Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.6, R.7, W.2, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will read a play based on true events and make inferences about the plot and characters.

Key Skills

inference, text features, vocabulary, understanding genre, character motivation, character, cause and effect, making a personal connection, informational writing

Complexity Factors

Levels of Meaning: Based on a true story, the play explores the challenges faced by Ted Fujita in his quest to advance tornado science.

 

Structure: The play is chronological and has five scenes, a prologue, and an epilogue.

 

Language: The play includes some figurative language.

 

Knowledge Demands: No special knowledge is required.

Levels

Guided Reading Level: S 

DRA Level: 40

SEL Connection

This play and lesson plan promote social awareness.

Lesson Plan: Storm Chasers

Essential Questions

  • How can we learn from natural disasters and protect ourselves better from future ones?
  • In scientific study, how does a theory become a fact?

Literature Connection

  • Nonfiction: I Survived True Stories: Tornado Terror by Lauren Tarshis 
  • Biography: The Man Who Caught the Storm: The Life of Legendary Storm Chaser Tim Samaras by Brantley Hargrove

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

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

  • Look closely at the illustration on the title page. Describe in detail what you see and make a guess about what is happening in the image. Sample answer: There is a man in a suit in the foreground and a girl holding a video camera in the background. A tornado is ripping through a field. (Predictions about who the man is and why the girl is holding a camera will vary.)
  • Above the character list is a line describing the play as historical fiction. Historical fiction is a type of story that is set in the past. It often includes a mix of real and fictional characters and events. In this play, Pam is a fictional character (not a person who really existed). Can you guess which other characters are fictional? Answers will vary. Students will likely guess that since Pam isn’t real, Mom and Grandma aren’t either. They may also guess that characters without names, like Pilot and Reporter, are fictional.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (meteorologist, theory, vortices, skeptical, deployed) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow

Make a Plan for Reading

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

 2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

  • Assign parts to students and read the play aloud as a class. Stop after each scene and ask students to summarize what happened.
  • After reading, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (20 minutes)

  • In Scene 1, Ted Fujita asks the pilot to land so he can get a closer look at the damage caused by a tornado on the ground. Why was Fujita interested in studying damage from tornadoes so closely? (character motivation) Ted Fujita was deeply interested in understanding tornadoes. By closely examining the damage, he aimed to gather clues that would help him figure out how the storms work.
  • In Scene 2, how do the other meteorologists react to Fujita’s theory about suction vortices? How does Fujita respond? (character) The other meteorologists are skeptical of Fujita’s theory. Some scientists try to “hide their laughter,” and Dryers directly challenges Fujita, saying, “you’ve never actually seen this.” All the same, Fujita doesn’t lose faith in his theory. He tells Miller that “scientists should never be scared to have new ideas.”
  • Why does Pam use her video camera to film the Super Outbreak of 1974, and how does her footage help Fujita with his research? (cause and effect) As a powerful tornado approaches, Pam decides to film the storm so that her father, who is deployed overseas, will be able to see it. The footage becomes an important piece of evidence for Fujita, offering proof of his theory on multiple vortices.
  • Based on the epilogue, how did Fujita’s work influence future generations? (inference) Fujita’s research changed tornado science and inspired others to study nature’s greatest mysteries. This is illustrated by Pam, who became a teacher, telling her students about Fujita’s work and his contributions to meteorology.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • Why do you think Fujita kept working on his tornado research even when others didn’t believe him? Do you think you would have done the same? (making a personal connection) Sample answer: Fujita believed in his ideas and wanted to learn more about tornadoes. He was motivated by the belief that his research could help protect people from tornadoes. Answers to the second question will vary.
  • How would you describe Fujita’s character using three adjectives? Give examples from the play in which we see these traits in action. (character) Sample answer: Fujita is curious, determined, and clever. He wants to know all he can about tornadoes, he keeps working despite skepticism from other scientists, and he invents a new method for classifying tornadoes.

3. Skill Building and Writing

Learn-Anywhere Activity

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

Project the task below on your whiteboard or share it with students in your LMS.

Make a Movie Poster

A movie poster tells people a little bit about a movie to try to get them interested in watching it. Imagine that you’ve made a movie based on the play “Storm Chasers.” Make a poster to advertise your movie.

First think of a title for your movie. (It can be similar to the play’s title, but you should take this chance to be creative. Have fun coming up with your own exciting title!)

Next create your poster by following these steps:

  • Write the movie’s title at the top of a sheet of paper or a computer document. 
  • Under the title, write a one-sentence description of the movie. This description should give people a good idea of what the movie is about. 
  • Under the description, write a few phrases that describe things viewers will see in the film (for example, terrifying storms, searching for answers, and a brave teen). 
  • Add images that will help readers understand what to expect from the movie.

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Review contractions to boost fluency.

Before reading the play, remind students that a contraction is the shortened form of two words put together, with an apostrophe taking the place of letters that have been removed. Review the following common contractions and their meanings. Each of these words appears more than once in the play. 

  • aren’t: are not
  • doesn’t: does not
  • don’t: do not
  • I’m: I am
  • there’s: there is
  • what’s: what is
  • you’ve: you have

Next ask students to find three lines in the play that include a contraction. Here are a few examples:

  • N1: But the neighbors aren’t as lucky.
  • Mom: I’m going to make sure they’re OK. 
  • Pam: Any idea why our house is still standing and others aren’t?

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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