Windmills at Work
Imagine trying to grind a mountain of grain into flour by hand. Long ago, people found a powerful helper for this tiring job: the wind. They built windmills to capture moving air and turn it into useful motion. For centuries, windmills have helped people grind grain, pump water, and perform other kinds of work.
A traditional windmill has large blades, often called sails, attached to a shaft. When wind pushes against the angled sails, they turn the shaft. Inside the mill, gears can transfer that turning motion to machinery. The wind provides the energy, but the machinery puts it to work.
In a grain mill, the moving parts turn a heavy circular stone above another stone. Grain fed between the stones is crushed into flour. The miller, the person who operates the mill, must control the machinery carefully. If the stones are too close together, they can grind against each other; if they are too far apart, the grain may not be ground finely enough.
- shaft:
- A rod that turns and carries motion to other parts of a machine.
- gears:
- Machine parts with teeth that transfer motion to other parts.
- horizontal:
- Going from side to side rather than up and down.
- adapted:
- Changed to fit a different need or condition.
- reclaimed:
- Made usable again, such as by removing water from land.
- livestock:
- Farm animals raised by people.
- steadily:
- In a regular way without stopping or changing much.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1How does a traditional windmill turn moving air into useful motion?
- 2Why must a miller control the distance between the grinding stones?
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About this informational passage for Upper Elementary
“Windmills at Work” is a informational reading passage about Wind Power, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (480 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.