Looking for a Middle School Reading Comprehension Worksheet Templates? Download it for free!

Can The Cinnamon Challenge Kill You (1080l) - Middle School Reading Article Worksheet

Vale Middle School Reading Article

Can the Cinnamon Challenge Kill You? (1080L)

Instructions: COMPLETE ALL QUESTIONS AND MARGIN NOTES

Read the following article carefully and make notes in the margin as you read.

Your notes should include:

o Comments that show that you understand the article. (A summary or statement of the main

idea of important sections may serve this purpose.)

o Questions you have that show what you are wondering about as you read.

o Notes that differentiate between fact and opinion.

o Observations about how the writer’s strategies (organization, word choice, perspective,

support) and choices affect the article.

Your margin notes are part of your score for this assessment.

Answer the questions carefully in complete sentences unless otherwise instructed.

Student ____________________________Class Period__________________

Notes on my thoughts,

Can the cinnamon challenge kill you?

reactions and questions as I

read:

An Internet meme with potentially risky consequences is sweeping the Web. The

question is, “Can the brutal 'cinnamon challenge' be potentially fatal as well?”

If someone can explain the appeal of the cinnamon challenge, can they clue in the rest

of us? The dastardly dare that has the Internet aflutter involves the task of eating a

teaspoon of ground cinnamon, without water, in less than a minute.

What could be so tough about consuming a mouthful of this innocuous-seeming spice?

If cinnamon inspires thoughts of comforting apple pie and cozy cinnamon rolls, switch

gears and consider Atomic Fireballs, Lava Hot Cinnamon Balls, and Hot Tamales.

Cinnamon is potent, as evidenced by the reactions recorded in many a cinnamon-

challenge YouTube video — coughing, choking, gagging, vomiting, crying, cursing and

general signs of severe discomfort.

But all the panicked retching aside, can swallowing a mouthful of cinnamon be

dangerous, or even deadly?

To understand the potency of cinnamon, ponder this: Cinnamaldehyde, the organic

compound that gives the spice its distinctive flavor, is used as a pesticide and fungicide.

It’s strong enough to kill little things, for heaven’s sake. The EPA warns of acute

dermal toxicity; acute oral toxicity; eye irritation; dermal irritation and dermal

sensitization. Granted, this is just a component of cinnamon used in concentration, but

still, this demure seasoning clearly has a wicked side.

Breyer, M. Can the cinnamon challenge kill you? Mother Nature Network. February 3, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.

Can The Cinnamon Challenge Kill You (1080l) - Middle School Reading Article Worksheet