Tornado Trouble

Presents information about tornadoes, using a narrative in which Wendy learns that her new school doesn't have a safety plan for tornadoes and works to change the situation before a tornado can hit.

Tornado Trouble is a five-act script that allows students to perform roles at differentiated reading levels to accommodate all students. Students will explore Earth science topics such as meteorology, weather, and energy as they perform fictionalized roles to increase fluency, comprehension, and science content literacy. With a glossary, poem, and song, this resource will help students develop their vocabulary, create a stage presence, speak with meaning, and learn how to interact cooperatively with

Wendy Peters is wild about weather! She loves experimenting with it, learning about it, and teaching others about all kinds of weather patterns. Wendy's family has just moved to Circleville, Texas, and she's excited to learn that her new teacher and classmates Jessica and Dennis are as weather mad as she is! When Wendy, Jessica, and Dennis discover Circleville Elementary doesn't have a safety plan for tornadoes, they set a plan in motion to change that--just in time, too! Can Wendy's Weather plan keep everyone safe when a tornado hits? Calico Chapter Books is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO Group. Grades 2-5.

Tornado Trouble is a five-act script that allows students to perform roles at differentiated reading levels to accommodate all students. Students will explore Earth science topics such as meteorology, weather, and energy as they perform fictionalized roles to increase fluency, comprehension, and science content literacy. With a glossary, poem, and song, this resource will help students develop their vocabulary, create a stage presence, speak with meaning, and learn how to interact cooperatively with

Tornado siren! Bel the Weather Girl and Dylan head to the basement. Dylan is scared the house will blow away! But soon the storm passes. Some storms make tornadoes, and some don't. Bel says she can explain why—in the kitchen. What does baking have to do with tornadoes? Stay tuned, because every day is another weather day!

Once upon a time in a beautiful kingdom a royal family faces a BIG tornado! Find out how teamwork helped them rebuild their lives together.

The kids in Ms. Frizzle's class are getting ready for the Wild Weather Show. To prepare, they take a field trip to the Weatherama Amusement Park. The class finds out just how wild weather can be when they accidentally fly right into a powerful tornado.

Author's abstract: There are many unnecessary deaths from tornadoes every year (NOAA.org, 2013). Although there have been great advancements in tornado warning systems (Coleman, Knupp, Spann, Elliot, & Peters, 2010), more changes to systems could be made to motivate people to take action in preparation for tornadoes (Brotzge & Donner, 2013). Protection motivation theory outlines the process by which we assess threats and decide whether or not preventative actions are worth performing. If the threat is perceived as severe enough and the preventative actions are seen as capable of mitigating the threat, the individual is motivated to act (Rogers, 2000). One means by which to enhance the efficacy of weather warnings is through the use of visual imagery. Research has shown that pictures are more easily remembered than words (e.g., Jenkins, Neale & Deno, 1967), and that the addition of picture descriptions or "pictorials" to public safety warnings increases the comprehension and perceptions of risks (Wogalter & Laughery 1997; Severson & Henriques, 2009 respectively). However, the effect of pictures varies depending on many factors including how closely the pictures are perceptually linked to the text and how the picture relates to the target audience (Houts, Doak, Doak, & Loscalzo, 2006). In the current study, we examined the influence of visual imagery in the context of tornado warnings. Specifically, we examined the effects of different tornado warnings on perceptions of susceptibility, response efficacy, and self-efficacy. The warnings varied by whether or not they contained pictures of damage, pictures of preparations, or no pictures. The pictures also varied by tornado category (F2 or F4). F4 warnings were expected to elicit greater susceptibility than F2 warnings. Warnings with pictures of damage were expected to elicit higher susceptibility in an interactive effect in the context of F4 warnings than those with preparation or no pictures. Warnings with preparation pictures were expected to elicit greater levels of efficacy than those with damage or no pictures. Warnings with either type of picture were expected to elicit higher levels of comprehension. The results revealed that participants who viewed the F4 warnings perceived themselves to be more at risk than those who viewed the F2 warnings. There was an effect of both damage and preparation pictures on response efficacy of actions recommended in the event of a tornado, such that those who viewed warnings with either type of picture rated the recommended actions as more efficacious that those who simply saw a text warning. Also, in this study a trend was observed such that participants who viewed more severe tornado warnings (i.e., F4) rated themselves as more efficacious (self-efficacy) in the event of a tornado than those who viewed less severe tornado warnings (i.e., F2). Also of importance, those who viewed the F4 warnings had overall lower comprehension of damage or susceptibility related information when compared to those who viewed F2 warnings. Implications of results and future directions are discussed.

Wendy Peters is wild about weather! She loves experimenting with it, learning about it, and teaching others about all kinds of weather patterns. Wendy's new friends Jessica and Dennis are as weather mad as she is! They've formed a club, Wendy's Weather Warriors, to share their weather nuttiness with each other and their friends, family, and classmates. These easy-to-read, illustrated chapter books explore weather phenomenon and the science behind each type of weather during an action-packed adventure with the Weather Warriors.

Dream trip? Or a nightmare of trouble? When Hannah Gruen inherits a farm from a distant cousin, the Drews, with Bess and George, drive off for a scenic Oklahoma vacation. The plan is to sell the property and pack up whatever mementos Hannah wants to keep. But a terrifying encounter with a tornado is just the beginning of trouble. In a duffel bag Nancy discovers what looks like a ransom note—and a gruff intruder appears, insisting that the bag is his! Is he planning a kidnapping? Nancy contacts the local police, but they think it’s a prank. When charming Derek Owens, a tornado chaser at the local university, offers to help, Nancy accepts faster than a lightning flash. But the clues she discovers lead her deeper into peril, and Nancy’s soon fighting for her life—in the eye of a monster storm!