Cardboard Nation

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: How do companies and societies meet the demand for a product?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article (see below). Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• scale (p. 9)
• demand (p. 10)
• consistency (p. 10)
• emergence (p. 10)
• inexorable (p. 11)
• pivoting (p. 11)

3. Engage
Have students analyze the title of the article. Ask: What idea about the U.S. does the title convey? What does this suggest the article will discuss?

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions..

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: Cardboard Nation, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear on the following page of this lesson, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• Which sentence in the first paragraph best hints at what the article will discuss? Why do you think the author put this sentence in the form of a question? (Central idea, text structure) (The last sentence—which asks: Where does cardboard come from and is the supply endless?—best hints at what the article will discuss. The author likely put this sentence in the form of a question to spark readers’ interest and to prompt them to start thinking more deeply about a topic that they might not think about very often.

• What statistics does the author include in the opening section? What do these statistics have in common? What is the most likely reason the author includes these statistics? (Author’s purpose, compare & contrast)(The author includes statistics about how much cardboard one plant churns out every day, about how much cardboard all the plants owned by one company manufactures, about how cardboard manufacturers broke production records in 2021, and about a prediction for how the cardboard market will grow. These statistics all show that cardboard is a thriving and growing market. The author most likely includes these statistics to support the central idea that the demand for cardboard has increased.)

• According to the article, why has the demand for cardboard boxes increased? How has this increased demand for cardboard affected farming? (Cause & effect, cite text evidence) (According to the article, the need to order things online during the Covid-19 pandemic led to a higher demand for cardboard boxes, and that online habit, and thus the demand, has not dropped. This increased demand has caused farmers to switch to growing loblolly pines in place of traditional crops.)

• Review paragraphs 2 and 3 of the section “More Stuff, More Quickly.” Based on these paragraphs, what is Tim Cooper’s point of view toward corrugated packaging? Based on details in the article, do you agree? (Point of view, make evaluations)(Based on these paragraphs, Cooper thinks that corrugated packaging is a huge part of our lives and even a recession cannot diminish our demand for cardboard. He says that it has a “Goldilocks quality” and that “corrugated packaging is close to being recession-proof.” Students’ assessments of whether cardboard is a vital, recession-proof product will vary but should be supported by text evidence and/or relevant ideas and evidence from their own lives.) 

• The author says, “You can understand why the industry is so bullish on its prospects for long-term growth.” What does the author mean by bullish? Which details in the section provide clues to this meaning? (Word meaning, claims & evidence) (By bullish, the author means that cardboard companies are very optimistic that they’ll be even more successful in the future. Details that support this interpretation include the author’s assessment that there is a “widespread belief that demand” will grow, the description of China as being the “largest and fastest-growing market for cardboard,” and the suggestion that cardboard may replace other forms of packaging all provide clues to this meaning.) 

• Imagine that someone invented a better type of material than cardboard for boxing items. How would this invention likely affect the cardboard industry and the economy? (Make inferences) (Students’ responses will vary but should be supported by text evidence and/or relevant evidence from their own lives.)

6. Writing Prompt
What do the photographs add to the article? Explain in a brief essay.

7. Video
Watch the video “The Cost of Free Returns.” What does it add to your understanding?

8. Classroom Debate
Should cardboard recycling be required by law?

9. Quiz & Skills
Assess comprehension with the quiz.