Lesson Plan - The Killer Flu of 1918

Engage and Connect

Ask students to respond to this prompt: What do you think the world was like in 1918? How do you think life was different about 100 years ago? You might have students write responses or record them using a video platform like Flipgrid. Provide opportunities for students to share and discuss their ideas.

Build Vocabulary

Use the Skill Builder Words to Know to preteach the domain-specific terms pandemic, vaccine, World War I, censor, barracks, misinformation, susceptible, epidemic, forerunner, and immunity. Have students refer to the Skill Builder as they read.

Read the Article

Read the article aloud or have students read it independently. As students read, direct them to mark ways the 1918 pandemic is similar to the one today with a check mark and ways it is different with an X. If students are reading online, you might have them highlight similarities and differences using different colors.

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• How did the 1918 flu affect Violet Harris? (Cause and Effect)
The 1918 flu caused officials to close the 15-year-old’s school in Seattle, Washington, on October 5. At first, Violet was excited about not having to go to school. But she became more worried as the flu spread and infected her best friend. Her mother made her spend more time at home. Violet didn’t return to school until November 14.

• What does the photo of Camp Funston show? Do you think the flu would spread easily there? Explain. (Analyzing Photos)
The photo shows doctors, nurses, and many patients at an Army base in Kansas. The flu might spread easily there because many people are together in one large room. The beds are close together, with little space between them. Only a few people are wearing masks over their noses and mouths. For example, in the front, a medical worker is touching a patient and they both have masks around their necks, not over their faces.

• Why was the 1918 flu known as the Spanish flu? (Text Evidence)
The U.S. and most European countries censored their press during World War I, including news about the flu, but Spain didn’t fight in the war or censor its news. Because Spanish journalists often wrote about the flu, it became known as the Spanish flu. However, some experts think the 1918 flu started in the U.S. After a soldier showed up with it at Camp Funston in March, it spread to more than 1,000 people and killed 38. When thousands of American soldiers went to Europe to fight in World War I that spring, they took the flu with them.

• What does Laura Spinney mean when she says “I’m often struck by how ancient this [current] pandemic feels”? (Making Meaning)
She means that the current Covid-19 pandemic feels similar to others in history, including the 1918 flu. During both pandemics, many officials urged social distancing, required people to wear masks, and shut down schools and other public places to try to prevent the viruses from spreading.

• How was the U.S. unprepared for the flu pandemic? (Central Ideas)
The U.S. was largely unprepared for the pandemic because of World War I. Many doctors and nurses were in Europe, leaving U.S. hospitals understaffed. In factories, workers crowded together to make weapons, and soldiers crowded together in barracks. President Woodrow Wilson and other officials downplayed the threat of the virus or spread misinformation about it.

• How did the 1918 flu lead to improvements in health care? (Cause and Effect)
After the 1918 pandemic, world leaders started focusing more on health care, and scientists spent more time studying diseases. In 1919, an international group for fighting epidemics was formed. The first flu vaccine was created in the 1940s.

• When and why did the pandemic end? (Key Details)
After the second wave of the virus peaked in October 1918 with the deaths of 195,000 Americans that month, cases fell suddenly. The flu mostly disappeared, partly because so many people worldwide had already been infected by the virus—about one in three—that they had developed immunity to it. A third wave in the winter and spring of 1919 wasn’t as deadly, and by May the flu had mostly burned itself out.

Analyze a Primary Source

Use the Skill Builder Primary Source: A Doctor’s Letter to have students read and answer questions about a letter a doctor wrote to a friend from Camp Devens, Massachusetts, on September 29, 1918.

Write an Informative Essay

Use the Informative Writing Toolkit to help students respond to the “Write About It!” prompt on page 29. The kit will guide students through every step of the writing process, from brainstorming to publishing. It includes a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the 1918 flu pandemic and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Assess Comprehension

Assign the 10-question Know the News quiz, available in PDF and interactive forms. You can also use Quiz Wizard to assess comprehension of this article and three others from the issue