Lesson 3: The Tornado
Getting Started
Questions to Explore
- How does the environment affect living things?
- What makes an environment safe or unsafe?
- How does the weather affect people, plants, and animals?
Facts and Definitions
- Word choice is an element of writing that includes choosing interesting and descriptive words to make the writing more engaging and exciting.
Skills
- Draw and discuss visual images based on text description. (LA)
- Produce a summary of a text. (LA)
- Write to communicate with an audience. (LA)
- Examine author's decisions and word choice. (LA)
Materials
- Tornado by Betsy Byars, Doron Ben-Ami
- crayons or colored pencils
- journal
Introduction
Tell your child that today in the book, Pete will describe a time a tornado hit his house. After the tornado, he will discover something very special.
Materials: Tornado by Betsy Byars, Doron Ben-Ami
Ask your child to listen as you read Chapter 2 aloud to him, and then ask him to verbally summarize the chapter. You can use the following questions for further discussion, as needed.
Questions
- What does Pete's mom mean when she says, "I smell a storm."?Explain to your child that often before a big storm the air can feel and even smell different.
- How was the tornado at Pete's house different from the tornado in the first chapter?There was no warning or funnel cloud.
- Describe the yard after the tornado.All of the trees were destroyed and the yard was littered with other people's things, like a doghouse, a clothesline, and a bicycle.
- What is Pete most surprised to find in the yard after the tornado?Pete finds a dog in the doghouse.
- How do you think the dog felt after the tornado?Answers will vary.