Mentor Text for Making Inferences {Storm is Coming}

This book is hilarious and perfect for teaching inferences.  Basically, one of the animals overhears the farmer say, "Storm is coming."  They animals pass the word to one another in a silly fashion and they all run to the barn, to be locked in by the farmer.

One of the animals asks who Storm is (they are inferring it is a person).  None of the animals know, but continue to share ideas of what he must be like.  So as they await Storm's arrival, the clouds darken and it rains.  They seem pleased with the weather since it is protecting them from Storm.  The darkness is helping them hide, the wind might be blowing him away, the lightning can blind him, etc.  As the storm ends, they are very scared...as they assume Storm is now able to come and get them.  They hear stomping, clicking, the door opens...and the farmer lets them out!  The animals leave discussing that Storm never came.

It would be great for K and firsties...I haven't used it in second, but I bet they'd like to too.  They (hopefully) would "get it" a lot faster than the younger kids, but it could also be used to show why making inferences is important...so we don't make a mistake like the animals did!