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A Lesson on How the Firefly Got Its Light	Export Lesson as PDF \| Save As Favorite

	Grade: Grade 2 Subject: English Language Arts Created by: Casey Maynard Lesson Length: 1 hour 30 minutes Keywords/Tags: Firefly, Folktale Lesson Description: The goal of this lesson is to give students the opportunity to use the reading and writing habits they've been practicing on a regular basis to learn from an old folktale about how a firefly got it's light. By reading the passage and focusing on how persistence can get you what you want in life, and to keep trying and never give up. The Students will learn how to understand context and understand the context to answer questions. This will allow them to discuss the text that they have understood from the text. Finally the students will be able to explain the purpose of the folktale.
Common Core Standards Covered with This Lesson CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.2: Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.3: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.5: Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.6: Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.7: Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.2.4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3: Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

Lesson Content: Reading
Instructions: Please read the following reading passage as many times as needed (aloud and silent) before starting to go through other lesson pages. Understanding the content of this passage is very important since the lesson activities will be all about this content. Feel free to print the passage if needed.

How the Firefly Got Its Light

This is a story based on an old folktale.

This is a story about long ago. There was a little fly. It wanted to be special. The fly was sad. It did not feel special. It looked at the bee and thought it was great. “Look at how big it is. Hear it buzz.” It looked at the butterfly and said, “See how pretty. Look at the colors. Look at the big wings. I am just like all the other flies.”

The fly stayed awake one night. It was worried. It was sad. All the other flies were sleeping. A moth was awake. So was a mouse. They did not notice the fly. It was too small. It was hard to see in the dark.

The fly saw the stars. They were shining. “I want to shine like that. That would be special.”

The moon heard the fly. The moon said, “Little fly. You can help me. If you do, I will help you. I will make you shine.”

“How can I help?”

The moon said, “You can be my friend. I am lonely at night. I come out when it is dark. Most animals are asleep. If you stay awake every night I will help you shine. Then you can be my friend.”

“Yes, yes,” the fly said. So the moon helped it. The moon told the fly the secret. The moon told the fly how to shine.

The next night, the fly stayed awake. It used the secret. It was shining. On, off, it made its body light. It looked like magic.

“Look,” said the mouse. “Look at that fly. How special.” The mouse said, I’d like to shine, too.” His mother said, “NO! That would be dangerous. You know we need to be able to hide.”

The fly was very glad. The fly told the moon, “I will always be your friend. When you come out at night, I will be here. I will shine my light to welcome you.” Then the fly went to sleep. “Finally. Now I have what I need.”

Task 2: Discussion Activity (25 points)
Instructions: This discussion forum will have questions for students to respond. Read the posted questions, and respond to each. Students are responsible for posting one initial and and two peer responses for each topic.


	Topic Title	Replies

	What is so unique about the little firefly? At the end of the story the author says, The next night, the fly stayed awake. It used the secret. It was shining. On, off, it made its body light. It looked like magic. Explain why he is unique about the firefly in the end? Sent on: Oct 3, 2018 by: Casey Maynard	0

	How is the story organized? Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action. Sent on: Oct 3, 2018 by: Casey Maynard	0

	Describe the different aspects of the characters? Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud. Use the main charater, the mom and the moon as talking points. Sent on: Oct 3, 2018 by: Casey Maynard	0

Standards Covered with This Lesson Activity: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.6,

Task 3: Writing Activity (35 points)
Instructions: You are to write and post here 2-3 paragraphs of your response and the meaning of this folktale. How were you able to tell what the purpose of this story was? How did moon help the firefly get his light? Make sure to provide specific examples from the text.

Standards Covered with This Lesson Activity: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3,

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