When the
Disaster’s Over
SUMMARY

This book tells of the damage
caused by various natural disasters and
discusses ways that people aid in disaster
relief efforts.

LESSON VOCABULARY

aftermath
debris
evacuate
infrastructure
psychological

chaos
dehydration
impassable
insurance
rubble

INTRODUCE THE BOOK
INTRODUCE THE TITLE AND AUTHOR

Discuss with
students the title and the author of When the
Disaster’s Over. Based on the title, ask the
students to describe the image they get of
what the book might about. Draw their attention to the content triangle labeled as social

for reading When the Disaster’s Over. Revisit
the discussion on what students know about
disasters and disaster relief. Have each of
them tell what he or she hopes to learn from
the text.
STRATEGY SUPPORT: ANSWER QUESTIONS

Invite
students to tell you what kind of questions
most interest them. Do they prefer questions
where the answer can be found in a specific
sentence in the text? Do they like questions
that involve understanding more than one
part of the text? Or, are they more engaged
by questions that use prior knowledge and
opinions? Lead students to see the benefits
in a wide range of question types.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
PAGE 4

What is one of the most important
things that happens right after a disaster
strikes? (People look for survivors.)
PAGE 7

Where can you find the main idea for
the first paragraph on page 7? (first sentence
of paragraph)
PAGE 14

understanding of FEMA.
3. Rubble is a type of debris. Possible
synonyms: remains, ruins, rubbish, trash,
refuse, truck, litter
4. Headings arrange text in chronological order
of events connected with disaster relief.
EXTEND UNDERSTANDING

The author chose to
use photographs of real disasters and their
aftermath instead of using illustrations. Ask
students: Do you think the book would have
had a different effect, or impact, if it used
illustrations? Why or why not? What could
illustrations show that photos could not, and
vise versa?

RESPONSE OPTIONS
WRITING

Invite students to think about how
looking at the pictures and reading the text
in When the Disaster’s Over made them feel.
Have them write a brief paragraph on how
they felt and why.

SOCIAL STUDIES
CONNECTION
Have students make a list of
natural disasters and then do research

will be filling that out after reading.
ANSWER QUESTIONS Explain that
answering questions about a text helps
readers monitor comprehension and better
remember what was learned. Answering
questions can help students detemine how
things are alike and different. Explain that
for some questions, answers are found in
the text. For other questions, readers need
prior knowledge to answer. As students
answer questions in the comprehension
section, have them say which answers are in
the text and which require prior knowledge.

ADDITIONAL SKILL INSTRUCTION
MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS

Remind students that
the main idea is the most important idea
about a topic. Supporting details are pieces
of information that confirm the main idea.
As students read, they should look for the
most important idea and for details that
support or tell more about this idea. Give
them a Main Idea graphic organizer to fill
out as they read.

When the Disaster’s Over

16924_LRD_TG_032-033 33

16924_LRD_TG_034-035 1

12/28/05 1:28:50 PM


When the Disaster’s Over

Name

Vocabulary
Directions Use the glossary at the back of the book When the Disaster’s Over to review the meaning
of the vocabulary words. Then choose eight of the words to use in sentences that relate to natural
disasters.
Example: When the rivers started to flood the land, the police helped the people to evacuate the
area safely.

Check the Words You Know
aftermath
dehydration
infrastructure
rubble

chaos
evacuate
insurance

debris
impassable
psychological