Brains at Risk (Readworks Article)

What is a concussion?

• an injury to the leg, especially the knee

• damage that results from shaking the brain

• an injury to the face, like a cut on the forehead

• damage to the shoulder or elbow joint

What are some of the symptoms caused by a concussion?

• vision difficulties, headaches, and memory loss

• sweating, numb fingers, and painful neck aches

• stomach aches, indigestion, and vomiting

• swollen joints, itchy rashes, and hair loss

Lawmakers across America are concerned about the safety of student-athletes.

What evidence from the passage supports this conclusion?

• “Concussions can also cause vision difficulties, headaches, memory loss, and a range of other problems.”

• “And although a single concussion heals relatively quickly, repeat concussions can lead to traumatic brain injury (TBI)—a permanent, career-ending disability.”

• “Because concussions remained under the radar for so long, statistics that might have revealed the extent of the problem weren’t kept.”

• “All 50 states now have “return to play legislation”—laws to protect students against repeat concussions.”

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Why are many people so worried about concussions in student-athletes?

• because younger people are less concerned about their brains

• because younger people are more vulnerable to concussions

• because student-athletes can’t perform well in school with a concussion

• because younger people’s brains are being affected by technology

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What is the main idea of this text?

• Concussions are a serious problem for young people playing sports, and coaches and teams are adjusting policies to better protect players.

• NFL players Andrew Luck and Rob Gronkowski both quit football before the age of 30 because they were concerned about concussions.

• Concussions can cause a variety of symptoms, including headaches, memory loss, dizziness, and vision difficulties.

• Traumatic brain injury is a serious problem for athletes, but doctors don’t know enough about it to correctly diagnose it.

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According to the text, "concussion rates in high school athletics have been dropping across all sports". What is 1 thing that has helped to lower the concussion rate in high school athletes? How has helped? RACE

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