Storm Runners

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. How much control do we have over our lives? To what extent are our lives affected by fate or by free will?

Teaching Suggestion: Chase’s father says fate caused lightning to strike him. He changes his whole life to chase storms. Chase grapples with the idea of fate at different points. Exploring these large topics before reading can help students access these complex ideas as they read. Completing an activity in the first resource offers a chance for more hands-on learning. It can give students concrete experience with abstract concepts. Perhaps journaling before reading and then adding to the journals during reading could allow students to build their understanding and see the value in continuing to explore ideas instead of just looking for one answer and moving on.

• “Is There Free Will to Change Who You Are?” includes activities and sub-topics to guide students through this enormous question.
• In “Do You Have Free Will? Yes, It’s the Only Choice,” The New York Times explores free will and determinism.

2. How did the worst storm you have been through affect you? What do you know about hurricanes? What dangers do hurricanes bring?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt could bring up traumatic experiences for students. Giving them time to process here can be crucial. The entire book revolves around storms. The first question provides students with a connection and a way into the conversation if they do not know much about hurricanes. The resources here can help build background knowledge. The class might create an anchor chart to post during reading, including steps to prepare for hurricanes and the dangers these storms bring. Later, discussing which preparation steps characters take and the dangers they face will link texts and connect to the theme of The Value of Preparedness.

• “Hurricane Preparedness” from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines terms and explains the possible dangers of hurricanes.
• With this article, The Hill prepares for Hurricane Ian and reflects on 10 of the worst hurricanes in the past.

Short Activity

Choose a past-named hurricane. Research and present key points about that storm.

• When did the hurricane happen?
• What areas were most affected?
• What dangers did people face?
• What made this hurricane worse than others?
• What additional facts did you find?
• What questions do you still have?

Teaching Suggestion: Group or partner work can add an interpersonal element and allow students to uncover additional research. Researching independently and presenting to small groups provides opportunities for discussion and making connections after the presentations. If there is no time for presentations, displaying information could be an option. The Storm Guard resource connects to the work Chase’s dad, John, and Tomás do; discussing the different viewpoints of that article versus the articles from Reuters or the NOAA would give some important background as the class reads about the news media and John’s and Tomás’s work in the novel.

• This resource from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration includes facts about numerous hurricanes from 1900-2008.
• In “The 5 Most Notable Hurricanes in U.S. History,” Storm Guard presents information on some of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the United States and suggestions to prepare.
• “Factbox: The Worst Hurricanes in Florida’s History as Ian Takes Aim” from Reuters includes facts about hurricanes, focusing on their impact on Florida, the setting of the novel.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who need service-learning projects could extend this activity. They could create hurricane awareness posters to share with the community, or they could raise funds for hurricane disaster relief. Since global warming leads to stronger hurricanes more often, the project could also extend to focus beyond hurricanes to other global warming projects: writing letters to elected officials, attending protests, completing community clean-ups, etc.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory freewriting, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

What do we owe each other? How much responsibility do we have to help other people?

Teaching Suggestion: Throughout the book, Chase, Nicole, and Rashawn help each other. They do not have to; they could each just focus on their safety. Other characters also go beyond what is necessary for others. Reflecting on this question before reading could help students unpack those scenes. Perhaps students conduct a Socratic seminar. Discussing a previously studied class text in this light could help make connections between readings and provide a way to ground the discussion with examples. Bringing in current events might be another way to help students access this abstract question.