Activity 1: Setting the Stage!   What do you know about Nebraska? Is Nebraska in Tornado Alley? Would you know what to do in a tornado? Dan Hatch is a twelve year old boy who is home alone with his baby brother and a friend when tornadoes stike Grand Island, Nebraska. Task You and your classmates will be creating a slide show about Nebraska, Grand Island, animal and plant life of the region and tornadoes. You will be responsible for one frame in the class's slide show. In order to gather factual information for your slide you will be using one refererence book, one nonfiction book and a web site. Process and Resources From a list supplied by your teacher, choose the topic for your slide. Locate a reference book (like an encyclopedia, almanac, atlas). Read the information about your topic. Select one fact that you think is interesting and that you would like to share with your classmates. Record that fact on a notecard. Use your own words. Also record the title and copyright date of the reference book you used. Locate a nonfiction book about your topic. Read the information about your topic. Select one fact that you think is interesting and that you would like to share with your classmates. Record that fact on a notecard. Use your own words. Also record the title, author and copyright date of the nonfiction book you used. Use one of these websites about your topic: Nebraska: http://www.visitnebraska.org/ (Be sure to go to the elementary kids' s link.) Grand Island: http://www.visitgrandisland.com Grand Island weather: http://www.wunderground.com Mormon Island State Recreation Area: http://ngp.ngpc.state.ne.us/parks/mormon.html Wildlife: http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/critters.html Sandhill cranes: http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/sh-platt.html Wildflowers: http://www.prairiefrontier.com/pages/photos.html Tornadoes: http://www.txdirect.net/~msattler/tornado.htm Tornadoes: http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/013tornado/index.html Tornadoes: http://tqjunior.advanced.org/4232/index.htm Read the information about your topic. Select one fact that you think is interesting and that you would like to share with your classmates. Record that fact on a notecard. Use your own words. Also record the web address.   Creating Your Slide Use the following guidelines for creating your slide: Select a color for the background. Make sure words and pictures will show up on your background. Give your slide a title that corresponds with your topic. Use a font and size that is easy to read. Put your facts on the slide. Make sure your information is accurate. Be sure your font and size are easy to read. Choose a picture or graphic to add interest to your slide. Add your name to your slide. Check the rubric to see if your slide has all the requirements. rubric.htm Conclusion Your slide will be put with your classmates' slides to form a slide show about the setting of The Night of the Twisters. Enjoy the show! Now, are you ready to read the book? How does Dan survive a night of tornadoes?   Teacher Resources Student Resources Developed by Robin Olson rolson@po-1.bettendorf.k12.ia.us