1) The document provides an overview of lesson plans and activities for a unit on how nature can challenge us, focusing on the story Thunder Rose.
2) It includes plans for building oral language and vocabulary, reading comprehension, word analysis, research on natural disasters, and centers focusing on spelling, conventions, and vocabulary.
3) The lessons aim to teach students about challenges posed by nature like tornadoes, snow, ice, and wildfires through class discussions, reading, research, and creative activities like telling tall tales.
7. Vocabulary
• With a partner read each word and definition. In the back half
of your reading spiral write each word in a sentence.
Underline or highlight the vocabulary word in the sentence.
8. Conventions – Small Group. Bring your packet!
Handwriting -
Spelling – Long Vowel VCV
Take the pretest on Spelling City. Write the correct list of words in your
spiral.
Complete WS DVD10
Research and Inquiry – How can nature challenge us?
STEP 1 – Identify and Focus Topic
Research a challenging force of nature, such as a tornado, earthquake,
volcano, or hurricane.
Choose one force to research. List what you will use to find your
research in your spelling spiral. Then write an inquiry question.
Centers
9. Day 2 - Content Knowledge
Build Oral Language
• How can nature challenge us?
• “The roaring had started somewhere to the east, then
came bearing down on us like a hundred freight trains.
Only that twister didn’t move on It stationed itself right
overhead, making the loudest noise I’d ever heard,
whining worse than any jet.”
• What does roaring mean?
• Why would a tornado be described as roaring?
10. Oral Vocabulary
• Amazing word –
Precipice
• Look on page 50 and
51. How do you think
the icy precipice
makes the climber
feel?
• Discuss with a partner-
• What would you do if a
twister came roaring
toward your house?
• What would be
interesting if you
worked as a
meteorologist?
• If you were helping
younger students
where might you be
stationed? why?
How Nature Challenges Us
Tornado Snow and Ice Wildfire Understanding
weather
11. Word Analysis – Greek and Latin Roots
• Greek and Latin rots, such as viv, struct, and tele can give
clues about work meanings. Roots are combined without
word parts to form whole words.
• Copy the chart below in your reading spiral. Draw a line
connecting the Greek word to the Meaning.
12. Literary Terms - Hyperbole
• Hyperbole is an obvious exaggeration that is commonly
used in tall tales.
• An exaggeration could be much greater or less, or much
better or worse than things actually are.
• Read Carrie the Calf on page 55. There are lots of
hyperboles throughout the story.
15. • A tall tale is a humorous
story that tells about
extravagantly impossible
happenings. it usually
involves a character with
special abilities.
• A tall tale by Jerdine Nolen
• Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
16. Conventions – Small Group. Bring your packet!
Type to Learn – Log in and work for 15 minutes.
Spelling – Long Vowel VCV
Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook WS 54
Research and Inquiry – How can nature challenge us?
STEP 2 – Navigate and Search
Use the internet and books from the library in order to research your
inquiry question you wrote about on Monday.
Write your facts on separate notecards.
Make sure you write down web addresses, authors, and dates of the
web sites
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-
disasters/
http://www.ready.gov/natural-disasters
http://www.neok12.com/Natural-Disasters.htm videos
Centers
17. Day 3 – Content Knowledge
Oral Language
• How can nature challenge us?
• “Her ma was right grateful to have such a resourceful child. No
other newborn had the utter strength to life a whole cow clear
over her head and almost drink it dry.”
• What does resourceful mean?
• What makes rose resourceful?
• What does grateful mean?
• What are some synonyms for these two words?
18. Build Oral Vocabulary
• Amazing word –
disaster
• Name a disaster that
could happen to your
family or your
community.
• Discuss with a
partner-
• What do you think
Thunder Rose would
do if she saw
someone hanging
onto a precipice?
Why?
• What types of workers
need stamina to get
their jobs done?
How Nature Challenges Us
Tornado Snow and Ice Wildfire Understanding
weather
19. • How do you know that
Thunder Rose is a tall tale?
• Use your own words to
explain how Rose invented
barbed wire.
• A tall tale by Jerdine Nolen
• Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
20. Think Critically
• In your reading spiral
answer the Think
Critically questions on
your own.
21. Conventions – Subjects and Predicates
Worksheet DVD15
Spelling – Long Vowel VCV
Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook WS 60
Research and Inquiry – How can nature challenge us?
STEP 3 – Analyze Information
Look at the information you found last time about your topic. Do you
need to refocus your inquiry question?
… something else here?
Centers
22. Day 4 – Content Knowledge
Oral Language
• “The stories of Rose’s amazing abilities spread like
wildfire, far and wide. And as sure as thunder follow
lightning, and the sun follows rain, whenever you see a
spark of light flash across a heavy steel gray sky, listen to
the sound of the thunder and think of Thunder Rose and
her song. That mighty, mighty song pressing on the bull’s-
eye that was set at the center of her heart.” –Thunder
Rose p. 73
• What does wildfire mean?
• What does the phrase spread like wildfire mean?
• What do you think it meant by the bull’s eye that was set
at the center of he heart?
23. Build Oral Vocabulary
• Amazing word –
unpredictable
• Yesterday we learned
that tornadoes can be
unpredictable. What
does unpredictable
mean?
• Discuss with a
partner-
• How might a drought
affect agriculture in a
rural area? How might
agricultural problems
affect other people?
• Identify the disasters
that Thunder Rose
prevented? How did
she?
How Nature Challenges Us
Tornado Snow and Ice Wildfire Understanding
weather
24. Science in Reading – Expository Text
• The texts we read are structured differently depending on the author’s
reasons for writing.
• Expository text give information about real people or events. These
text will present quantitative or factual information graphically
• What types of expository text have you used before?
• Why did you use them?
• Graphics are used to show information visually. What are some
examples of graphic sources in expository text?
What is our T-Chart showing so far?
As a group at your table create an example of a graphic that would be in one of
the sources we have below.
25. Measuring Tornados
• What information is the chart
on page 79 telling us?
• What facts are given about
F-3 tornadoes?
• F-5?
• In your reading spiral write
three things you learned
from the Fujita scale chart.
26. Measuring Tornadoes
• Where do you think the twin tornadoes that Thunder Rose
lassoed would fall on the Fujita Scale?
• Discuss what you think Thunder Rose’s tornadoes did to the
farms in her area.
27. • When my brother stole a cookie from
the cookie jar, my mom told him to
clean up his act.
• We can use context clues to determine
the meaning of the idiom, “clean up his
act.”
• Was the brother misbehaving? What do
you think his mom wanted him to do?
• With a partner find idioms in Thunder
Rose. Create a chart in your reading
spiral for idioms you find and what they
mean.
Idiom and Page # Meaning
28. Listening and Speaking
• Think about a time when you
saw or heard someone perform
an engaging reading of a story.
What made the storyteller
interesting to listen to or to
watch?
• Create your own tall tale!
Remember to use vivid words,
idioms, and exaggerations.
• We will be sharing our stories
with our groups!
29. Conventions – Subjects and Predicates
Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook p. 61
News-o-matic- ?
Spelling – Long Vowel VCV
Let’s Practice It! DVD16
Research and Inquiry – How can nature challenge us?
STEP 4 – Synthesize
Synthesize your research findings and results into a fact sheet and a
map.
I’m not sure what fact sheet and map we are supposed to be using
here
Centers
30. Day 5 – Content Knowledge
Oral Language
• How can nature challenge us?
• Link:
31. Build Oral Vocabulary
• Amazing words
• roaring, stationed,
meteorologist, twister,
stamina, precipice,
agriculture, disaster,
unpredictable, wildfire
• Discuss with a partner-
• Use the concept map
and what you have
learned from this week’s
discussions and reading
selections to form and
– a
realization or big idea
about meeting
challenges.
• In your spiral write down
a few sentences about
your
beginning with, “This
week I learned…”
How Nature Challenges Us
Tornado Snow and Ice Wildfire Understanding
weather
33. Research and Inquiry - Centers
Spelling - Center
Conventions - Center
Vocabulary - Center
Hinweis der Redaktion
Have students open to page 50-51
Talk about what a tornado is and what happens when there is a tornado.
Next, discuss the other two pictures of the man climbing the ice and the wildfire.
p. 50j
Discuss how nature challenges us with the concept map.
Add what students say to the map for the next day!
Tell students what the amazing words are for the week and to listen for them as you read the read aloud
Discuss roaring more in depth. What does it mean?
Throughout the week copy and paste your most updated concept map to that day. OR come back to this page in the power point.
pg. 51b continued on 81s
How are the amazing words used in context?
Discuss cause and effect writing and summarizing
Have students read the Read Thunder and Lightning p.53 with a partner and answer the skill and strategy questions to the side.
Extra Practice?
Reader’s and Writers Notebook p. 51
Ask students the question, then have them come up with a definition.
Precipice: a very steep rock or cliff, typically a tall one
Add amazing words roaring, twister, and meteorologist to the concept map
Work through vividly together. Page 54 c has a model for how to do this.
page 54d
page 54d
After students have read carrie the calf once looking for hyperbole discuss homonyms.
Choose the word pitch from the story and explain that words that are spelled the same but have different meanings – homonyms – are written with a superscript. (show on board)
Use row as another example. Row a boat. A row of toys.
Readers and writers notebook p. 53 worksheet
Have the students discuss with a partner about what they think the story will be about.
*Normally we would read Thunder Rose as a small group now. p.58-65
Cause and effect Let’s Practice It worksheet 13
Character and plot Let’s Practice It worksheet 14
Vocabulary Readers and writers notebook p.57
Copy over words you may have added as a class on day 2
Add precipice and stamina to the concept map
Have the students discuss with a partner the two questions above.
*Normally we would read Thunder Rose as a small group now. p.66-73
Discuss the author and illustrator page 75 if time
Or we could have them discuss these in small group. I thought it would take awhile to get through the story so I didn’t know how much time we would have left.
Page 78a
p. 78b
Add the words agriculture and disaster to the concept map.
Add other concept-related words that students might volunteer to the concept map.
p. 78c – has examples of other expository texts and graphics the students might say. Add to chart on dry erase board.
Click to uncover a couple examples. Students can discuss with partners and come up with more examples.
p. 78-79
students could just start their tall tale, and have the option to finish it later during centers.
p. 81f and 81 g
Some ideas for student responses are on 81g