Keeping Healthy (Colonial Style!): A Reading Comprehension Worksheet for Middle School

Transport your students back in time to colonial America with this engaging reading comprehension worksheet! They'll explore the challenges and triumphs of staying healthy in a world without modern medicine.
What's Included:

• A captivating reading passage that explores:
  • The limitations of medical knowledge in colonial times
  • Common illnesses that plagued colonists
  • Creative (and sometimes strange) home remedies
  • The resourcefulness of colonists in healthcare
• A primary source analysis activity with a recipe from a colonial housewife's book
• Multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer questions that assess reading comprehension, critical thinking, and analysis skills
• A detailed answer key to save you time and ensure accurate grading

Learning Objectives:

• Students will understand the limitations of medical knowledge in colonial America.
• Students will be able to identify common illnesses that threatened colonists' health.
• Students will analyze the use of home remedies in colonial healthcare.
• Students will appreciate the resourcefulness of colonists in the face of limited medical resources.
• Students will compare and contrast colonial medical practices with modern medicine.

Common Core Standards Addressed:

• RI.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• RI.5.2: Determine the central ideas or author's purpose of a text and explain how it is supported by key details.
• RI.5.3: Explain the relationships or connections between ideas or events in a text.
• RI.5.7: Draw information from all features of a text (e.g., title, headings, illustrations, diagrams) when reading to learn or perform a task.

Content Discussion Points:

• How did the lack of sanitation impact the health of colonists?
• Why were home remedies so important in colonial healthcare?
• What are some of the limitations of the "iron tonic" recipe as a treatment for anemia?
• How does studying colonial medicine help us appreciate modern medicine?

Ready to unlock your students' critical thinking potential? Explore my store for a treasure trove of reading comprehensions that tackle diverse themes and inspire insightful discussions. From the intricacies of the Civil War to the marvels of scientific discovery, there's something for every classroom!

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