Answer Close-Reading Questions
Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.
• How does Diving With a Purpose help Black divers find and tell their own histories? (Central Ideas)
Diving With a Purpose helps Black divers document the wrecks of ships that carried enslaved African people to the Americas. The nonprofit trains volunteers in marine archaeology and often works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to find dive sites. Then the divers photograph the shipwrecks, create maps of the sites, and examine artifacts.
• What skills or qualities does Ayana Flewellen say make her good at archaeology? (Key Details)
Flewellen says that the amount of time she’s spent learning to do her work is important. She did her first archaeological dig about 16 years ago and has completed more than 50 dives in the past eight years. Flewellen also has a Ph.D. in anthropology.
• How does the sidebar “The Middle Passage” support the article? (Text Features)
The sidebar supports the article by explaining the history of the Middle Passage, a major route used to bring Africans to the Americas to be sold into slavery. About 12.5 million people were captured in Africa and forced onto ships that took them across the Middle Passage. The sidebar notes that about 1,000 of the ships sank. Additionally, a map shows the ships’ routes.