1. The Storm Genre: Realistic Fiction
Author’s Purpose: Entertainment and Expressing Feelings
Comprehension Skill: Predicting
By: Marc Harshman
Compiled by Terry Sams, Piedmont

2. Summary
    Ever since his accident, Jonathan has worked hard to make himself strong and capable in his wheelchair.  One afternoon, his mother leaves him in charge of bringing in the horses on the family farm while she and his father are elsewhere.  A huge storm is brewing.  Jonathan likes most storms, but this is no ordinary storm - it's a tornado.  The story tells how Jonathan saves the horses - and himself.

3. Genre: Realistic Fiction
Realistic Fiction seems like real life with characters dealing with real life problems. The action can happen no matter how improbable, and often takes place in the present time. The situations are true or could be, but the characters are made up. Realistic Fiction may include "real people" characters who have actually lived. \
Bibliography of Realist Fiction
Realistic Fiction Activities

4. Realistic Fiction and Expository Nonfiction TE 317i
The Storm is an imaginary story, but the setting, characters, and events are realistic. This is realistic fiction, and it is usually written to entertain.
Tornado Tales is factual. It explains something in the real world. It explains what tornadoes are like and what they do.
This genre is expository fiction and is written to explain.

5. Realistic Fiction and Expository Nonfiction
The Storm
fiction
tells about imaginary
people, places and
events that are like
those in real life
main purpose is
usually to entertain
“Tornado Tales”
nonfiction
tells about something
in the real world
main purpose is to
explain

6. Comprehension Skill: Predicting
To predict means to tell what you think might happen next in a story or article based on what has already happened.
Your prediction is what you say will happen next.
When you make predictions, you also use your personal knowledge about a topic to help you.
Predicting is a process of checking and changing your predictions as you read based on new information.

7. Practice Predicting (TE 317A)
Prediction
Jonathan will stay calm during the storm.
Story Information
He loves storms and isn’t scared.
Prior Knowledge
that Confirms
It is important to stay calm in a storm.
The storm will be more violent than Jonathan expects.
There are many signs a twister is coming, radio, wind, wail, sky.
Tornados or more damaging than he is use to.

8. Comprehension Skill Review – Drawing Conclusions
Author’s don’t always tell you everything. Instead, they may give you a few details about what happens or about characters.
A conclusion is a decision you reach that makes sense after you think about the details or facts that you have read.
You can you details and what you know to draw conclusions, or to figure out things about characters and evens in what you read..

9. Practice Drawing Conclusions
Story Clues
Jonathan tells his parents about what he did.
What I know =
When I do something really hard or scary, I feel proud.
Conclusion
Jonathan feels very proud of himself.
They did not scold or baby him.
When I tell people what I’ve done, it’s because I feel good about it.
It feels good to do a job well.
He won’t care as much when they look at him, because they might see him and not his condition.
People don’t like to be pitied.
People with disabilities are capable and want to be treated the same as everyone else.

10. Vocabulary Skill Review : Antonyms
Words with opposite meanings are called antonyms.
You can often figure out the meaning of an unknown word by finding a clue in the words around it.
Sometimes the clue is an antonym.
Click on the title to practice this skill.

11. Research Skills – Almanac TE 317j
An almanac is a book that is published every year.
It contains calendars, weather information, and dates of holidays.
It also contains charts and tables of current information about subjects such as city populations and recent prize winners in science, literature, or sports.

12. Weekly Fluency Check - Read with Attention to Punctuation
Students should read with attention to punctuation, for example, using commas to break up long sentences.
Commas provide a place where the reader can pause or take a breath, and can help to determine the proper meaning of the sentence.
Go to pages , beginning with Ever since the. . .”

13. Review #1a Pages 302-307 What does Jonathan hate most of all?
Where had his mother gone?
How can you tell Jonathan is independent and confident?
What are some words the author uses to help you visualize the storm?

14. Review #2 Pages
What does he do to calm the horses?
How does he feel when he looked beyond the house? Explain
Why did he cry so hard when he found the dead rooster?

15. Pick one of the following and write about it:
Write a weather bulletin announcing that a tornado has been sighted. Warn people about the dangers and how they can protect themselves.
Despite his disability, Jonathan responds bravely to a crisis. Write a journal entry that he might have written at some point in this story.

16. Write About It
What do you think Jonathan will be like in the future because of his experience in the storm? Give reasons for your opinion.

17. What You Should Know About Tornados
More Good Stuff
ABC Spelling words
Vocabulary Match Up
Hangman Spelling
Antonyms Game
Tornado Museum
What You Should Know About Tornados
Teacher Lesson Plan
Reading Test
Spelling Test

18. Say It!
accident
coaxed
nuzzled
soothed
tornado
wailed

19. More Words to Know
advisory
flashbacks
scythe
therapist

20. coaxed
persuaded gently

21. accident
something harmful or unlucky that happens unexpectedly

22. soothed
quieted or comforted someone or something

23. tornado
a violent or destructive windstorm with winds as high as 300 mph

24. wail
a long, sad cry

25. advisory
report of bad weather

26. flashbacks
scenes of an earlier event inserted into a current event

27. scythe
a long, curved blade on a handle

28. therapist
people who treat injuries or diseases

29. nuzzled
rubbed with the nose

30. A scythe was used to cut grass a long time ago.

31. A scythe was used to cut grass a long time ago.

32. I heard the wail of the wind. It sounded like the cry of a child.

33. I heard the wail of the wind. It sounded like the cry of a child.

34. The tornado is a very destructive storm.

35. The tornado is a very destructive storm.

36. He was involved in a
bad car accident.

37. He was involved in a bad car accident.

38. He coaxed the horses into the barn.

39. He coaxed the horses into the barn.

40. She tried to soothe her crying mother.

41. She tried to soothe her crying mother.

42. The dog nuzzled me with his nose.

43. The dog nuzzled me with his nose.

44. Flashbacks sometimes come to mind when we are thinking about other things.

45. Flashbacks sometimes come to mind when we are thinking about other things.

46. The weather advisory predicted lots of rain.

47. The weather advisory predicted lots of rain.

48. The therapist tried to help him learn how to walk again.

49. The therapist tried to help him learn how to walk again.

50. Spelling Words – with /j/, /ks/, /kw/
change
village
edge
except
excited
explain
expect
Texas
quick
equal

51. Spelling Words – with /j/, /ks/, /kw/
extra
queen
quart
liquid
quilt
charge
bridge
fudge
excellent
relax

52. This Week’s Word Wall Words
Click and type your own words for this week:

53. Let’s review our spelling words
Let’s review our spelling words. Watch carefully because they will flash on the screen for just a moment. We will clap as we spell the word..

54. change

55. village

56. edge

57. except

58. excited

59. explain

60. expect

61. Texas

62. quick

63. equal

64. charge

65. bridge

66. fudge

67. excellent

68. relax

69. extra

70. queen

71. quart

72. liquid

73. quilt

74. change

75. GREAT JOB!