Grand Coulee Dam

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/grand-coulee-dam

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How tall is Grand Coulee Dam?550 feet (168 meters)
2. What is the location?Grand Coulee, Washington, United States
3. What is the year of initial completion?1942
4. How does the dam make electricity?Water from the lake flows down through big pipes called penstocks to turn turbines, which spin generators that produce electric power.
5. Why was the dam built?It was built to give farmers water for irrigation and to create electricity for the growing cities and factories, especially during World War II.

Concrete Gravity Dam: A dam constructed from concrete that relies on its own mass to resist hydrostatic forces.
Hydroelectric Power Generation: The process of converting the kinetic energy of flowing water into electrical energy using turbines and generators.
Columbia Basin Project: A large-scale irrigation project in Washington state centered around the Grand Coulee Dam.
Anadromous Fish: Fish that migrate from the ocean to freshwater to spawn, such as salmon.