Lesson 1: Weather on the Farm

Review with your child the definition of setting — the time and place where a story occurs. Explain to him that the setting of Tornado is a farm. Ask your child what he knows about life on a farm. Read about life on a farm and look at pictures of farm life in books or on the Internet. Discuss the different jobs that farmers and their families have — plowing crops, milking cows, gathering eggs, and feeding the animals. Explain that farm families must get up early in the morning and must work very hard to take care of the crops and animals.

Ask your child what he would enjoy and what he would not enjoy about living on a farm and then ask him to complete one of the following options.

For this option, give your child the "Farm Life" (Option 1) page and ask him to draw a picture of himself working on a farm. At the bottom of the page he can write a short paragraph describing what he enjoys about the farm.

For this option, your child can use the "Farm Life" (Option 2) page to create a Venn diagram that compares life in his own home to what his life might be if he lived on a farm. Ask him to think of two examples of things he does that are different from what people on a farm do, two things that people on a farm do that are different from what he does, and then one way that life on a farm is similar to his own life. If your child is able to think of more ideas to include on the Venn diagram, encourage him to do so.

Review what your child has learned about life on a farm. Tell him to pretend that he lives on a farm. In his journal, ask him to write a schedule that outlines what he does each day — chores, fun, family time, learning, etc. He can pretend to live on a farm in the present or he could pretend to live on a farm in the later 1800s or early 1900s. Discuss the difference between life on a farm today and life on a farm many years ago. Some ideas might include tractor vs. plow, machines that milk cows vs. hand milking, chemicals for crops vs. often losing crops to insects.

He can start with 6:00 a.m. and continue through 8:00 p.m. Each hour he should list what activity he would engage in on the farm. Remind him that he needs to include three meals each day in his schedule. Discuss whether girls' chores on a farm are different from boys' chores.