edHelper.com
Illnesses

Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle Cell Anemia
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.32

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    anemia, biconcave, chromosome, defective, detection, enlargement, erroneous, genetic, Hand-foot, hemoglobin, mutation, Pain-killing, pneumonia, preventive, puberty, rod-like
     content words:    African Americans

Print Sickle Cell Anemia
edHelper.com subscriber options:
     Print Sickle Cell Anemia  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)
     Quickly print reading comprehension
     Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on Sickle Cell Anemia
     Leave your feedback on Sickle Cell Anemia  (use this link if you found an error in the story)

Sickle Cell Anemia
By Jennifer Kenny 		  
1     What makes you you? You inherit genes from your parents. Genes determine your characteristics. Genes determine the color of your eyes. Genes determine the color of your hair. Genes are segments of DNA found on a chromosome. Genes tell your body how to grow. A mutation, or a gene that carries erroneous instructions, can cause disease or your chance of getting a disease.
 
2     Sickle cell anemia is one such disease. It is classified as a single-gene disease. It is the most common genetic disease among African Americans. It is caused by an error in a gene that tells your body how to make hemoglobin. You must inherit the defective gene from both parents in order to have it. If you inherit the gene from only one parent, you don't have the disease but you do carry the trait.
 
3     You know that sickle cell anemia affects the hemoglobin. Do you remember what hemoglobin does? Hemoglobin is a protein that carries oxygen to your cells. Hemoglobin is found in red blood cells.

Paragraphs 4 to 10:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Copyright © 2008 edHelper