
Section 1: Chapters 1-2
Vocabulary
- beckon: to call
- collar: the band around an animal’s neck
- grateful: thankful
- hesitate: to pause before doing
- tornado: a fast, spinning wind
- tremble: to shake
Vocabulary Sentences
- Because the collar was too big, our new puppy was able to slip it right off over his head.
- The whole class was grateful that they were given an extra day to study for the big test.
- Our pet rat would tremble with fear whenever the cat would enter the room.
- The smell of fresh baked cookies would always beckon me home after a long day of playing outside.
- The tornado seemed like it would blow the roof right off of our house.
- If you hesitate while getting on the roller coaster, someone else will go in front of you.
Comprehension Questions
- Pete opens the doors to the storm cellar because a twister is coming. (pg. 1)
- Mother is worried about daddy being in the cornfield. (pg. 2)
- Mother keeps vegetables, eggs, and tomatoes in the storm cellar. (pg. 3)
- Pete shivers because his mother’s nose always knows when a storm is coming. (pg. 6)
- Folks call it Tornado Alley where Pete and his family live. (pg. 6)
- There is a doghouse beside the well. (pg. 8)
- The doghouse is trembling because there was a black dog shaking inside. (pg. 9)
Section 2: Chapters 3-4
Vocabulary
- shuffle: to mix up
- attention: concentration or focus
- admit: to confess
- worst: the most bad
- stole: to have taken something that’s not yours
- innocent: not wrong or guilty
Vocabulary Sentences
- The students paid close attention to the new math lesson.
- Not being able to have dessert was the worst punishment Sasha ever received.
- Before playing Go Fish, I had to shuffle the cards really well.
- When my sister fell and scraped her knee, I had to explain to my parents that I was innocent and had not pushed her.
- Right after the bank robber stole a bag of money, he was caught by the police and put in jail.
- Even though he didn’t admit to taking a bite out of the doughnut, the crumbs gave him away.
Comprehension Questions
- Sammy and Pete are not supposed to play war because then they start to fight. (pg. 14)
- Pete thinks Tornado wants to play cards because his ears moved forward and he seemed interested. (pg. 15)
- The card doesn’t want to go back in the deck because it was wet and had teeth marks in it. (pg. 19)
- Emma Lou is carrying on because somebody stole Carey’s turtle. (pg. 22)
- Peter finds the turtle inside Tornado’s mouth. (pg. 23)
- Tornado drops the turtle into Emma Lou’s hand. (pg. 26)
- Pete thinks Tornado is a good dog because he kept Carrie’s turtle safe. (pg. 27)
Section 3: Chapters 5-6
Vocabulary
- detail: a small part of something
- prompt: on time
- budge: to move slightly
- mood: inner feelings
- peer: to look out
- hail: small (insert comma here) frozen balls of rain
Vocabulary Sentences
- After John stubbed his big toe on a rock, he was in a bad mood for the rest of the day.
- During the big storm, hail fell so hard that the cars were dented by it.
- Everyone was prompt for the meeting, except for Larry who had a broken leg and could not walk very fast.
- No matter how hard he tried, the farmer couldn’t get the lazy donkey to budge one bit.
- Because he hadn’t paid attention to each and every detail, the chef’s cake did not rise.
- The little baby loved to peer through her fingers whenever she played peek a boo.
Comprehension Questions
- Pete suggests one more quick story about Tornado because the wind was still howling outside. (pg. 28)
- Five-Thirty got its name because it used to go to their house every day at five-thirty to get something to eat. (pg. 29)
- Tornado digs holes to lie inside of when it gets hot during the day. (pg. 30)
- When Five-Thirty leaves the hole, Tornado digs dirt to get the cat’s smell out of the hole. (pg. 32)
- Pete has to give Tornado back to his real owner. (pg. 40)
- Pete’s dad is silent because he can’t find any good in the situation. (pg. 41)
- When Pete tries to get one last look at Tornado, his eyes are too full of tears. (pg. 41)
Section 4: Chapter 7
Vocabulary
- polite: having nice manners
- pause: to stop for a moment
- stern: firm and harsh
- thump: a dull beating sound
- mope: to be in a gloomy mood
- exactly: accurately
Vocabulary Sentences
- Everyone was having so much fun playing tag that they didn’t want to pause for a snack.
- Instead of finding a fun rainy day activity, James decided to mope around the house.
- All the kids thought their new teacher was too stern, until she gave them each a cookie for being good listeners.
- Joel was a very polite boy who always said, “please” and “thank you.”
- Brad liked to thump his fingers on his new African drum.
- I had to be at my baseball practice exactly at three or I would have to run extra laps.
Comprehension Questions
- Pete’s mother reminds him that he knew he might not be able to keep Tornado, and that Tornado wasn’t his dog. (pg. 43)
- Pete heard Tornado’s tail thumping in the barn. (pg. 44)
- Pete has to wipe his eyes because Tornado was standing in the doorway. (pg. 45)
- Pete threw his arms around Tornado. (pg. 45)
- Pete’s father said they could not take Tornado back because the man didn’t give them his name. (pg. 45)
- Father comes to the cellar doors to tell them that the storm is over. (pg. 48)
- Pete promised to tell the story about Tornado and the rooster during the next storm. (pg. 49)