Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, W.3, SL.1, L.4, L.5, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will read a nonfiction article and identify text evidence to support conclusions drawn from the story.

Key Skills

text evidence, text features, vocabulary, central idea and details, cause and effect, key details, figurative language, critical thinking, narrative writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The article gives information about the 1918 Spanish flu and draws comparisons with the current pandemic. 

Structure: The text is linear, with informational passages throughout. 

Language: The language is straightforward. Quotes from a 1918 diary include slightly antiquated, though still accessible, language.

Knowledge Demands: Some knowledge of what life was like in the early 1900s will help comprehension. Also, students should know what a vaccine is.

Levels

Lexile: 600L-700L 

Guided Reading Level: U 

DRA Level: 50

Lesson Plan: The Killer Flu of 1918

Essential Questions

  • How and why does history repeat itself? 
  • What is the government’s role in keeping the public safe? What is each individual's role?

Literature Connection

  • Nonfiction: Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 by Albert Marrin 

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article. Preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the title and the subtitle, and look at the images at the beginning of the story. Based on the photos, what are some similarities between the Spanish flu and Covid-19? Students might note that, like today, people wore masks to protect themselves from  the 1918 flu. Also, in the bigger image, we see a large space packed with hospital beds and patients. During Covid-19, hospitals have also been overflowing with sick people.
  • Read the sidebar “What If You Lived in 1918?” How do you think the facts in the sidebar will help you understand the article? The article is about a pandemic that occurred in 1918. Knowing how life was different back then makes it easier to put the information in context and make comparisons between that pandemic and the one we’re dealing with now.
  • Look at the notice titled “Influenza” on page 12 and read its caption. Which rules sound familiar to you? Which ones don’t? What would a notice today for Covid-19 include that’s not already mentioned in the sign? Many of the rules on the sign are applicable to Covid-19. One that’s different is: “Avoid excessive fatigue.” Also, today, we do not “send for a doctor” but rather go to the doctor ourselves. One big rule that’s missing from the list is: Wear a mask.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (pandemic, contagious, censored, decrease, immune) aloud and discuss the definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading 

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set a purpose for reading by explaining to students that they will find text evidence in “The Killer Flu of 1918” that supports important ideas about the Spanish flu.
  • Point out the Pause and Think boxes. Tell students they can check their understanding of what they’ve read by answering these questions.
  • Point out the activity at the end of the story and tell students they will complete it after reading. Tell them to keep the Think About It! question in mind as they read.
  • Tell students that as they finish each section, they should think about how the text features on the page (e.g., photos, captions, and section headings) relate to what they’ve just read.

 2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Guide students to read the article. Once they understand it well, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • How did the 1918 flu affect Violet Harris? (cause and effect) The 1918 flu caused Violet’s school to close down. At first, she was excited about not having to go to school. But she became worried as the flu spread to her hometown of Seattle, Washington, and infected her best friend. Violet stayed busy by sewing and baking. 
  • Why didn’t the public get good information about the virus during the 1918 pandemic? (cause and effect) During the war, many nations censored the news. They didn’t want the enemy to know that their troops were weakened by disease. Also, public officials wouldn’t admit how bad the pandemic was. One city official promised, “From now on, the disease will decrease.”
  • How did the pandemic end? (key details) The pandemic ended quite suddenly. The virus had already infected one in three people around the world, and all of those people became immune to the disease. That was enough to stop any further spread of the virus.
  • How did the 1918 flu lead to improvements in health care? (cause and effect) Governments spent money to make it easier for people to have good health care. Scientists studied contagious diseases and developed the first flu vaccine.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • In the section “First Outbreak,” why do you think the author refers to the Spanish flu as a “silent killer”? (figurative language) The flu is described as a “silent killer” because it was a deadly disease, killing at least 50 million people worldwide. It was “silent” because the flu could spread without people’s knowledge. The author contrasts the flu with World War I, which also took many lives but was not silent. While everyone was focused on the war, the flu was taking lives all across the world.
  • Based on the article, what do you think needs to be done to prepare the world for (or help prevent) another pandemic? (critical thinking) Answers will vary. Sample answer: Scientists should study what caused Covid-19 and how it spread. Governments should make sure there are always plenty of masks and other protective gear available. Individuals should stay informed, understand how diseases spread, and follow health guidelines.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill: Text Evidence activity. As a class, discuss students’ answers and the Think About It! question.
  • Have students work independently to complete our Central Idea and Details Skill Builder, available in higher- and lower-level versions. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
  • Writing prompt: Imagine that Violet Harris got in a time machine and traveled to 2021. How do you think she would react to the Covid-19 pandemic? Write a journal entry from her point of view, noting similarities and differences between the pandemic she lived through and the current one.

Learn-Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Pandemic Journal

Violet Harris kept a journal throughout the 1918 pandemic. Thanks to her diary, we know more about what life was like for an ordinary 15-year-old living through a terrible health crisis. What do you want future generations to know about how life has been during Covid-19? Write a journal entry explaining the current situation, how we got here, and what you think the future holds.

ELL Springboard

Discuss prepositions as they relate to time words.

In English, we use a variety of prepositions in front of time words (on Monday, in March, at 4:00). For a person who is new to English, it’s not always obvious which preposition is appropriate. Ask students to find examples in the story: On October 5, 1918; in 1918, by October, etc.

Next, have students choose a word to start each sentence below. Their choices are “at, in, and on.” If students aren’t sure about a word, have them say the sentence aloud to see if it sounds right.

  • ______ 2:30, I’m going to the park. (At)
  • ______ March, it was very cold. (In)
  • ______ 2012, my sister was born. (In)
  • ______ April 3, I’ll be 14 years old. (On)
  • ______ Thursday, I got a dog. (On)
  • ______ noon, I got a text from my grandmother. (At)
  • ______ Thanksgiving, I learned to make a pie crust. (On)
Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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