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Why Your Doctor Says No to Antibiotics for a Cold

6th grade nonfiction passage about germs and medicine: 257 words, seven questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction germs and medicine 257 words

Why Your Doctor Says No to Antibiotics for a Cold

You have a stuffy nose, a scratchy throat, and a cough. It would be nice if a pill could fix it quickly. Many people think antibiotics are that pill, but when the doctor says no, there is a good reason.

Germs come in different kinds. Two common kinds are bacteria and viruses. Bacteria are tiny living things made of a single cell, and many of them are harmless or even helpful. Some, however, can make people sick, as in strep throat. Viruses are even smaller, and they cannot multiply on their own. They invade the body's cells and use them to make more viruses. Colds and the flu are caused by viruses.

Antibiotics are medicines made to stop or destroy bacteria. They work by attacking things that bacteria have and our own cells do not. Viruses do not have those parts, so an antibiotic does nothing to a cold. Swallowing one would give you the side effects of the medicine without any of the benefits.

There is another reason to be careful. Whenever antibiotics are used, a few bacteria may survive and pass their toughness to the next generation. Over time, that can create bacteria that the medicine can no longer stop. This is called antibiotic resistance, and it is one reason doctors want antibiotics saved for the times they are truly needed.

With a cold, the best help is rest, plenty of fluids, and time while the body's defenses do their work. When a doctor does prescribe an antibiotic, it should be taken exactly as directed.

Questions

  1. What are two common kinds of germs? in the text

  2. What causes colds and the flu? in the text

  3. What are antibiotics made to do? in the text

  4. What is antibiotic resistance? in the text

  5. Why does an antibiotic do nothing for a cold? think about it

  6. Why do doctors want to save antibiotics for when they are truly needed? think about it

  7. What should a person do to feel better with a cold? think about it

Words to know

bacteria
tiny living things made of one cell
viruses
germs smaller than bacteria that must use living cells to multiply
antibiotics
medicines that stop or destroy bacteria
resistance
an ability to withstand something that usually causes harm
prescribe
to say officially that a patient should take a medicine
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 222 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.7

You have a stuffy nose, a sore throat, and a cough. A pill that fixes it fast would be nice. Many people think antibiotics are that pill. But when the doctor says no, there is a good reason.

There are different kinds of germs. Two common kinds are bacteria and viruses. Bacteria are tiny living things with one cell. Many are harmless, and some even help us. A few can make people sick, as in strep throat. Viruses are even smaller. They cannot make more viruses by themselves. They get inside the body's cells and use them. Colds and the flu are caused by viruses.

Antibiotics are medicines that stop or destroy bacteria. They attack parts that bacteria have and our cells do not. Viruses do not have those parts. So an antibiotic does nothing to a cold. You would get the side effects with no help.

There is one more reason. When antibiotics are used, a few bacteria may live. They pass their toughness on. Over time, some bacteria can no longer be stopped by the medicine. This is called antibiotic resistance. So doctors save antibiotics for when they are truly needed.

For a cold, rest, plenty of fluids, and time are best. The body fights the cold. If a doctor does give you an antibiotic, take it just as told.

▲ This passage · 257 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.4

You have a stuffy nose, a scratchy throat, and a cough. It would be nice if a pill could fix it quickly. Many people think antibiotics are that pill, but when the doctor says no, there is a good reason.

Germs come in different kinds. Two common kinds are bacteria and viruses. Bacteria are tiny living things made of a single cell, and many of them are harmless or even helpful. Some, however, can make people sick, as in strep throat. Viruses are even smaller, and they cannot multiply on their own. They invade the body's cells and use them to make more viruses. Colds and the flu are caused by viruses.

Antibiotics are medicines made to stop or destroy bacteria. They work by attacking things that bacteria have and our own cells do not. Viruses do not have those parts, so an antibiotic does nothing to a cold. Swallowing one would give you the side effects of the medicine without any of the benefits.

There is another reason to be careful. Whenever antibiotics are used, a few bacteria may survive and pass their toughness to the next generation. Over time, that can create bacteria that the medicine can no longer stop. This is called antibiotic resistance, and it is one reason doctors want antibiotics saved for the times they are truly needed.

With a cold, the best help is rest, plenty of fluids, and time while the body's defenses do their work. When a doctor does prescribe an antibiotic, it should be taken exactly as directed.

■ Harder · 275 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 10

You have a stuffy nose, a scratchy throat, and a persistent cough, and it would be wonderful if a pill could cure you immediately. Many people assume that antibiotics are that pill, but when a doctor declines to prescribe one, there is an excellent reason.

Germs come in several varieties, and two of the most common are bacteria and viruses. Bacteria are minuscule living organisms consisting of a single cell, and a great many of them are harmless or even beneficial. A few, however, can cause illness, as in strep throat. Viruses are smaller still, and they are unable to multiply on their own. Instead they invade the body's cells and exploit them to manufacture more viruses. Colds and the flu are caused by viruses.

Antibiotics are medicines designed to halt or destroy bacteria. They work by targeting structures that bacteria possess and that our own cells lack. Viruses do not have those structures, so an antibiotic has no effect on a cold. Swallowing one would give you the side effects of the medicine without any of its benefits.

There is yet another reason for caution. Whenever antibiotics are used, a few bacteria may survive and hand their toughness down to the next generation. Gradually, this can produce bacteria that the medicine can no longer stop, a problem called antibiotic resistance. That is one reason doctors prefer to reserve antibiotics for the occasions when they are genuinely necessary.

When you have a cold, the most useful remedies are rest, plenty of fluids, and patience while the body's defenses do their work. If a doctor does prescribe an antibiotic, it should be taken exactly as directed.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put bacteria, viruses, antibiotics, resistance and prescribe on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 3 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 5 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Why Your Doctor Says No to Antibiotics for a Cold"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 257 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 7.4. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are seven. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 3 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 3 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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