Text Features

“The Killer Flu of 1918”

March 2021
Name:

Nonfiction Text Features

Directions: Text features are the pictures, captions, headlines, subheads, maps, and
other features that go with an article. Answer the questions below about the text
features in “The Killer Flu of 1918.”

1. 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?

2. Read the sidebar “What If You Lived in 1918?” How do you think the facts in the sidebar will
help you understand the article?

3. 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?

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edits to these materials made by educators or their students.
 Pause and Think
“The Killer Flu of 1918”
March 2021
Name:

Nonfiction Pause and Think

Directions: Read “The Killer Flu of 1918” in the March 2021 issue of Action. Write
your answers to the questions in the Pause and Think boxes in the spaces below. This
will help you check your understanding of what you’ve read.

1. Why did Violet’s school close in October 1918?

2. Where did the Spanish flu pandemic start?

3. What are two ways the war affected the spread of the flu?

4. What made this flu different from other flus?

5. What finally stopped the flu from spreading?

6. How did the world change after the Spanish flu?

©2021 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. Permission granted to teachers and subscribers to make copies of this file to distribute to their students. Scholastic is not responsible for any
edits to these materials made by educators or their students.
 Vocabulary Review
“The Killer Flu of 1918”
March 2021
Name:

Nonfiction Vocabulary Review

Directions: Reread the vocabulary definitions on page 10 of your magazine. Then
choose the best word from the Word Bank to complete each sentence.

WORD BANK
censored contagious decrease immune pandemic

1. Violet Harris lived through the Spanish flu ___________________ of 1918.

2. The flu was highly _____________, so it was dangerous for people to gather in large groups.
3. But not everyone knew that, because some nations ___________________ the news.
4. A Philadelphia city official said the disease would ___________________, but at first it didn’t.
5. Finally, when one in three people were ___________________, the flu stopped spreading.

Now that you remember what each word means, pick the correct word for each sentence
starter and enter it in the first space. Then use your own words to complete each
sentence.

6. The radio host __________________ the interview with the star of an upcoming movie
because ____________________________________________________________________.
7. I’ve been sneezing all day, but I don’t have anything __________________: It’s only
___________________________________________________________________________.
8. This is a hard song to play on the guitar, but I know my mistakes will __________________
if I _________________________________________________________________________.
9. During the Covid-19 __________________, many students __________________________
___________________________________________________________________________.
10. I’m ____________ to chicken pox, so I can ______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________.

©2021 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. Permission granted to teachers and subscribers to make copies of this file to distribute to their students. Scholastic is not responsible for any
edits to these materials made by educators or their students.
 Central Idea and Details HL
“The Killer Flu of 1918”
March 2021
Name:

Central Idea and Details

Directions: A central idea is one of the most important ideas in a story. Supporting
details are details about the central idea. Below, you’ll find four details from the
story “The Killer Flu of 1918.” When you put all the details together, what big idea
can you get from them? Write it in the Central Idea box.

Detail 1 Detail 2

When Violet Harris’s friend Rena had At least 50 million people died of the
the Spanish flu, she could hardly walk. Spanish flu.

Central Idea:

Detail 3 Detail 4

Spanish flu patients turned blue from By October 1918, 7,000 people were dying
lack of oxygen and bled from the nose of the Spanish flu in the U.S. every day.
and mouth.

Write one more detail from the article that supports the central idea you wrote above.

©2021 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. Permission granted to teachers and subscribers to make copies of this file to distribute to their students. Scholastic is not responsible for any
edits to these materials made by educators or their students.
 Central Idea and Details LL
“The Killer Flu of 1918”
March 2021
Name:

Central Idea and Details

Directions: A central idea is one of the most important ideas in a story. Supporting
details are details about the central idea. Below, you’ll find a central idea from the
story “The Killer Flu of 1918.” Complete the chart with supporting details from the
story. We’ve done the first box for you.

Detail 1 Detail 2
HINT: How many people died of the
Spanish flu?
When Violet Harris’s friend Check the section “First Outbreak.”
Rena had the Spanish flu, she
could hardly walk..

Central Idea:
The Spanish
flu was
extremely
dangerous
Detail 3 and deadly. Detail 4
HINT: How did patients with the Spanish HINT: In October 1918, how many people were
flu react? dying of the Spanish flu in the U.S. every day?
Check the section “A Second Wave.” Check the section “Locking Down.”

©2021 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. Permission granted to teachers and subscribers to make copies of this file to distribute to their students. Scholastic is not responsible for any
edits to these materials made by educators or their students.
 Assessment HL
“The Killer Flu of 1918”
March 2020

Name: ______________________________

Nonfiction Quiz
Directions: Fill in the bubble next to the best answers for questions 1-6.

1. We know about Violet Harris’s experiences 4. You can read about the first flu vaccine in
in 1918 because ______. the section ______.
 she kept a diary  “First Outbreak”
 her father kept a diary  “Spreading Fast”
 she was interviewed for a newspaper article  “Locking Down”
 her teacher wrote a book about the  “Back to Normal?”
pandemic
5. Which statement is NOT true based on the
2. When Violet’s friend Rena got sick, why article?
couldn’t Violet visit her?  Half the people in the world got the
 Rena lived far away. Spanish flu.
 Rena’s parents didn’t like Violet.  World War I was happening in 1918.
 Violet had to go to school.  Schools closed down during the pandemic.
 Violet could have caught the flu from  A parade took place during the pandemic.
Rena.
6. Which of the following is a central idea of
3. If you’re immune to a disease, ______. the article?
 you’ll always have it  Violet Harris liked going to the movies.
 you can get it very easily  The 1918 pandemic caused millions of
 you can’t get it deaths around the world.
 you’ve never heard of it  Violet Harris grew up in Seattle,
Washington.
 By 1942, scientists had developed a flu
vaccine.

Constructed Response
Directions: On a separate piece of paper, write your answer to each question below.
Use complete sentences. Support your answer with information from the article.

7. The author says that World War I created the 8. The author says that in some ways the world
perfect conditions for a contagious virus to came out stronger after the 1918 pandemic.
spread. Explain what the author means. Name two changes caused by the pandemic.

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