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Integrated skills: Reading, Speaking & Writing

(source: for classroom use by N.P.)

Alcatraz Island, commonly referred to as simply Alcatraz or locally as The Rock, is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California, United States. It served as a lighthouse (_a tower with a light to guide ships__), then a military fortification (_enclosed by a wall___), then a military prison followed by a federal prison until 1963. It became a national recreation area (__a place for entertainment____) in 1972.

- What is Alcatraz used for today?

- What has this island been used for?

Due to its isolation(_condition of being away from all other things____) from the outside by the cold, strong, hazardous currents of the waters of San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz was used to house Civil War prisoners as early as 1861. In 1898, the Spanish-American war would increase the prison population from 26 to over 450. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, civilian prisoners were transferred to Alcatraz for safe confinement (_imprisonment__). By 1912 there was a large cellhouse, and in the 1920s a large 3-story structure was nearly at full capacity (_could not receive more prisoners___).

- Why were civilian prisoners tranfered to Alcatraz?

- How many inmates were accomodated in Alcatraz?

During its 29 years of operation, the penitentiary (_the prison__) claimed no prisoners as having ever successfully escaped. 36 prisoners were involved in 14 attempts (__efforts____), two men trying twice; seven were shot and killed, and two drowned. The most violent occurred on 2 May 1946 when a failed escape attempt by six prisoners led to the so-called "Battle of Alcatraz".

- How many inmates have escaped from Alcatraz?

- What happened in 2 May 1946?

By decision of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, the penitentiary was closed on March 21, 1963. It was closed because it was far more expensive to operate (__to run___) than other prisons (nearly $10 per prisoner per day, as opposed to $3 per prisoner per day at Atlanta), half a century of salt water saturation had severely eroded (__to become worn___) the buildings, and the bay was being badly polluted by the sewage (__waste___) from the approximately 250 inmates and 60 Bureau of Prisons families on the island

- When and why was this penitentiary closed?

- Why was the bay polluted?

Write a 50-word paragraph explaining what Alcatraz is today and what it has been used for in the past.

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Practice Makes Perfect !

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