SummaryTornadoes!
by Lorraine Jean Hopping
Illustrated by Jody Wheeler
Third Grade Lessons and Activities
Created by Alyssa Bullerman and Allison Kesteloot
Summary
Tornadoes! is about a scientist named Tim Marshall and his friend named Roy Britt. They are tornado chasers and travel across the country learning about tornadoes. Through their adventures they learn about tornado safety, the history of tornadoes, how a tornado is formed, where they are most likely found, and the damage a tornado can create. Tim and Roy are going on these adventures to find more information about tornadoes in order to save the lives of other people. Join Tim and Roy on their chase of tornadoes to learn more about them!
About
the Author
Lorraine Jean Hopping is from Michigan. She used to work as a freelance writer and magazine editor in New York City. Now she works inside her home, editing, writing, and inventing games. She has wanted to be a writer since she was ten years old. To find the answers to the questions: Are you famous? What pets do you have? Do you have to go to college to be a writer? Check out her website!
Pre-reading
Activities
1. To start thinking about tornadoes, write down any experiences you have had with tornadoes. This could include being in a storm where there was a tornado watch or warning, spotting a funnel cloud, seeing a show on television such as a program on the Discovery Channel about tornadoes, or actually being in a tornado.
2. To create a better understanding of what a tornado looks like view these pictures to find out! Once in the link, go to photo gallery and then select tornadoes and funnels to view the correct pictures.
Reading
Activities
1. Once you read chapter three, predict if tornadoes will hit today by visiting the link, will tornadoes hit today?
2. To check for understanding while you are reading, play this game!
After Reading Activities
1. Taking what you learned about the formation of tornadoes from the book and this video create drawings of four mini pictures of what the progression of a tornado would look like. Take a long strip of rectangular paper and fold it into four equal sections. Number each section in the order of progression.
2. To gain a better understanding of what the F-scale is, check this out! Write out five facts that you have learned from this site!
3. Tornadoes can be pretty scary if you do not know the proper safety procedures. Tim and Roy followed many safety procedures while chasing tornadoes. Create a poster advertising different safety procedures people should follow in the case of a tornado. Use the safety tips from the back of the book and this site for further information to use while creating the poster!
4. Build your own tornado! Follow the directions on this site to create your own tornado in a bottle. Go to the heading Wind, then look for the link that says Tornado in a Bottle. First read the directions on this site, then go to the back of the classroom to gather your materials and start creating a tornado! The teacher will be available for guidance.
Rubric for Projects