Interactive worksheet based on students Basal reader

1. Learning Intention. Use Keywords, Skim and Scan
Twister by Mary Manning
Read Pages 6-9 of ‘Twisters and other wind stories’
Your question is ‘What should I do in a tornado to stay safe?’
Find key words as you read and add them to the box below e.g. weather, thundercloud
What were
your most
important
keywords?
In this activity we are going to look at a website that will help you to answer your question. You are
going to use your keywords, find sentences that answer the question, copy those sentences, paste
them into the Internet information box. Then write your own answer using the keywords as a guide.
Click on the hyperlinked picture;
• Press Ctrl F on the keyboard
• Type in the keyword Safety and press Find Next
• The keyword will highlight somewhere on the page. Read that sentence carefully, does it
answer your question? If it doesn’t then click Find Next again
• If the sentence answers your question then click and drag just over the sentence and copy it
(Ctrl C or Apple C)
• Paste it (Ctrl V or Apple V) into the Internet Information box
• Continue doing this until you have tried out all of your keywords
• Read the question again, and highlight only the keywords that answer your question (don’t
highlight any ‘and, the, that, then, are, to’ words)
• Use those keywords to help you to write your own answer to the question
Internet information box:
(copy your sentences here)
What should I do in a tornado to stay safe?
My Answer is

2. Meanings of words
Sometimes when you are reading a book there are some words that you do not understand and you
may need to clarify them by looking up dictionaries
Read pages 14-17 ‘Twisters and other wind stories.’
 Copy any hard words you find into the table below (under ‘words’)
• Find computer meanings for your words by either
o right clicking (Control Click on Macs) on the word , select Synonyms, choose words
from the pop up list (don’t click on the word, just read them and type them into the
computer meaning column)
o or select Thesaurus at the bottom of the popup
o or right click and select Look up which will give you dictionary meanings
o or go to Tools – Language – Thesaurus in the menu bar
• Now compare your findings with a printed dictionaries or thesaurus
Words Computer Meaning Dictionary meaning Use the word in a sentence
e.g. Wave large ripple on liquid or Movement of water He surfed on the wave
ocean

3. L.I. Compare
• Read Page 14-15 of ‘Twister!’
• Read the information about similes then follow the instructions below:
Click on the weather hyperlink to see examples of similes:
• Read through some of the similes- copy your favourites into the box below;
• Then copy and FINISH the similes on page 14
Favourites from the website
My own ideas
Laughs like a hyena
The strong wind is like… a giant fan
blowing
The fog is… ?

4. L.I. Evaluate information
• Read Page 10-11 in the Journal story ‘Flood’
• In the flood, Ama and mum grabbed a few things before leaving the house.
• Make a list of things you would take if you had to leave your house in a flood
• Now put your things in order of importance- the most important reason will go
into the red triangle (see below), the next reason into the orange triangle and
so on- think about survival and safety
Things I would take from my home in a flood:
•
•
•

5. What was your most important thing and why?
Finished everything? Test your knowledge at:
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/games/geographygames/brainteasertornado/
Informational Explanation
• Open ‘Informational Explanation’ file
• Choose a topic name and type it into the Topic Name box
• Type in the questions you want to know
• Choose four different information sources, printed and or digital
• From this information type in a final statement that explains how something works