The Killer Smog

Social Studies: modern world history

Science: ecology, environment

cause and effect, drawing conclusions, key details, compare and contrast, author’s craft, main idea, text features, vocabulary

Watch a Video/Preview Text Features (25 minutes)

• This story is accompanied by a Video Read-Aloud narrated by author Lauren Tarshis. Riveting photos and footage help students visualize what’s happening during the Killer Smog. The video can be used as a “first read.”

• Look at pages 4 and 5 with the class. Direct students’ attention to the title, subtitle, and photograph. Ask students what they think the story will be about. Ask: What important facts does the subhead tell you about the smog? How does the photo help you imagine what it was like to live through the Killer Smog?

• Point to the photographs and captions on the next two spreads. Locate London and Beijing on a classroom map or globe. Explain that London is the capital of the United Kingdom; Beijing is the capital of China.

• Read aloud the photo titles and captions with the class. Explain that a torch is a large light that can be carried in your hand. Ask: How are the photos of London and Beijing similar? How are they different? 

Introduce Domain-Specific Vocabulary (15 minutes)

• We have highlighted in bold five words that may be challenging and defined them on the page. Preview these words by projecting or distributing our vocabulary activity and completing it as a class. You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow.

• Highlighted words: environmental, hazy, microscopic, wheeze, pneumonia

Set a Purpose for Reading (5 minutes)

• Both the Think and Read and Think and Write boxes on pages 4 and 9 support the story’s featured skill, cause and effect. Ask students to look for details as they read that help them identify the causes and effects of the deadly smog.

Reading and Unpacking the Text

• First read: Read the story as a class. Use the Pause and Think questions at the end of each section to check comprehension. 

• Second read: Distribute Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions to the class. Preview them together. Ask students to read the article again and answer the questions as a class or in small groups. 

Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)

• Read the first section. Why do you think the poisonous black cloud became known as the Killer Smog? (drawing conclusions) The cloud lasted for five days and probably killed many people in London.

• In “Black as Night,” what details help you understand what the smog looked and smelled like to people in London? (key details) The morning air was black. It smelled like chemicals and rotten eggs. How did the smog affect people on that first day? (cause and effect) Millions of people were stuck all over London in buses, trains, and cars. They couldn’t find their way home. Some people drowned in the River Thames. The black air even got inside people’s homes.

• Read “Fog Becomes Smog.” What is an important difference between fog and smog? (compare and contrast) Fog is natural and harmless; smog is caused when people burn coal. Unlike fog, smog can cause serious lung problems, including asthma and pneumonia. 

• Why did the author choose the subhead “Seriously Sick” for the next part of the story? (author’s craft) In this section the author talks about Brian’s lung problems and the serious health problems and deaths related to the smog.

• What made this smog so dangerous and long-lasting? (cause and effect) Because of the cold weather, people burned more coal. The smog lasted for five days because there was no wind to clear it away.

• Read “New Laws for Cleaner Air.”  Why is air pollution considered the world’s most serious environmental problem? (main idea) Seven million people have died from air pollution since 2012. Many more have suffered serious health problems. How do the photos and captions on pages 8 and 9 help you understand how air pollution affects people all over the world? (text features) The photos show how smog affects people in China today. In Beijing, the air is polluted. Chinese children have to wear face masks to protect them from the air pollution. 

Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)

• What do you think was the most important effect of the deadly smog cloud that covered London? (cause and effect) Answers will vary but might include: Because of the deadly smog, people realized how serious air pollution can be. Although political leaders hadn’t done much in the past to reduce air pollution, they decided to take action. The British government passed a new law in an effort to make air cleaner.

• Distribute our Cause and Effect activity sheet. Have students work in small groups to complete it.

• Discuss the writing assignment in the Think and Write box on page 9. Remind students to begin or end their paragraphs with a sentence that sums up the main idea. Tell them to look at the photos and captions as well as the text for examples to include in their writing. Students can complete their paragraphs in class or as homework.