BIG READ. Nonfiction feature 4 STORYWORKS JR. ILLUSTRATION BY GARY HANNA; THE HISTORICAL NEW YORK TIMES (ARTICLE)

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1 BIG READ Nonfiction feature ILLUSTRATION BY GARY HANNA; THE HISTORICAL NEW YORK TIMES (ARTICLE) 4 STORYWORKS JR.

2 LOOK FOR WORD NERD S 5 WORDS IN BOLD DON T MISS OUR VIDEO READ- ALOUD! On a wild day in January 1888, Walter Allen was one of hundreds of kids who struggled to get home from school freezing, lost, and fighting for their lives. BY LAUREN TARSHIS THINK AND READ Sequencing As you read, pay attention to the order of the events that involve Walter. Eight-year-old Walter Allen kicked off his quilt and hopped out of bed on the morning of January 12, After two weeks of freezing weather, it was almost like spring had arrived in Groton, South Dakota. Walter quickly got dressed and ate breakfast. He kissed his mother goodbye. Then he hurried off to his four-room schoolhouse. It was half a mile away. Thousands of children in nearby states also set out for school that morning. Most had been stuck at home during two weeks of dangerous cold. It was such a relief to be in the fresh air. Æ OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

3 Hero Teacher This teacher in Nebraska faced the same storm during the school day. Minnie Freeman was only 17 when she led her students through the blizzard. All of them survived. But some people were worried about the weather that day. Wasn t there something spooky about the golden color of the sky? Wasn t it odd that the temperature jumped 40 degrees overnight? PAUSE AND THINK: How had the weather changed from the past two weeks? A Frozen Blast There was something very odd in the air that day. People didn t know it, but a horrible blizzard was headed right toward the middle of America. But Walter and his classmates had no idea what was happening above them. Not even weather experts knew blizzard: a bad snowstorm what was coming. The day before, one expert had predicted it would be warmer than usual, with light winds. PAUSE AND THINK: What kind of weather was coming to the area? Day Had Turned to Night All morning, Walter sat at his desk working on his math problems. After finishing each problem set, he took a tiny perfume bottle from his desk, removed the jewel-like lid, and poured a drop of water onto his writing slate. Walter was very proud of that special bottle. All of the other children kept regular bottles of water and rags at their desks to wipe their slates clean. predicted: said what he or she thinks will happen in the future ILLUSTRATION BY GARY HANNA; NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY (MINNIE FREEMAN); MEDIA BAKERY (CHALKBOARD); JIM MCMAHON/MAPMAN (MAP) 6 STORYWORKS JR.

4 CANADA Bismarck DAKOTA TERRITORY MINNESOTA Lake Superior Rapid City Groton Sioux Falls Yankton NEBRASKA North Platte Omaha U.S. Missouri River Area of map Lincoln KANSAS Minneapolis St. Paul IOWA Des Moines MISSOURI Mississippi River SCALE OF MILES Stormy States This is the part of the U.S. where the blizzard hit. Walter lived in what was then called Dakota Territory. This area is now divided into two states: North Dakota and South Dakota. Suddenly, he heard a roaring sound. The walls began to shake and the door rattled. Some of the younger children began to cry. Walter rushed to the window and couldn t believe what he saw. It was like day had turned to night. Walter could barely see out the window. Sheets of snow and ice pounded the school. Soon, the men of Groton brought five huge horse-drawn sleds to school, ready to bring everyone home. Walter s sled was creeping slowly away from the school when he remembered his perfume bottle. Walter jumped down from the sled and hurried back into the school to grab it. Nobody noticed that Walter had hopped off the sled. When he came back outside, the sleds had vanished, swallowed by the darkness. Walter tried to run into the street, but the wind knocked him over. Snow and ice flew around his body like attacking bees. Snow blew up his nose, into his eyes, and down the collar of his shirt. His face became covered with ice, and his eyes were soon sealed shut by his frozen tears. He curled himself into a ball, too tired to move. PAUSE AND THINK: Why did Walter go back into the schoolhouse? A writing slate vanished: disappeared Æ OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

5 Rescue Mission When Walter s father, W.C., discovered that his youngest son hadn t come home, he and some other men headed back to the school. They were risking their lives. Walter s 18-year-old brother, Will, refused to stay behind. He joined the men. But Walter was nowhere to be found. W.C. became so upset that the men had to carry him back to the sled. Somehow in the sadness and confusion, they left without Will. Now both Allen boys were lost in the storm. Will crawled along the frozen ground. He could not see or hear, and the wind made it difficult to breathe. But he kept feeling his way. He bumped into a small heap covered with snow. It was Walter! He was unconscious (un-kahn-shuss) but alive. PAUSE AND THINK: Besides Walter, who else got lost in the storm? Happy Ending Even decades later, Will could not explain how he was able to carry his brother through the storm, or how he managed to find his way home. When the brothers arrived home, their parents were filled with joy. Over the next few hours, Walter drifted in unconscious: not awake; someone who has fainted Cold Cows Sadly, some animals didn t survive the freezing weather of the blizzard. 8 STORYWORKS JR.

6 Life After the Storm Below: Survivors of the blizzard formed a club that used to meet almost every year. Right: This is the sheet music for the song that was written about Minnie Freeman and the students she saved during the blizzard. ILLUSTRATION BY GARY HANNA; NOAA S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE (NWS) COLLECTION (COW); NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY (ALL OTHER IMAGES) and out of sleep as his family stayed by his side. At first, he didn t feel the tiny cuts on his leg from the pieces of glass in his pocket. His body was still numb. It wasn t until later that night that Walter realized where the glass came from: His beloved perfume bottle had broken during the storm. Of course, by then the broken bottle didn t matter anymore. Walter numb: not able to feel anything THINK AND WRITE understood that something far more precious (PREH-shuss) had survived the blizzard. And that was something that could never be replaced: Walter himself. PAUSE AND THINK: Why did Walter have glass in his pocket? FIND AN ACTIVITY Pretend you re Walter. The blizzard is over and now you re writing in your SHEET ONLINE! journal about it. Describe the events in the order that they happened. Limit your entry to six sentences. Use details from the story to help you. Send it to Blizzard Contest by December 15, Ten winners will each receive a copy of Blizzard!: The Storm That Changed America by Jim Murphy. See page 2 for details. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER