Port and starboard

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

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/port-and-starboard

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 does "port" mean on a boat?Port is the side of a boat that faces the harbor when the boat is docked. It is also the left side when you are standing on the boat facing forward.
2. Why is the right side of a boat called "starboard"?Starboard is the right side of a boat. The name comes from the old word "steer-board", which was the side where the steering oar was kept.

Port: The left side of a vessel or aircraft when facing towards the direction of travel (bow or nose).
Starboard: The right side of a vessel or aircraft when facing towards the direction of travel (bow or nose).
Bow: The foremost part of a ship or aircraft.
Larboard: The historical term for the left side of a vessel, replaced by 'port' due to confusion with 'starboard'.