Nonfiction Article of the Week · Article: Hidden Dangers on the Water Slide 7-8 MODIFIED Article: Hidden Dangers on the Water Slide 9-10 Paired Text: Minnesota Department of Health

© erin cobb imlovinlit.com

Nonfiction Article of the Week7-25: Hidden Dangers on the Waterslide (PRETEST)

Table of Contents

Terms of Use 2

Table of Contents 3

Digital Components/Google Classroom Guide 4

About This Midterm: Teacher’s Instructions 5-6

Article: Hidden Dangers on the Water Slide 7-8

MODIFIED Article: Hidden Dangers on the Water Slide 9-10

Paired Text: Minnesota Department of Health Bulletin on RWIs 11

Video Clip Transcript 12

Pre-Assessment (Regular) 13-18

Pre-Assessment (Regular) Answer Key W/Standards 19-24

Pre-Assessment (Modified) 25-29

Pre-Assessment (Modified) Answer Key W/Standards 30-34



Teacher’s Guide

Instructions for Google Classroom Digital Components

All student activities are available in digital format compatible with Google Classroom. They are available in two formats: Google Slides and Google Forms.

Google SlidesFirst, I have made all student pages available in Google Slides format. Students can simply add text boxes to any area they wish to type on. To access the Google Slides for this article, copy and paste the link below into your browser. *Note that you’ll need to make a copy of the folder or slide before you can use it.*

link omitted in preview file

Google FormsI have made the assessments available in Google Forms. Here, they are self-grading, and I have set them all up with answer keys so they are ready to go for you. You’ll need to find these two files in your download folder to use Google Forms. The first file contains the links to the Forms, and the second file is explicit instructions for use. Look inside the Google Forms folder.



Teacher’s Guide

About This Assessment

36 Total Questions:4 Questions for RI.7.1 4 Questions for RI.7.64 Questions for RI.7.2 4 Questions for RI.7.74 Questions for RI.7.3 4 Questions for RI.7.84 Questions for RI.7.4 4 Questions for RI.7.94 Questions for RI.7.5

Modified ArticleArticle

Regular Exam

Modified Exam(Only 2 choices instead of 4)

Paired Text: Public Health Bulletin

Video clipw/transcript



Teacher’s Guide

About This Exam

Self-grading Google Forms assessment included for Pre-Assessment and Modified Pre-Assessment

Because ALL questions are multiple-choice, forms are 100% self-grading!

*Video Clip Link: https://youtu.be/CawLQetCfKA

Backup: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G6pAQ-nI06F3ZCu0GrClzInjsAVUtzku/view?usp=sharing

Answer key includes specific standard tested for each question (in green).

ALL questions are multiple-choice for easy grading.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G6pAQ-nI06F3ZCu0GrClzInjsAVUtzku/view?usp=sharing

Outdoor swimming pools and twisty slides at water parks are mainstays of summer in the U.S. But some people leave the water park with more than just good memories. A few hours or days after fun in the water, some patrons are struck by physical symptoms that anyone would want to avoid.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has an official name for nasty bugs picked up on the waterslide. The term is recreational water illnesses (RWIs), and there are multiple varieties. Recreational water illnesses can be found in hot tubs, fountains, swimming pools, water parks, lakes, rivers, streams, and the ocean.


It is a common misconception that swimming pools cannot carry and spread disease because the chemical chlorine kills illness-causing germs. However, the truth is that it typically takes a few days for chlorine to kill bacteria. In other words, if a person introduces bacteria into a pool, that bacteria could remain there, potentially infecting others, for several days.

And to make matters worse, parasites can be even harder to kill. The RWI-causing parasite Cryptosporidium can survive in chlorine for ten days. The prevalence of this parasite has been increasing in recent years. Cryptosporidium causes severe stomach symptoms and can be fatal for people with weakened immune systems.

Although the most common RWI symptoms are stomach pain and diarrhea, different types of recreational water illnesses can cause a variety of symptoms. Some can cause skin, ear, eye, or lung issues. One specific type of RWI, Pseudomonas, is commonly known as hot tub rash because of the tell-tale rash that is typically contracted from hot tubs that aren’t properly cleaned and maintained. Otitis externa, or swimmer’s ear, is an ear infection that results from leaving contaminated water in the ear after swimming. And Pontiac fever is a severe type of pneumonia, or lung infection, that can infect those who accidentally breathe or swallow contaminated water into the lungs.

For some, recreational water illness is more than just an unpleasant inconvenience. Each year, some of these illnesses do result in death. In the year 2000, four people died from recreational water illnesses, and these illnesses are on the rise.

HIDDEN DANGERSon the Water Slide

Recreational Water Illnesses

by Nicole Madden and Erin Cobb

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, is the most visited water park in the U.S. Over 2 million potential contaminators visit the water park each year.



Informational TextSkills Test

Version A

7. Which sentence below belongs in an objective summary of the subsection Healthy Swimming Habits?a. When planning to swim at the beach or other natural waterway, you can check online to find out if

there is a health advisory for your intended location.b. A strong smell of chlorine can actually mean that the chlorine has mixed with contaminants. c. You can also learn more about what the Environmental Protection Agency is doing to protect our

beaches.d. Some beaches are just plain too nasty for swimming.

8. Which statement from or about the article is not objective?a. When planning to swim at the beach or other natural waterway, you can check online to find out if


beaches.d. Some beaches are just too nasty for swimming.

9. Which statement best describes the connection between E.coli and public swimming facilities?a. E.coli is rarely found in swimming pools but often found in natural waterways.b. E.coli is one of the top five causes of RWIs contracted from swimming facilities.c. E.coli is a dangerous bacteria that is introduced into public swimming pools through feces.d. E.coli contracted from public swimming facilities is one cause of brain-eating amoebas.

10. Which factor has the strongest influence on the cleanliness of a public swimming facility?a. the amount of chlorine usedb. whether or not patrons shower before entering the waterc. how much slime has accumulated on the edgesd. which country the swimming facility is located in

11. According to the article, which factor can affect how sick you become if infected by an RWI?a. how well your immune system functionsb. the number of hours you spent swimming in infected watersc. the total number of people who have visited an infected facility within the same weekd. the amount of rainfall in the week before your visit

12. A few hours after swimming in a public pool, you develop itchy blisters on your skin. Which RWI below did you most likely contract?

a. Cryptosporidium c. Pseudomonasb. Shigella d. Norovirus

13. Which definition below is most accurate for how the word introduces is used in the third paragraph? a. establishes the acquaintance c. provides knowledge aboutb. presents for the first time d. brings in




Version A

7. Which sentence below belongs in an objective summary of the subsection Healthy Swimming Habits?a. When planning to swim at the beach or other natural waterway, you can check online to find out if


beaches.d. Some beaches are just plain too nasty for swimming.

8. Which statement from or about the article is not objective?a. When planning to swim at the beach or other natural waterway, you can check online to find out if


beaches.d. Some beaches are just too nasty for swimming.

9. Which statement best describes the connection between E.coli and public swimming facilities?a. E.coli is rarely found in swimming pools but often found in natural waterways.b. E.coli is one of the top five causes of RWIs contracted from swimming facilities.c. E.coli is a dangerous bacteria that is introduced into public swimming pools through feces.d. E.coli contracted from public swimming facilities is one cause of brain-eating amoebas.

10. Which factor has the strongest influence on the cleanliness of a public swimming facility?a. the amount of chlorine usedb. whether or not patrons shower before entering the waterc. how much slime has accumulated on the edgesd. which country the swimming facility is located in

11. According to the article, which factor can affect how sick you become if infected by an RWI?a. how well your immune system functionsb. the number of hours you spent swimming in infected watersc. the total number of people who have visited an infected facility within the same weekd. the amount of rainfall in the week before your visit


a. Cryptosporidium c. Pseudomonasb. Shigella d. Norovirus

13. Which definition below is most accurate for how the word introduces is used in the third paragraph? a. establishes the acquaintance c. provides knowledge aboutb. presents for the first time d. brings in

RI.7.2

RI.7.2

RI.7.3

RI.7.3

RI.7.3

RI.7.3

RI.7.4




Version B

9. Which statement best describes the connection between E.coli and public swimming facilities?a. E.coli is a dangerous bacteria that is introduced into public swimming pools through feces.b. E.coli contracted from public swimming facilities is one cause of brain-eating amoebas.

10. Which factor has the strongest influence on the cleanliness of a public swimming facility?a. the amount of chlorine usedb. whether or not patrons shower before entering the water

11. According to the article, which factor can affect how sick you become if infected by an RWI?a. how well your immune system functionsb. the total number of people who have visited an infected facility within the same week


a. Pseudomonasb. Shigella

13. Which definition below is most accurate for how the word introduces is used in the third paragraph?

a. provides knowledge aboutb. brings in

14. Read this caption from the article: Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, is the most visited water park in the U.S. Over 2 million potential contaminators visit the water park each year.What is the connotation of the word contaminators as used in the sentence above?

a. negativeb. positive

15. Which words below best describe the overall tone of the article?a. critical and pessimisticb. informative and concerned

16. Read this sentence from the article: Outdoor swimming pools and twisty slides at water parks are mainstays of summer in the U.S.What did the author mean by the sentence above?

a. Water slides and swimming pools are more popular in the summer than during other seasons.

b. Water-related fun outdoors is a major part of summer for many.




Version B

9. Which statement best describes the connection between E.coli and public swimming facilities?a. E.coli is a dangerous bacteria that is introduced into public swimming pools through feces.b. E.coli contracted from public swimming facilities is one cause of brain-eating amoebas.

10. Which factor has the strongest influence on the cleanliness of a public swimming facility?a. the amount of chlorine usedb. whether or not patrons shower before entering the water

11. According to the article, which factor can affect how sick you become if infected by an RWI?a. how well your immune system functionsb. the total number of people who have visited an infected facility within the same week


a. Pseudomonasb. Shigella

13. Which definition below is most accurate for how the word introduces is used in the third paragraph?

a. provides knowledge aboutb. brings in

14. Read this caption from the article: Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, is the most visited water park in the U.S. Over 2 million potential contaminators visit the water park each year.What is the connotation of the word contaminators as used in the sentence above?

a. negativeb. positive

15. Which words below best describe the overall tone of the article?a. critical and pessimisticb. informative and concerned

16. Read this sentence from the article: Outdoor swimming pools and twisty slides at water parks are mainstays of summer in the U.S.What did the author mean by the sentence above?

a. Water slides and swimming pools are more popular in the summer than during other seasons.

b. Water-related fun outdoors is a major part of summer for many.

Nonfiction Article of the Week · Article: Hidden Dangers on the Water Slide 7-8 MODIFIED Article: Hidden Dangers on the Water Slide 9-10 Paired Text: Minnesota Department of Health

Documents