Earthquake Terror Handout - Curriculum Companion

For Use with Houghton Mifflin 

5 th Grade, Theme 1, Selection 1 

Earthquake Terror 


BUILD BACKGROUND 

Theme 1, Grade 5 

Copyright © 2009 Sacramento County Office of Education 

Some images used under license from Shutterstock, Inc. 

California State Standards 

Reading 

• Structural Features of Informational Materials 2.1 

– Understand how text features (e.g., format, graphics, sequence, 

diagrams, illustrations, charts, maps) make information accessible 

and usable. 

• Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate 

Text 2.2 

– Use appropriate strategies when reading for different 

purposes (e.g., full comprehension, location of information, 

personal enjoyment). 




Reading 


Text 2.3 

– Discern main ideas and concepts presented in texts, identifying 

and assessing evidence that supports those ideas. 


Text 2.4 

– Draw inferences, conclusions, or generalizations about text and 

support them with textual evidence and prior knowledge. 



Curriculum Companion 

Sacramento County Office of Education 1





Reading 

• Structural Features of Literature 3.1 

– Describe the structural differences of various imaginative 

forms of literature, including fantasies, fables, myths, legends, and 

fairy tales. 

• Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text 3.2 

– Identify the main events of the plot, their causes, and the influence 

of each event on future actions. 




Reading 

• Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text 3.3 

– Use knowledge of the situation and setting and of a character’s 

traits and motivations to determine the causes for that 

character’s actions. 

• Literary Criticism 3.7 

– Evaluate the author’s use of various techniques (e.g., appeal 

of characters in a picture book, logic and credibility of plots 

and settings, use of figurative language) to influence 

readers’ perspectives. 




Writing 

• Write responses to literature 2.2 

– a. Demonstrate an understanding of a literary work. 









Listening and Speaking 

• Deliver oral responses to literature 2.3 

– a. Summarize significant events and details. 

– b. Articulate an understanding of several ideas or images 

communicated by the literary work. 

– c. Use examples or textual evidence from the work to 

support conclusions. 



Connecting to the Theme 

“Earthquake Terror” 

• This theme is about the 

power and challenges 

of nature. 

• You have just read aloud 

a story about a terrible 

storm at sea. 

• What kinds of challenges 

might an earthquake bring? 





• Volunteer to read aloud 

“Buildup to a Shakeup.” 

• Look at the map of 

California, the setting 

of the story. 

• Trace the San Andreas 

fault and discuss how 

it might affect the 

story plot. 










Explain the meaning of the 

Key Vocabulary words, and 

use those words as you talk 

about earthquake damage. 



Key Vocabulary 

• debris 

• devastation 

• fault 

• impact 

• jolt 

• shuddered 

• susceptible 

• undulating 

• upheaval 



debris 

• The office was filled 

with debris after the 

earthquake was over. 

• Debris is the remains 

of something broken 

or destroyed. 








devastation 

• The great San Francisco 

earthquake of 1906 left 

the town in almost 

complete devastation. 

• Devastation is destruction 

or ruin. 



fault 

• This dark crack is only a 

small fault in this piece of 

granite that if shifted could 

cause an earthquake. 

• A fault is a break in a 

rock mass caused by 

a shifting of the earth’s 

crust. 

• The Spanish cognate 

of fault is falta. 



impact 

• The impact of the bat 

hitting the ball could 

be heard around 

the stadium. 

• An impact is the 

striking of one body 

against another. 








jolt 

• The subway car made 

a jolt as it came to 

the station. 

• A jolt is a sudden 

jerk or bump. 



shuddered 

• The old house shuddered 

during the violent earthquake. 

• Shuddered is to have shook, 

vibrated, or quivered. 



susceptible 

• Some patients are 

susceptible to infections 

while staying in the hospital. 

• Susceptible is easily affected. 








undulating 

• The tide was undulating, 

creating waves on the shore. 

• Undulating is moving in 

waves or with a smooth, 

wavy motion. 



upheaval 

• This landscape is an 

example of an upheaval 

of the earth’s crust that 

happened a very long 

time ago. 

• An upheaval is a lifting or 

upward movement of the 

earth’s crust. 



Strategy Focus: Predict/Infer 


• Turn to page 28 and read 

the title and author of the 

selection. 

• Read the Strategy Focus. 

• Read the introduction on 

page 29 and think about the 

Strategy Focus question. 

• What predictions do you 

have for this story? 








Sequence of Events 


• You will focus on the 

sequence of events, 

or the order of the 

story events, in 

“Earthquake Terror.” 

• To develop this skill, you 

will record the main story 

events in the order they 

occur on an event map 

from your Practice Book. 



Focus Questions 


• Turn to Responding 

on page 46. 

• Read the questions. 

• Keep these questions 

in mind as you read 




Purpose Setting 


• Recall the predictions 

you made for the Strategy 

Focus on Anthology page 28. 

• Read to confirm or 

change your predictions 

as the story unfolds. 








Supporting Comprehension 


• What do Jonathan’s 

thoughts of home 

tell you about his 

present situation? 

• What does the author 

mean by the passage 

that begins “Time had a 

way of evaporating…?” 





How does the author 

reveal Jonathan’s 

feelings about Abby? 



Realistic Fiction 


The characteristics of realistic fiction are: 

– The story problem and solution are realistic. 

– Story events could happen in real life, even though the 

author created them. 

– The story characters speak, think, feel, and act as real 

people do and have the same problems real people 

might have. 










• Jonathan’s worries about 

being far from neighbors and 

a phone make him seem like 

a real person. 

• Identify other details that 

make “Earthquake Terror” 

a piece of realistic fiction. 





• In small groups, create a 

chart showing examples 

of how Jonathan behaves 

like a real person. 

• Compare your work with 

other groups when you 

are finished. 





Download this graphic organizer at www.curriculumcompanion.org 










• Discuss clues on page 32 

that can help you predict 

that trouble is on the way. 

• What predictions can you 

make from these sentences? 

– “Jonathan listened. He heard 

a deep rumbling sound in the 

distance…Hunters! he thought.” 





Why does the author 

say that Jonathan 

“felt as if he were on 

a surfboard…?” 



Cross-Curricular Connection: Science 


• Dogs howl; snakes leave their 

burrows; zoo animals refuse to 

go inside – for centuries people 

have reported unusual animal 

behavior before earthquakes. 

• Scientists think changes to 

the earth’s crust before a 

quake create sudden 

changes in sound vibrations 

or electro-magnetic fields, 

which act as danger signals 

to many creatures. 










• The sequence of events on 

page 32 are: 

– First Jonathan noticed 

how quiet it was, and then 

Moose barked. 

• The words first and 

then signal when each event 

happened. 





• Name other story 

events from pages 32 

and 33 and list them in 

order on the board. 

• Note any words used 

to signal sequence. 





• Sometimes two or more 

story events happen at 

the same time. 

• Read the first sentence 

on page 32. 

• The word while signals 

that two events happen at 

the same time; they walked 

and Jonathan planned. 










• Identify simultaneous 

events in the second 

paragraph on page 22 

and the signal word. 

• In partners, find other 

story events happening 

at the same time. 





• Why do you think the 

author includes Jonathan’s 

memories about school 

earthquake drills? 


mean in the passage. 

“That was school. This 

was Magpie Island”? 



Comprehension/Critical Thinking 


• Using Jonathan’s 

experience, describe 

how it feels to be in an 

earthquake. 

• Will Jonathan be able to 

use what he learned in 

school earthquake drills? 

Explain. 









SEGMENT 2 



Purpose Setting 


• Summarize the story so 

far and predict what will 

happen to Jonathan and 

Abby. 

• Read pages 36-44 to 

check your predictions. 



Noting Details 


Details are important to a story because they 

help readers: 

– understand important information about characters 

and events 

– see, hear, and feel what the characters experience 

– picture the story setting and sense the mood an 

author creates 










• On page 36 the author 

describes what happens 

to Jonathan as, “After the 

quake pitches Jonathan into 

the air, he hits the ground so 

hard that he jars every bone 

in his body.” 

• Those words help the 

reader picture exactly what 

happens to him. 





Identify other story details 

that help you understand 

the children’s terror, 

experience the earthquake, 

and visualize the setting. 





• Why do you think 

Jonathan tells Abby, 

“It’s only an earthquake”? 

• Why do you think the 

author describes 

Jonathan’s memory 

about earthquakes here? 










Describe how the fallen 

tree provides shelter for 

Jonathan and Abby. 



Mood 


• Writers deliberately use words, details, and 

descriptive language to create the mood, or 

emotional tone, in a scene or story. 

• Read the following from page 38: 

– “Jonathan struggled toward her again, his 

heart racing.” 

– “I want Mommy!” Abby shrieked.” 

– “Her fingernails dug into Jonathan’s bare arm.” 



Mood 


• The words “his heart racing” 

and “shrieked” and the image 

of Abby’s nails digging into 

Jonathan’s arm convey a mood 

of fear, alarm, and panic. 

• Identify other scenes having 

a similar mood. 

• Name other moods an author 

may want to create. 










• What does the sentence 

“Anxiety tied a tight knot in 

Jonathan’s stomach” say about 

Jonathan’s situation? 

• What does the author mean 

by “the silence seemed both 

comforting and ominous”? 

• Why do you think the author 

includes Jonathan’s memory 

of Grandma Whitney? 





• Model your predictions 

about what Jonathan 

and Abby will do after the 

quake stops. 

• Based on Jonathan’s 

actions and decisions so 

far, what might he need 

to do to get Abby and 

himself to safety? 





Why do you think the 

author includes Jonathan’s 

memories of Moose? 








Cross-Curricular Connection 


• Since the 1940’s, scientists and engineers have 

been studying earthquakes to improve the way 

buildings are constructed. 

• Today, sophisticated instruments in houses, 

highways, schools, hospitals, and bridges 

measure how well these structures tolerate 

each tremor. 

• Their objective is to reduce the loss of life and 

property damage. 



Story Structure 


• The five elements of 

a story are the setting, 

characters, problem, 

main events, and outcome. 

• Together these parts make 

up the structure of a story. 





• Look at the words woods 

and island and other details 

from page 29 that provide 

clues about the setting of 


• Use the story map on the 

next slide to give story 

details. 










Download this graphic organizer at www.curriculumcompanion.org 






mean by saying that 

Abby will get upset if 

Jonathan makes a fuss 

about her cut? 

• How has the author 

solved the story problem 

for Jonathan and Abby? 

• What new problems do 

they face? 



Comprehension/Critical Thinking 


• In your opinion, is it a 

good idea for Jonathan 

to take Abby and crawl 

under the redwood 

tree? Explain. 

• How do Jonathan’s 

memories help him 

during the earthquake?

Earthquake Terror Handout - Curriculum Companion

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