Lessons & Units :: Fireflies! 2nd Grade Unit

Paired Text Questions: "What is a Habitat?" and Fireflies!

Lesson Plan

Fireflies | 630L

Fireflies
Learning Goal
Integrate information from the non-fiction passage “Habitats - What is a Habitat?” and the book Fireflies! to determine what a habitat is and its importance to the animals living in it.
Duration
Approximately 20 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided:
  1. Questions
  2. Non-fiction reading passage “What is a Habitat?”

Not Provided:
Fireflies!
 
  • Questions 1 and 2 refer to the non-fiction passage “What is a Habitat?”. Questions 3 and 4 refer to the book Fireflies! Questions 5 and 6 refer to both the passage and the book.
  • Student versions of the questions are in the 'Texts & Materials' tab.
 
Part 1: "What is a Habitat?"
 
Read the passage “What is a Habitat?” out loud to your students. Alternatively, students can read the passage independently or as a group.
 
Question 1: What is a habitat?
 
Sample student answer: A habitat is where a plant or animal lives.
 
Question 2: What did you read about a polar bear’s habitat?
 
Sample student answer (may vary):
  • It is in the Arctic.
  • It is cold.
 

Part 2: Fireflies!

 
Question 3: Where are the fireflies in the story living before they are caught?
 
Sample student answer: The fireflies are living outdoors, in the air.
 
Question 4: What are some differences between the life of fireflies living inside a jar and the life of fireflies living outdoors in their natural habitat?
 
Sample student answer (may vary):
  • Fireflies living inside a jar do not have a way to get food. Fireflies living outdoors do have access to food.
  • Fireflies living inside a jar do not have much room to fly in. Fireflies living outdoors have lots of room to fly.
  • Fireflies living inside a jar do not have as much fresh air as fireflies living outdoors.
  • Fireflies inside of a jar do not glow as brightly as fireflies living outdoors.
 

Part 3: "What is a Habitat? and Fireflies!

 
Question 5: Based on the book Fireflies!, in what season of the year are you most likely to see a firefly?
 
Sample student answer: You are most likely to see a firefly in the summer.
 
Question 6: Explain whether fireflies could live in the same habitats as polar bears and dolphins.
 
Sample student answer (may vary and could include):
  • No, fireflies could not live in the same habitats as polar bears and dolphins. Fireflies live in the summer, so it is hot. Polar bears live where it is cold, so the fireflies couldn’t live there. Also, dolphins live in water and fireflies live and fly in the air, so fireflies could not live in water like dolphins.
  • Fireflies could live with polar bears during the summer time in the Arctic, but fireflies could not live with dolphins in the water.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

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User Comments

loved it!

Submitted by shilpasunil.rao_1401605 on 9/5/15

This is really good to go along with our study of habitats.

Submitted by Martha Smith on 8/31/15

I loved this lesson!

Submitted by Shellyowens36 on 1/21/15