Earthquake at Dawn

A Play in One Act

by Kristiana Gregory

epidemic

Definition: An epidemic is a sickness or disease that spreads quickly.

Sentence: Everyone in town was sick during the flu epidemic.

restore power

Definition: When you restore power, you get the electricity to work again.

Sentence: We hope they will restore power soon so our lights turn on.

rise

Definition: When things begin to rise, they start to get up.

Sentence: Past Tense: rose We rose from our seats and clapped at the end of the play.

ruins

Definition: Fallen buildings, damaged roads, or bridges that cannot be fixed are ruins.

Sentence: After the earthquake we looked through the ruins of our town.

separate

Definition: When something is separate, it is by itself.

Sentence: The nurse put the sick child in a separate room.

sewer

Definition: A sewer is an underground tunnel that carries waste from houses and buildings.

Sentence: The sewer took the waste to the ocean.

supplies

Definition: Materials that people need are called supplies.

Sentence: The supplies we took to go camping included food, water, and raincoats.

take good care of

Definition: When you take good care of someone, you give that person special attention.

Sentence: Doctors take good care of people who are sick.

tent city

Definition: A tent city is a shelter made of cloth. A tent city is an area with many tents.

Sentence: After the hurricane, many people lived in a tent city until their houses were safe.

threatened

Definition: If you are threatened, you are warned that something bad may happen.

Sentence: The threatened man ran from the growling dog.

Reading Strategy: Learn About Plays, p. 226

• A play is a story that is acted out.

• The written form of a play is the script. The script tells the actors what to say and do.

How to Read a Script

1. Acts and scenes show the time and setting of the action.

2. Stage directions tell the players what to do.

3. Speaker words tell who is speaking.

4. Dialogue is words the characters say.

Reading Strategy: Learn About Plays, p. 226

This shows the first part of the play.

The setting tells where Scene 1 takes place.The stage directions tell the actors what to do.

The dialogue is the words the actors say.

The speaker words tell who is speaking.

Earthquake at Dawn, p. 228-236

Twenty-two year-old photographer Edith Irvine, her father, and her traveling companion, Daisy Valentine, travel from their home in Stockton, California, to San Francisco. There, the young women plan to board a ship to Australia to exhibit Edith’s work. They arrive in San Francisco on April 18, 1906, just in time to experience a powerful earthquake. As they wander the streets of the city, they are separated from Edith’s father and soon become involved in helping victims of the disaster.

Before You Move Onp. 231 Sentence Starters

1. I think Mrs. Somers was ______________ when the earthquake happened because she is wearing her nightdress.

2. Edith and Daisy can’t sail to Australia as they had planned because _____________ _________________________________.

3. _________________________________ might cause a fire after an earthquake.

Before You Move Onp. 232 Sentence Starters

1. The warnings posted after the earthquake were _____________________________ _________________________________.

2. Edith changes her mind about the warning signs because ______________________ _________________________________.

3. I think the mayor threatens to shoot people who don’t follow the rules because _____ _________________________________.

Before You Move Onp. 236 Sentence Starters

1. The Somers family and the girls help each other by ___________________________ _________________________________.

2. It was safer to stay in the park than in the store because _______________________ _________________________________.

3. SKIP