Worksheet to accompany the PowerPoint: Genealogy of the pencil - based on “‘I, Pencil’: My Family Tree as told to Leonard E. Read” - The Pencil being: ‘Mongol 482’ by Eberhard Faber Pencil Company at slideshare link: http://www.slideshare.net/yaryalitsa/genealogy-of-the-pencil-based-on-i-pencil-my-family-tree-as-told-to-leonard-e-read-the-pencil-being-mongol-482-by-eberhard-faber-pencil-company ““I, Pencil”, his most famous essay, was first published in the December 1958 issue of ‘The Freeman’. Although a few of the manufacturing details and places have changed over the past fifty or so years, the principles are unchanged.” "I, Pencil: My Family Tree as told to Leonard E. Read"

1. Geography: Interconnections of the Pencil: Genealogy of the Pencil
Worksheet: PowerPoint: Genealogy of thepencil based on “‘I, Pencil’: My Family Tree as told to Leonard E. Read”
The Pencil being: ‘Mongol 482’ by Eberhard Faber Pencil Company P a g e | 1
Worksheet:
Genealogy of the pencil
Based on “‘I, Pencil’: My Family Tree as told to Leonard E. Read”
The Pencil being: ‘Mongol 482’ by Eberhard Faber Pencil Company
Slide 2:
What is the meaning of the word: Genealogy?
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Google:
The etymology of the word: Genealogy and write it down.
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Who wrote the essay: “I, Pencil” and what did he do for a living?
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The essay “I, Pencil” was written in 1958 – has ‘the concept of ‘interconnection’ (globalization) changed in
nearly 60 years? Explain.
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What is a ‘Mongo 482’ and what role does it ‘play’ in the essay: “I, Pencil”?
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Slide 3:
Label the Pencil Parts and state one material each part is made of:
Part Name Material
A
B
C
D
E
Slide 4:
The Genealogy of a Pencil begins with an ACTUAL tree, which tree?
Look at the images on Slide 4. State five (5) things that go into ‘the beginnings of the pencil’.
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2. Geography: Interconnections of the Pencil: Genealogy of the Pencil
Worksheet: PowerPoint: Genealogy of thepencil based on “‘I, Pencil’: My Family Tree as told to Leonard E. Read”
The Pencil being: ‘Mongol 482’ by Eberhard Faber Pencil Company P a g e | 2
Slide 5:
How are logging camps an essential part of ‘making the pencil’?
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Where does hemp come into the making of a pencil?
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Slide 6:
Why are trains and ships important to ‘the making of the pencil’?
Can the ‘making of the pencil’ be accomplished without ‘trains and ships’?
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Slide 7 & Slide 23:
Why is ‘Process of Production’ that goes into making the pencil called: ‘The Pencil Sandwich’?
How many steps into making the pencil are required?
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GRAPHITE is mixed with CLAY. Why is this important in making the pencil?
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What is ‘candelilla wax’ used for?
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Slide 8:
What is a ‘bleistift’? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Explain why you think that THE PENCIL FACTORY workers are an essential part in the making of the pencil.
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3. Geography: Interconnections of the Pencil: Genealogy of the Pencil
Worksheet: PowerPoint: Genealogy of thepencil based on “‘I, Pencil’: My Family Tree as told to Leonard E. Read”
The Pencil being: ‘Mongol 482’ by Eberhard Faber Pencil Company P a g e | 3
Slide 9:
From what plant is caster oil extracted from? How is caster oil used in the making of the pencil?
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What is ‘Carbon Black’? Why is it used in the making of the pencil?
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Slide 10:
Where do you find a FERRULE on a pencil? From what type of metal is it made from? This metal is a
combination of what two metals?
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What is ‘Factice’? What is ‘Pumice’? How are they used in the making of the pencil?
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Slide 11 & 27:
Explain each of the following in your own words. [In one sentence]
1. The configuration of Creative Human Energies
2. In the absence of any human master-mind
3. Leave all creative energies uninhibited.
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According to Economist: Leonard Reed: Why can NO SINGLE person make a pencil alone?
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4. Geography: Interconnections of the Pencil: Genealogy of the Pencil
Worksheet: PowerPoint: Genealogy of thepencil based on “‘I, Pencil’: My Family Tree as told to Leonard E. Read”
The Pencil being: ‘Mongol 482’ by Eberhard Faber Pencil Company P a g e | 4
Slide 12-20:
1. Pencil Day 30th of March
2. Sharpen Your Pencil
3. The Secret Life of the Pencil
4. Delicate Pencil Sculptures carved by Salavat Fidai
Each of the campaigns/events above can be viewed separately and within their own merits.
How can we view each of the campaigns/events as part of ‘the interconnection and globalization’ of the
pencil?
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Slide 24:
Answer the following questions/statements
1 Lead pencils contain lead. True or False
2 Graphite was thought to be lead. True or False
3 Wood cases for most pencils are made from what?
4 Pencil comes from which Latin word?
5
Who were the first to enclose graphite in a wood case?
What year?
6
Who made the first graphite pencils and in which
century?
7
Who developed a pencil-making process that
manufacturers still use today?
8
Who built the first mass-production pencil factory in the
United States in 1861?
9 How many pencils are sold in the USA alone, each year?
10
Before the encasing of wood what did people wrap
around the graphite and why?
Slide 28:
What is the MYTH OF THE YELLOW PENCIL? Which version and why would you tend to believe?
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