questions:

1. How did people exchange ideas before writing was invented?
2. Why did people look for easy writing materials?
3. Why was knowledge very restricted in the pre-paper age?
4. Do you think paper has changed our life? Explain why your answer is 'yes' or 'no'.
5. Where was paper invented and when?

C. Discuss with your partner and make a list of things other than paper on which we can write in pens, pencils, markers, brushes, paint/pastels etc.

D. Listen to the teacher/CD carefully and complete the following sentences.

1. The person who invented paper is a --------- man.
2. He took the bark of a mulberry tree and -------- fibres.
3. This knowledge of -------- was first used in China.
4. The word 'paper' is not -------.
5. The word 'paper' was derived from a kind of Egyptian plant called------.

E. Look at the following boxes first. Listen to the teacher/CD again. Then write in the boxes the series of works Ts'ai Lun' did in making paper. First one and the last one are done for you.

F. PROJECT WORK: On a weekend, observe how ruti or paratah is made in the kitchen. Carefully take notes of each step taken to make it. Then back in class, share your notes with your partner/group. Finally write how ruti or paratah is made and make a presentation in the class.