Lessons & Units :: Fireflies! 2nd Grade Unit

Read-Aloud Lesson: Fireflies!

Lesson Plan

Fireflies | 630L

Fireflies
Learning Goal
Determine the main character’s motivation for his actions at the end of the story by identifying and analyzing his thoughts, emotions, and actions.
Duration
Part 1: Approximately 40-45 minutes
 
Part 2: Approximately 15-20 minutes
 
Part 3: Approximately 15-20 minutes
Necessary Materials

Provided:
1. Detailed lesson plan
2. Graphic organizer for guided practice
3. Independent student worksheet

Not Provided:
Fireflies!

 
  1. This lesson is a close reading of the entire text. So it’s important to engage students often, to enhance their learning. Here are two tips:

    •   When you ask the more complex questions from the lesson, ask students to “turn-and-talk” or “buddy-talk” before answering.

    •   Once you are deep into the lesson, instead of asking students every question provided, ask them to share with you what questions they should be asking themselves at that point in the text. This is also a great opportunity to use "turn-and-talk."
       
  2. Suggested teacher language is included in the lesson.

  3. We recommend you read the book once to your students, either the day or morning before teaching the lesson.

  4. This research-based, read-aloud lesson may seem long. Why do students need the lesson to be this way?
 

Part 1: Teacher Modeling and Questioning

 

Write the following student-friendly learning goal on the board, then read the learning goal out loud with the class: 

We will explain why the main character did what he did toward the end of the story.

 
Transition Students into the Text
 
Teacher says: Today we are going to read a book titled Fireflies! The main character does something interesting at the end of the book. So let’s keep track of what the main character thinks, feels, and does during the story so that we can figure out why he does what he does at the end of the story.
 
Read page 1 out loud, then stop. Page 1 ends with, “...to the backyard.” Show the illustration.
1.
Teacher says (models thinking): The author just gave us important information about the setting of the book. Remember, setting is when and where a story takes place. First, the author says it is summer, and it is evening. That tells us when the story takes place. Then, the author writes that the boy is looking through the open window to the backyard. That is where the story takes place. I wonder whose backyard this is.
 
Read pages 2-3 out loud, then stop. Page 3 ends with, “...said Momma.” Show the illustrations.
2.
Teacher asks: What is in the backyard?
 
Students answer: The boy’s tree house.
3.
Teacher asks: Whose tree house is it?
 
Students answer: The boy’s.
4.
Teacher asks: So, whose backyard is this?
 
Students answer: The boy’s backyard.
Read more
5.
Teacher asks: What did the boy see over by the fence?
 
Students answer: Fireflies
 
Read pages 4-5 out loud, then stop. Page 5 ends with, “...behind the stairs.” Show the illustrations.
6.
Teacher says (models thinking): The author gives us important information about the boy on this page. Listen as I think about this.
  • He "forked" his dinner into his mouth, which is a word that means he ate quickly.
  • He asked to go out, and said the word "fireflies."
  • He ran from the table to get a jar.

From these pieces of information, I can tell that the boy wants to hurry up and go out to see the fireflies. I am using his actions—eating quickly, asking to go out, running—to determine that he wants to go out.
7.
Teacher says: Now, I want you to think about a few of his other actions and thoughts.
8.
Teacher asks: Where did he go to get the jar?
 
Students answer: To the cellar.
9.
Teacher asks: Did he know where to look for the jar in the cellar?
 
Students answer: Yes, he knew to look behind the stairs.
10.
Teacher asks: What do these actions and thoughts tell us about whether or not the boy has done this before?
 
Students answer: The boy has most likely done this before because he knew where to look and ran there.
 
Read pages 6-7 out loud, then stop. Page 7 ends with, “...Momma’s scissors.” Show the illustrations.
11.
Teacher asks: How did he get back upstairs?
 
Students answer: He ran back up, two steps at a time.
12.
Teacher asks: What could you conclude by the way he came back up the steps? Use text evidence in your response.
 
Students answer: This might suggest that the boy really wanted to go outside because he ran back up the stairs, and went up two stairs with each step (two steps at a time).
13.
Teacher asks: What did the boy do to the top of the jar?
 
Students answer: He poked holes in the top.
14.
Teacher asks: Why does he say he did that?
 
Students answer: He says he did that so they can breathe.
15.
Teacher asks: How does he know that this will help them breathe?
 
Students answer: He says that he remembers this.
16.
Teacher asks: Explain whether this is evidence that he has done this before.
 
Students answer: This is evidence that he has done this before because he is remembering. If he is remembering how to do something, he has probably done it before.
 
Read pages 8-11 out loud, then stop. Page 11 ends with, “...grasping at the lights.” Show the illustrations.
17.
Teacher asks: What did the boy and his friends do on these two pages? Give more than one answer.
 

Students answer:

  • They were staring at and watching fireflies.
  • They ran like crazy, barefoot in the grass.
  • They cried out, "Catch them, catch them."
  • They were grasping at the fireflies.  
 
If students don’t say “trying to catch fireflies,” do not prompt them to do so. This will become clearer on the next page.
 
Read page 12 out loud, then stop. Page 12 ends with, “...was my own.” Show the illustrations.
18.
Teacher asks: What happened on this page?
 
Students answer: The boy caught his own firefly.
 
Read page 13 out loud, then stop. Page 13 ends with, “’...catch hundreds!’” Show the illustrations.
19.
Teacher asks: The text says the boy felt a tremble of joy; what does this most likely mean?
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • The boy felt a little bit of joy.
  • The boy felt a shaking of joy.
  • The boy felt the emotion of joy.
  • The boy felt happy.
20.
Teacher asks: Let's look at the illustrations on pages 12 and 13. How can you tell that the boy feels joy?
 

Students answer:

  • The boy jumps in the air.
  • The boy smiles at the firefly in the jar.
21.
Teacher asks: Then, what did the boy shout?
 
Students answer: He shouted, "I can catch hundreds!"
22.
Teacher asks: Explain whether the boy will probably try to catch more fireflies, and if so why?
 
Students answer (may vary): He will probably try to collect more fireflies. He may try to collect more fireflies because catching the fireflies gives him joy and he states that he can catch more.
23.
Teacher says (models thinking): Notice how you used the character’s emotions and actions—feeling a tremble of joy, shouting that he can catch hundreds — to determine what he may want to do next.
 
Read pages 14-19 out loud, then stop. Page 19 ends with, “...hundreds of fireflies-“ Show the illustrations.
24.
Teacher asks: What did the boy repeat on these last two pages?
 
Students answer: He repeated that he caught hundreds of fireflies.
25.
Teacher asks: Why might he repeat this comment?
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • He may repeat this comment because he wants both parents to know.
  • He may repeat this information because he is pleased that he caught hundreds of fireflies.
26.
Teacher asks: How do you think the boy felt at this point?
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • He felt proud.
  • He felt joy.
27.
Teacher asks: Why do you think this?
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • He felt proud because he caught so many fireflies.
  • He felt joy because he felt joy catching one firefly, so he may have felt even more joy catching hundreds.
 
Read pages 20-21 out loud, then stop. Page 21 ends with, “...lay there.” Show the illustrations.
28.
Teacher asks: At first, what did the boy do?
 
Students answer: He watched the fireflies from his bed.
29.
Teacher asks: Why did the boy watch the fireflies?
 
Students answer: The boy enjoyed watching the fireflies, or he was interested in the fireflies.
30.
Teacher asks: But then we notice a change. What change occurs?
 
Students answer: The fireflies beat their wings against the glass, and fell to the bottom, and lay there.
31.
Teacher asks: Why might the fireflies have behaved differently than previously in the book?
 
Students answer: Fireflies may have behaved differently because they were inside of a jar.
 
Read page 22 out loud, then stop. Page 22 ends with, “...would not go down.” Show the illustration.
32.
Teacher asks: What happened to the fireflies’ light in the jar?
 
Students answer: The fireflies’ light turned yellow.
33.
Teacher asks: What did the boy try to do?
 
Students answer: The boy tried to swallow, but something in his throat would not go down.
34.
Teacher asks: What might the author be suggesting if the boy was having trouble swallowing while watching the fireflies turn yellow?
 

Students answer (may vary; attempt to solicit at least two):

  • The boy was feeling sad.
  • The boy was feeling guilty.
35.
Teacher asks: Why might the boy have felt that way?
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • The boy felt sad because the fireflies were behaving differently and didn’t seem normal. And he may have enjoyed the way they behaved outside better.
  • The boy felt guilty because the fireflies were in a jar instead of their own habitat, and he put them there.
 
Read page 23 out loud, then stop. Page 23 ends with, “...under water.” Show the illustration.
36.
Teacher asks: What happened to the fireflies’ light?
 
Students answer: The light grew dimmer.
 
Read page 24 out loud, then stop. Page 24 ends with, “...nearly dark.” Do not show the illustration, as the end of the story is given away on the opposite page.
37.
Teacher asks: What did the boy do with his eyes and his pillow?
 
Students answer: He shut his eyes tight and put the pillow over his head.
38.
Let’s review and analyze his actions and thoughts. He shut his eyes tight and put the pillow over his head.
39.
Teacher asks: How was the boy probably feeling?
 
Students answer: The boy was probably feeling upset.
40.
Teacher asks: Why was he probably upset?
 
Students answer: He was probably upset because the jar was nearly dark, and his fireflies were not glowing anymore.
 
Read page 25 out loud, then stop. Page 25 ends with, “’Fly!’.” Show the illustration.
41.
Teacher asks: What just happened?
 
Students answer: The boy got out of bed, went to the window, and opened the jar. He aimed it at the stars and said, "Fly!"
42.
Teacher says: Good! This is a very important part of the book. Remember, our goal today was to keep track of what the main character thinks, feels, and does to try to determine, or figure out, why he does what he does at the end of the book. Let’s think back to the time he was catching fireflies.
43.
Teacher asks: How did the boy feel when he was catching fireflies?
 
Students answer: The boy felt joy when he was catching fireflies.
44.
Teacher asks: How did the boy feel when he came in with hundreds of fireflies, and how did he feel when he was watching the jar at first?
 
Students answer: The boy felt pride and joy, and he enjoyed watching the jar at first.
45.
Teacher asks: How did the boy feel when the fireflies started to behave differently?
 
Students answer: The boy felt sad and guilty.
46.
Teacher asks: How did the boy feel when the fireflies lost their light?
 
Students answer: The boy felt upset.
47.
Teacher asks: So, what might the author be suggesting about why the boy let the fireflies fly out of the jar?
 

Students answer:

  • The boy most likely let the fireflies fly out of the jar because he was sad, upset, and felt guilty about their behavior in the jar.
  • The boy had found joy in the fireflies when they were lit up, but realized that they do not behave the same way in a jar. He wanted to let them go so that they can be free and he can experience joy again watching the fireflies light up in their natural habitat.


 
Use prompting to encourage the students to understand that the reader can only determine that the boy likes the fireflies when they are lit up, not dark. There is no textual evidence that he is an animal or bug lover.
 
Read pages 26-27 out loud, then stop. Page 27 ends with, “...stars dancing.” Show the illustrations.
48.
Teacher asks: What did the fireflies do when the jar was opened?
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • The fireflies began to glow different colors, then white.
  • The fireflies poured out into the night.
  • The fireflies blinked, flew high and low, and made circles around the moon.
 
Read page 28, finishing the book. Show illustration.
49.
Teacher says (models thinking): Earlier, we said that the boy most likely let the fireflies fly out of the jar because he was sad, upset, and felt guilty. He wanted to experience joy again by watching the fireflies light up. From the pieces of information on this page, the reader can determine how the boy felt after he let the fireflies go.
50.
Teacher asks: What pieces of information can we use to determine how he felt?
 

Students answer: 

  • The boy had tears.
  • The boy was smiling. 
51.
Teacher asks: Based on this information, how was the boy most likely feeling?
 
Students answer: The boy was feeling both sad and happy.
52.
Teacher asks: Why was the boy both sad and happy?
 
Students answer: The boy was sad that he didn’t have the fireflies in his jar anymore, but happy to see them glowing, blinking, and flying in the sky.
 

Part 2: Guided Practice and Discussion

 
For this oral lesson, it is suggested to have the completed graphic organizer on the board with the answers concealed. After students provide a correct answer, reveal the corresponding answer on the graphic organizer.
 
Transition Students into Guided Practice
1.
Teacher says: We are going to use the ‘Somebody-Wanted-But-So’ graphic organizer to help us understand the main character, what he wanted, what got in the way of his plan, and what happens in the end.
2.
Teacher asks: In Fireflies! who is the main character? Or the "Somebody"?
 
Students answer: The boy is the main character.
3.
Teacher asks: What did the boy "Want"?
 
Students answer: The boy wanted to catch fireflies and keep them in a jar.
4.
Teacher asks: Why did he want to do this?
 
Students answer: He wanted to do this because he enjoyed watching them and their light.
Read more
5.
Teacher asks: But what got in the way of this? What happened to the fireflies?
 
Students answer: When he put the fireflies in the jar, they changed their behavior and did not light up anymore.
6.
Teacher asks: So, what happened in the end?
 
Students answer: In the end, the boy decided to let the fireflies go so he could see them light up in the sky.
 

After the answers for the graphic organizer have been completed and discussed with the class, ask the following two discussion questions.

 
Teacher asks: Why do you think the fireflies did not behave the same way inside of the jar as they did in the night sky?
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • Fireflies are used to being out in the open, so they may have felt trapped inside of the jar.
  • Fireflies did not like being inside of a jar.
  • The fireflies did not have enough air or food.
  • The fireflies were beginning to die.
 
Teacher asks: Use evidence from the book Fireflies! to explain why sometimes you can enjoy another living creature more if you set it free or don’t catch it in the first place.
 

Students answer: Answers may vary and may include the idea that some living creatures are happiest being free in their natural environments, and that is where they will behave in the ways that are most enjoyable for people to watch.

(Students should use evidence from the text to support their answers.)

 

Part 3: Student Independent Practice

 
Read each question out loud to your students and have each student complete the worksheet independently.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

(To see all of the ReadWorks lessons aligned to your standards, click here.)

User Comments

So delighted to see this wonderful narrative story as a lesson here at ReadWorks! I'm going to use this the first week of school, before we start official curriculum for ELA. Thanks.

Submitted by knielsen on 8/16/16

thank you so much

Submitted by Kwbb22 on 10/4/15

Thanks

Submitted by PSK on 1/28/15

This is lesson is so well done and just what I was looking for to teach my second graders. I also love that it is aligned with the CCS.

Thank you.

Submitted by Stephanie on 9/25/14

I agree, I like the questions you have provided and love to have students turn and talk! Thank you again for providing us with great teaching methods.
Angela in VA

Submitted by abettis on 10/29/15

I would also use the pop song, Fireflies. Second graders know these words and can sing the intricate rhythms and melodies.

Submitted by Pat on 9/27/13