Standards Correlations

R.1, R.3, R.4, R.7, W.3, SL.1, L.4, L.5, L.6

Learning objective

Students will read a graphic fiction story and make inferences about events and characters in the story.

Key Skills

inference, text features, vocabulary, elements of fiction, plot, characters’ motivation, figurative language, character, narrative writing

Complexity Factors

Levels of Meaning: The story contains themes of resilience and teamwork. 

Structure: The story is chronological. Panels are arranged in a logical sequential manner. 

Language: The story uses conversational language.

Knowledge Demands: Some knowledge of natural disasters may help but is not required.

Levels

Lexile: 500L-600L

Guided Reading Level: S 

DRA Level: 40

Lesson Plan: Wind

Essential Questions

  • What does it mean to be a good community member?
  • How can we cope with stressful situations?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 by Lauren Tarshis
  • Novel: If You’re Reading This by Trent Reedy

1. Preparing to Read 

Making Connections (5 minutes)

  • Invite students to reflect on a time when they felt helpless. Ask them to journal about the experience: What caused the feeling? What helped make it go away? What did they learn from the experience? Let students know that in “Wind,” they will read about a mother and daughter who feel helpless during and after a scary hurricane.

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Guide students to locate the story. Then preview text features with the following prompts:

  • Read the story’s title and subtitle. Why do you think it might be hard for Annie and her mom to survive on their own during a hurricane? A hurricane is an extremely stressful event. Survival may require teamwork, and with a member of the household missing, Annie and her mom may not have all the support they need.
  • Note that the story is told as a piece of graphic fiction. Ask students if they’ve read graphic novels before. What do they like about this format? Tell students that in this story, the panels are arranged left to right, top to bottom. If needed, have students trace the panels with their finger in the order they’re meant to be read, so that they can navigate through the story easily.
  • Find the sound effects that appear throughout the story: “BRRRRRRIING!,” “POP,” and “CRASH.” Ask students how sound effects like these can add to a story. Sample answer: They help you play the story in your mind like a movie.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Direct students’ attention to the vocabulary box. Read the words (deployed, shattered, surrender, insurance) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Set a Purpose for Reading

  • Before students start to read, set a purpose for reading by telling them that they will make inferences about “Wind.” Explain that making an inference means figuring out something that isn’t directly stated by using clues from the text. (You may also consider showing our video “Skills in Action: What Is an Inference?”)

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

  • Guide students to read the article. Once they understand it well, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • In the beginning of the story, why does Annie say she can’t send the first letter she writes to her dad? What does she write to him instead? (inference) In her first letter, Annie makes it clear that she’s unhappy in their new home. But she doesn’t want to worry her dad, who is in the Army and stationed a long way from Florida, so she revises the letter to say that all is well.
  • What does it mean for Annie and her mom to “surrender” the kitchen to the hurricane? (plot) It means that Annie and her mom won’t go into the kitchen anymore. During the hurricane, the kitchen becomes badly damaged (a window breaks, and glass shatters everywhere), so it is dangerous for them to be there. To be safe, they grab all the food and drinks they need and close up the kitchen.
  • Why do the neighbors come to Annie’s house after the hurricane? (characters’ motivation) They come to Annie’s house to help Annie and her mom deal with the damage the hurricane has caused. Annie’s house has the worst damage, according to Bob, and that’s why the neighbors start there.
  • At the end of the story, in her letter to her dad, Annie writes that “there were clear skies on the other side” of the hurricane. What does she mean by this? Do you think the statement might have more than one meaning? (figurative language) Some students might simply offer the statement’s literal meaning: The sky cleared up. Other students might mention its figurative meaning: Things got better for Annie and her mom. Before and during the hurricane they were afraid and lonely. Afterward, they were happy, spending time with their neighbors and being involved in their community.

Critical-Thinking Questions (5 minutes)

  • How do Annie and her mom change over the course of the story? (Hint: Think about how they react to their neighbor’s offer to help in the beginning of the story versus at the end.) (character) In the beginning of the story, Annie and her mom are reluctant (not very willing) to talk to their neighbor or accept his help. When he suggests riding out the storm together, Annie’s mother politely says no. But at the end of the story, they’re very willing to accept their neighbors’ help. When Annie’s mom says, “We do all of this together?,” it’s clear that she is grateful to have the support of her community.

3. Skill Building and Writing

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Write graphic fiction to better understand the genre.

“Wind”  is a graphic fiction story. Instead of using only words, it tells the events through pictures too.  

Using the story as an example, try writing your own piece of graphic fiction. Write (and draw) a scene in which Annie’s dad comes home and Annie tells him about the hurricane.

  • First, think about what Annie will say and what her dad will say. How do they feel when they see each other? How do they feel when they talk about the hurricane?
  • Next, think about how people express feelings. How do we look when we’re excited? Nervous? Sad? Think about how we show emotion through our faces, but also think about how we express our feelings through the way we stand and move.
  • Think about the different viewpoints in “Wind.” Some panels show the characters from a distance, with a lot of space around them. Some show a close-up of their faces. How do you think the artist decided how to draw each panel?
  • Finally, sketch out your story using simple illustrations.

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Teach onomatopoeia to foster appreciation of literary devices.

While previewing text features, you asked students to take a quick look at the sound effects in the story. After reading the story, take a closer look. Tell students that onomatopoeia means words that sound like the thing they stand for. Ask:

  • What makes the BRRRRRRIING sound in the story? (the telephone ringing)
  • What makes the POP sound in the story? (the power going out)
  • What makes the CRASH sound in the story? (the window breaking)

Next, ask students to think of other sound words. Challenge them to make the sound represented by each word using their bodies or items they have on hand. (Some sound words they may use include: beep, click, crack, crunch, hiss, gasp, howl, rumble, and snap.)

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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