This suspenseful story follows two young girls, at home alone, when a dust storm arises.

Unfortunately, Betty realizes her beloved horse is caught out in the “black blizzard.” One wrong move in the blinding storm, and Fancifoot could injure himself- or worse. Betty faces the difficult decision of leaving her younger sister to brave the storm or risking Fancifoot’s life to remain in safety

Teachers could use this text to teach the history of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s or to teach thescience behind the causes and effects of soil erosion.

If your students love the nail-biting tale “Black Blizzard,” they’ll love “Tornado Coming!” as well. Because this story includes a tornado, a young kid, a small dog, and a strange neighbor, you might be reminded of another tale you’ve read before. However, there are no talking scarecrows(稻草人) or flying monkeys in this story!

Matt is home alone with Buster when he hears the siren(警报)warning of a tornado. Mentally ticking through the safety tips he learned in school, Matt heads for the storm cellar (防风地窖)with the tornado forming at his back. With only moments to spare, Matt realizes he must leave his little dog in the safety of the storm cellar to run to the aid of his unpleasant neighbor, Mrs. Laney. After the storm passes, Matt doesn’t wake up to find himself in Australia; however, he does find himself in a pretty odd place.

This text weaves helpful tornado safety measures throughout a narrative story. For a creative follow-up activity, teachers could assign different natural disasters to small groups for research. Then, groups could use their research and the model text “Tornado Coming!” to incorporate safety tips within their own short stories about their assigned natural disaster.