1. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming?
Feature Menu
Introducing the Selection
Informational Text Focus: Synthesizing Sources: Analyzing Main Ideas
Writing Skills Focus: Preparing for Timed Writing

2. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Introducing the Selection
Is the will to escape one of instinct or intellect?

3. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Introducing the Selection
On December 26, 2004, a major undersea earthquake sparked gigantic ocean waves that devastated South and Southeast Asia.
More than 225,000 people died.

4. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Introducing the Selection
After the storm, stories circulated of the strange behavior of animals that fled in advance of the tsunamis.
Elephants screamed and ran for higher ground.
Flamingos abandoned their low-lying homes.
Dogs refused to go outdoors.
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5. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming
Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Informational Text Focus: Synthesizing Sources: Analyzing Main Ideas
A well-written magazine or newspaper article contains details that support the writer’s main idea.

6. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming
Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Informational Text Focus: Synthesizing Sources: Analyzing Main Ideas
These supporting details may include:
facts (statements that can be proved)
statistics (facts in number form)
quotations (a person’s exact words)
evidence (examples)

7. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming
Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Informational Text Focus: Synthesizing Sources: Analyzing Main Ideas
Source 2
To synthesize, or combine, sources on a topic, first compare the main ideas in each.
Source 1
Source 3
Source 4
Then, consider how those ideas relate to other sources you’ve read on similar topics.

8. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming
Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Informational Text Focus: Synthesizing Sources: Analyzing Main Ideas
Into Action: Fill in a chart to help you identify the main idea and supporting details.
supporting detail
supporting detail
main idea
supporting detail
supporting detail
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9. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Writing Skills Focus
Preparing for Timed Writing
As you read, pay attention to the structure of the text, including the use of headings, paragraphs, and lists to convey ideas. Also record how you might synthesize the information in this article with the information presented in “The Great Escape.”
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10. Vocabulary

11. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Vocabulary
domestic adj.: not wild; tame.
impending adj.: about to happen; looming.
emigrated v.: moved to another country.

12. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Vocabulary
The sentence below may help you understand how the word domestic is used in “Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming?”
Even domestic animals retain their wild instincts.
What types of domestic animals might make good pets?
Try to think of animals other than dogs, cats, and fish.

13. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Vocabulary
Although my pet Eureka is a tame, domestic house cat . . .
I can sometimes see the wild nature of her animal cousins in the way she prowls the back yard.

14. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Vocabulary
The sentence below may help you understand how the word impending is used in “Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming?”
No one knew the damage the impending tsunami would cause.
How do you think the animals sensed the impending disaster?

15. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Vocabulary
My dog Easy is terribly afraid of thunderstorms. He seems to hear a looming storm before my brother and I even notice a dark cloud in the sky.

16. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Vocabulary
The sentence below may help you understand how the word emigrated is used in “Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming?”
The researcher emigrated to the United States from Pakistan ten years ago.
Have you ever met someone who emigrated to another country?
Why do you think someone might move from his or her native land?

17. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? Vocabulary
My college roommate Kwame emigrated to Canada from Rwanda when he was four years old. His family moved to escape a bloody civil war.
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18. The End

19. QuickWrite

20. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming? QuickWrite
Think of a movie or television show in which the main character devises an escape plan.
Briefly describe the situation.
Is this desire for escape propelled by a physical need, an intellectual need, or both?
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21. Build Background

22. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming?
Build Background
On December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake estimated to register 9.0 on the Richter scale triggered several tsunamis in the Indian Ocean.
The tsunamis, gigantic ocean waves, flooded coastal areas of South and Southeast Asia, devastating entire communities and causing the deaths of more than 225,000 people.
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23. Read with a Purpose

24. Did Animals Sense Tsunami Was Coming?
Read with a Purpose
Read the following selection to learn how animals escaped the tsunami of 2004.
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