Gristmill

High school (ages 12+)
Making & Design

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/gristmill

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. What is the primary technological function?Mechanical reduction of cereal grains into flour and middlings using millstones
2. What is the key mechanical components?Stationary bedstone and rotating runner stone, powered by water wheels or windmills
3. How does a gristmill turn grain into flour?The grain goes through a hole in the rotating stone. The stone spins, and the grinding surfaces crush the grain. The speed and the gap between the stones decide how fine the flour is.
4. Why were watermills and windmills important in the Middle Ages?Watermills and windmills used the power of water or wind to turn big wheels that spin the millstones. They made flour faster and helped towns grow by giving people more food. They also let lords collect grain as taxes.

Rotary Quern: An early form of millstone mechanism where one stone rotates against a stationary one.
Millstone Dressing: The process of cutting grooves and patterns into millstones to improve grinding efficiency.
Food Surplus: An excess of food production beyond immediate consumption needs, enabling societal development.