5 1 2 storm danger TG

5.1.2

Storm Danger!

CAUSE AND EFFECT
MONITOR AND FIX UP

Most storms cause few risks,
but some—thunderstorms, flash floods,
tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards—can
be very dangerous. This book describes the
effects of such storms and gives students
tips on how to remain safe.

READ THE BOOK

LESSON VOCABULARY

STRATEGY SUPPORT: MONITOR AND FIX UP Have
students work in small groups to prepare an
outline of Storm Danger! Remind students that
an outline can help them better understand
how a piece of writing is organized and
can serve as a way of summarizing text to
support comprehension. Text features such
as captions and chart headings (as in the
“Protect Yourself” lists) can help with the
outline’s structure. Have students use this as
an opportunity to review sections of the text
that they found confusing.

SUMMARY

branded
daintily
lullaby
resourceful
veins

constructed
devastation
pitch
thieving

INTRODUCE THE BOOK
INTRODUCE THE TITLE AND AUTHOR

Discuss with
students the title and the author of Storm
Danger! Have students discuss what dangers
they expect to read about.

BUILD BACKGROUND

Ask students to describe
their experiences—either personal or what
they have seen in movies or on TV—with
thunderstorms, flash floods, tornadoes,
hurricanes, and blizzards. Ask: What are some
dangers of each storm?
Point out that storms have different

names depending on the geographical area in
which they occur. Invite students to name the
types of storms that occur in their native land,
such as typhoons or monsoons. Ask students
to share personal experiences they may have
had with such storms.

PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES

Have
students preview the book by looking at
the photographs and the “Protect Yourself”
charts throughout the text. Ask: What do you
think you will learn from this book?

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SET PURPOSE

Ask students to set a purpose
for reading Storm Danger! Ideas might include
learning about the effects and dangers of
different types of storms and understanding
how to protect yourself from them.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
PAGES 6–7

What are some common effects of
thunderstorms? (strong winds that knock over

trees or power lines; hail; lightning; flooding)

PAGE 8

If a boy and a tall tree were both
standing in a field, which would lightning be
most apt to hit? Why? (the tree because it is
taller)
PAGE 12 Where do tornadoes tend to occur?
(in the plains of the U.S., between the Rocky
Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains)
PAGE 14

What causes a hurricane? (a tropical
storm in the ocean builds up speed)

PAGE 17

Name three things you can do to
protect yourself during a blizzard. (Possible
responses: don’t travel by car; have a batteryoperated radio; wear layers)

Storm Danger!

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REVISIT THE BOOK

READER RESPONSE

1. Answers will vary. Causes: hail, lightning,
floods, strong winds; Effects: trees toppling,
damage to buildings, fires, roads being
washed away
2. Flash floods happen because the rain
comes so quickly that it cannot be absorbed
by the ground.
3. Pitch (verb) means “to throw.” Veins are also
methods of expression or style. Sentences
will vary.
4. Possible response: They are safety
checklists.
EXTEND UNDERSTANDING

Discuss how the
“Protect Yourself” bulleted lists succinctly
present safety tips in a way that makes the
tips easy to access. Ask: What are the advantages of using bulleted lists when presenting
information?

RESPONSE OPTIONS
SPEAKING

Have students use the information
in the book on thunderstorms (or one of the
other types of storms common to your area)
to write up and present short radio or TV
weather bulletins about how to prepare for

such a storm.

SCIENCE CONNECTION
Have students work in
small groups to research
the causes and effects of a
typhoon or monsoon. Have them
work together to create a “Protect Yourself”
bulleted list for the storm chosen.

Skill Work
TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY
Write the vocabulary words on the board and
invite students to define them. Then have
students work in small groups to act out the
words in simple charades.

TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY
CAUSE AND EFFECT

Remind students that
a cause is why something happened; the
effect is what happened. Discuss how a
cause (such as a storm) may have multiple
effects, and an effect (such as flooding)
may have more than one cause. Remind
students that clue words like because and so
may indicate cause and effect. As they read,
encourage students to ask themselves: What
happened? What caused it to happen? Point

out that this book is organized to describe
the effects of each type of storm.
MONITOR AND FIX UP

Encourage students
to develop a reading plan. Note that there
are likely to be new words and challenging
concepts in the text, so students will want
to adopt strategies to check comprehension
as they read. Encourage students to use
fix-up strategies such as summarizing facts
to clarify ideas, slowing their reading rate,
and rereading chunks of text. Emphasize
that they can use graphic sources to aid
comprehension.

ADDITIONAL SKILL INSTRUCTION
DRAW CONCLUSIONS

Remind students that
a conclusion is a sensible decision reached
after you have thought about details or facts
you have read. Drawing conclusions is the
process of making those sensible decisions.
Encourage students to draw conclusions
as they read. For example, on page 8, after
reading that lightning hits the highest object,
students can conclude that they should
avoid high places or tall objects when
outdoors during a thunderstorm.

Storm Danger!

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Storm Danger!

Name

Cause and Effect
• A cause is the reason something happens. The effect is what happens.
• A cause may have more than one effect, and an effect may have more than one cause.

Directions Read the following passage. Then fill in the chart that follows.

Tornadoes occur when a warm, humid air mass meets with a cool, dry air mass. This
collision sometimes results in a powerful, swirling column of air. The tornado’s swirling winds
can exceed 300 mph. Tornadoes cause much damage by this sheer force of wind, but they also
have a strong updraft that can lift and carry objects.
A tornado can lift cars into the air and tear trees out of the ground. It can pull roofs from
houses, even if the houses are well constructed. Tornadoes can be strong enough to send glass
and wood flying through the air.

Tornado: Causes

1.

Tornado: Effects

1.

2.
2.
3.

5.

© Pearson Education 5

4.

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Storm Danger!

Name

Vocabulary
Directions Complete each sentence with a vocabulary word from the box. One word with two
different meanings is used twice.

Check the Words You Know
branded
devastation
resourceful

1. The
out the storm.

constructed
lullaby
thieving

daintily
pitch
veins

mother found a new safe spot for her son to wait

2. As the baby cried, her mother sang her a
3. Blood flows through your

to help her sleep.
.

4. The tornado caused a massive amount of
5. The men used
6. The
from the store.
7. The tree was
8. The

9. Jenny’s home is
10. The ballerinas moved

.
to repair the loose tiles on the roof.

teenagers began to hatch their plot to grab jewelry
black after it was struck by lightning.
in the leaf helped distribute water.
of stucco, with a tile roof.
across the stage.

© Pearson Education 5

Directions Write a paragraph about storms, using as many vocabulary words as you can.

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