Ann Whitford Paul's "Fireflies"

Reminder: PoetryTagTime is the first ever electronic-only poetry anthology of new poems by top poets for children. You can purchase the book for 99 cents at Amazon and read it on your Kindle or through the downloadable Kindle platform for your computer, cell phone, etc.

Previously: Julie Larios

Next up: ANN WHITFORD PAUL

Setting the Stage: Ask the children to describe any experiences they have had with fireflies. Do they know what fireflies are? Have they seen them? If possible, locate and share a videoclip to show examples of fireflies at night.

Poetry Performance: Invite three groups or three volunteers to chime in on the words “flash” and “flashing” in Ann Whitford Paul’s poem, “Fireflies.” One group or volunteer reads the first “flash,” a second group or volunteer reads the second “flash,” and a third group or volunteer reads the word, “flashing.” Coach them to pause before reading their word for maximum impact. The adult leader reads the remaining words and lines.

Just for Fun: Who would think that bugs could be compared to punctuation marks? Ann Whitford Paul compares fireflies and their soft light to “periods and dashes and commas” in the night. Challenge the kids to consider what other insects or animals might be compared to other punctuation marks. What might be like a question mark? An exclamation mark? Quotation marks?

Poem Links: Here are key words that connect this poem with other poems in the PoetryTagTime collection:
Night
Punctuation
Bugs
Light

Buy the book now, so you can share each poem along with the ideas and activities that follow here.

Next up for PoetryTagTime: Jane Yolen

Image credit:

Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2011. All rights reserved.