The Common Cold - A Science Reading Comprehension Resource

This resource covers the following topics:

- What is the common cold?

- A brief history

- Causes

- Treatments

- Impacts

- Future prospects

The Problem You Face - Not having the time to properly teach scientific literacy (disciplinary literacy) or improve your students reading comprehension and analysis skills.

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The Solution

This fully editable, NO PREP reading comprehension article is composed of relevant, applicable and engaging reading activities which can be used to:

• introduce your topic

• improve your students reading comprehension and scientific literacy skills

• improve your students analysis skills

• provide an extension activity to students who move at a faster pace

• provide extra credit to students in need

• measure your students literacy skills

Furthermore, this resource works very well as an emergency substitute plan as it will keep your students on task and focused while you are away.

This resource will take your students between 50-75 minutes to complete and includes some open-ended questions. An answer key is also included for your reference.

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You might also be interested in the following individual reading comprehension articles:

Health:

• The Common Cold

• The Flu

• Exercise and its Importance for Health

• Stem Cell Therapy: The Future of Medicine?

• Concussions

• Poliomyelitis - Polio

• Smallpox

• The Measles

• Genetics and Gene Therapy

• Heart Diseases

• Cancer

• The Effects of Caffeine

• Down syndrome

• HIV/AIDS - Informing the Public and Dispelling the Misconceptions

• The Effect of Stress on the Brain

• The Effect of Sugar on the Body

• Whooping Cough

• Asthma and Asthma Attacks

• The Immune System

• Farming: Organic vs. Conventional

• The Dangers of Smoking

• Parkinson’s Disease

• Protective Equipment - Keeping you safe

• Fats

• Tinnitus – Ringing in the Ears

• Cystic Fibrosis

• The Effects Of Binge Drinking On Teenagers

• Multiple Sclerosis

• Painkillers

• Diabetes

• Radioactivity

• Scarring

• Allergies

• Carbohydrates, Lipids, and Health

Earth and Space:

• The Northern and Southern Lights

• The Limitations of Space Travel

• Why is the Sky Blue? An application of light waves

• Stars - The Element Factories of the Universe

• Solar and Lunar Eclipses

• The Different Types of Clouds

• How Weather Works

• Natural Disasters

• Thunderstorms

• Fossils

• Geologic Time

• Watersheds

• Hurricanes

Energy:

• Fossil Fuels

• Nuclear Energy: Fission and Fusion

• Hydroelectric Energy Production

• Solar Energy Production

• Wind Energy Production

• Renewable Energy Production

• Hydraulic Fracturing - Fracking

• Biofuels - Food or Fuel?

• Electric House

• Energy Use and Conservation

Physics:

• Magnets and Electromagnets

• Roller Coasters - History, Design, and Function

• How Do Boats Float?

• Optical Phenomena

• The Effects of Everyday Forces

• Hydraulics

• Hot-Air Balloons

• Simple Machines

• Automobile Safety

Chemistry:

• The Chemistry of Explosions

• Plastics: A Marvel Of Innovation

• The Chemistry of Paint

• Water Softeners and Hard Water

• Cleaning up Acid Spills

• The Accumulation of Plastic in the Ocean

• Chemistry of Cooking

• Chemistry of Cosmetics

• Blood Analysis and Forensics

• Radioactivity

• Desalination for Drinking Water

• Rust-Proofing

Biology:

• Fermentation and Food

• DNA Paternity Tests

• Laser Eye Surgery

• Physical Adaptations

• Muscle Growth

• Genetically Modified Organisms

• Mosquitoes And The Diseases They Spread

• Twins

• GERD and Acid Reflux - A Digestive System Disease

• Bats – Misconceptions, Importance, and Facts

• Superbugs - The Super Villains of Modern Medicine

• Heart Attack and Stroke

• Why Leaves Change Color In The Fall

Ecology and the Environment:

• Invasive Species

• Ecosystems

• Pesticides

• The Importance of Bees

• Coral Reef Ecosystems and their Future

• Climate Change

• Hydraulic Fracturing - Fracking

• Farming: Organic vs. Conventional

• Oil Spills and Their Consequences

• Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification

• RuBisCO - Earth's Most Important Protein

• Symbiotic relationships between plants and insects

• Smog - Its Causes and Dangers

• Ocean Acidification

• Pollution Control Devices

• Tap vs Bottled Water

• Predator Prey Relationships

• Greenhouse Effect

Natural Disasters:

• Volcanoes: The Benefits and Devastation

• Earthquakes Part 1

• Earthquakes Part 2

• Tsunamis

• How the Dinosaurs Died

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Each summary is rich with age-appropriate content (grades 8 and up) and is 2.5-3 pages long (13-font). Following each is a list of 8-13 questions along with the answer key, which will help guide your students understanding.

How this product will help your students:

- Improve their scientific and disciplinary literacy skills

- Improve their reading comprehension and scientific knowledge

- Give them insights into important scientific concepts

- Provide an extension activity for your faster moving/more gifted students

How this product will help you:

- Allow you to meet the NGSS, TEKS and Common Core Standards

- Provide you with a concise introduction to your topic

- Provide you with an engaging and easy to leave substitute plan which will keep your students engaged and on task

- Prove you a means of measuring your students' literacy skills

We don't spend enough time teaching scientific literacy to our students. This is either because we don't have the resources to do so effectively or we don't have the time. However, teaching our students to become scientifically literate is vital if we want them to succeed in life. We need them to know about the world they live in and about the issues they face. Even issues as simple as the common cold are misunderstood and can lead to the misuse of antibacterial drugs eventually rendering them ineffective.

It can be used as a tool in your teaching arsenal on a regular basis, an extension activity for your faster learners, left for a substitute in an emergency or planned absence or as an extra bit of information for a topic.

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For free resources, useful teaching tips, and tools, please visit my blog - TeachScienceWithFergy.com

If you have any questions please feel free to send me an email - devon@teachwithfergy.com