Article
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Words & Pictures,

Hold On, It’s a Hurricane!

You’re going to read a story about a hurricane. Here are five fast facts you should know first.

From the October / November 2020 Issue
Lexiles: 500L
Guided Reading Level: J
DRA Level: 16-18
Vocabulary: hurricane, damage, blustery, eye of the storm
Topic: Science,
Common Core Standards
  • RI.2.1 Key details RI.2.4 Vocabulary RI.2.5 Nonfiction text features RI.2.9 Compare two texts on a similar topic RI.2.10 Read grade-2-appropriate informational text SL.2 Participate in conversations about grade-2 texts
TEKS Standards
  • Science
    (8) Earth and space. The student knows that there are recognizable patterns in the natural world and among objects in the sky. The student is expected to: (B) identify the importance of weather and seasonal information to make choices in clothing, activities, and transportation.
  • Social Studies
    (7) Geography. The student understands how physical characteristics of places and regions affect people’s activities and settlement patterns. The student is expected to: (A) describe how weather patterns and seasonal patterns affect activities and settlement patterns.

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1) A hurricane is a huge rainstorm.

1) A hurricane is a big storm.

WARREN FAIDLEY/GETTY IMAGES

Heavy rain falls during a hurricane. Strong winds blow.

It has heavy rain. It has strong wind.

2) Most hurricanes happen in the fall.

2) Most hurricanes happen in the fall.

ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES; JOHN TAKAI/ADOBE STOCK

In our country, most hurricanes happen from August to October. That’s why fall is called “hurricane season.”

August to October is called “hurricane season.”

3) Hurricane winds spin in a circle.

3) Hurricane winds spin in a circle.

HARVEPINO/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

In a hurricane, the wind spins around and around. It makes a circle. There is a calm spot in the center of the circle where there is no wind. It is called the eye of the storm.

There is a calm spot in the center of the circle. There is no wind there. It is called the eye of the storm.

4) Hurricanes can be very harmful.

4) Hurricanes cause damage, or harm.

SWITAS/GETTY IMAGES

The storm’s powerful, blustery winds can pull up trees. They can knock over houses. They can tip cars over. They can cause a lot of damage, or harm, to homes and cars.

The wind makes trees fall. It can knock over houses and cars.

5) Each hurricane gets its own name.

5) Hurricanes have names.

People need to be able to tell hurricanes apart. So people who study weather give each hurricane its own name.

Each year, these storms are named in the order of the alphabet. The first hurricane’s name starts with an A, the next one’s name starts with a B, and so on. Here are some names of hurricanes so far this year.

People use the names to tell the storms apart. The name of the first hurricane of the year starts with an A. The next name starts with a B, and so on. Here are some names of hurricanes so far this year!

Slideshows (1)
Activities (4)
Skills Activities
Slideshows (1)
Activities (4) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities

About the Article

Science Focus

Weather

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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1. BEFORE READING


Activate Schema (3 minutes)
  • Ask children if they know what a hurricane is. Listen to their answers. If they know what it is, ask if they have ever lived through one or have any relatives who have lived through one. They can share their knowledge with the class.

Preview Vocabulary (3-15 minutes)

  • Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured words are hurricane, eye of the storm, blustery, and damage.

2.  READ THE ARTICLE (10 MINUTES)

  • This article works well with the whole class. You can call on different students to read each box aloud. The numbers make the text easy to navigate.
  • As you read, stop to analyze the photos. What do kids notice about the trees and the water on page 22? (They are really blowing in the wind.) What might that mean? (Hurricane winds are really strong.)

3.  AFTER READING (3 MINUTES)

Notice Nosey! (3 minutes)

  • Point out our doggy character, Nosey, on page 22. Ask someone to read her voice bubble.
  • Explain that Nosey pops up throughout Storyworks 2. Not only does her nose sniff out facts, but she’s also just nosy. She’s curious and wants to know about everything.

ELA Focus: Key Details (20 minutes)

  • It’s time to help Nosey fill out her fact file! Nosey’s Fact File is in the Resources section of our website.
  • The fact boxes are scaffolded to help kids know what to write. Kids can share their facts with a partner, the other students at their table, or the class.

ELA Focus: Comprehension (5-10 minutes)

  • Assess students’ comprehension of the article with this quiz (available in your Resources tab).

Enrich the Learning: Paired Text

  • After reading the article, students will have background knowledge for “The Storm” on page 24. They will also have exposure to vocabulary words that appear in the story: hurricane, eye of the storm, blustery, and damage.
  • Kids can compare the article and story with the Two Different Texts activity (available in your Resources tab).
  • This article and the fiction story “The Storm” also pair with our Word Play activity on page 12. Kids will see the new vocabulary word blustery in both.

Text-to-Speech