Ten Flashing Fireflies |A Cross-Curricular STEM Unit on Fireflies for Math, ELA, Science, and Music
Introduction
This is a great lesson for preschoolers and kindergartners. It would also be a good fit for homeschooling families. It integrates math, ELA, science, and music.
Fireflies Vs Lightning Bugs
Show students a picture of a firefly. Ask students what it is. Some students may say fireflies and others may say lightning bugs. Tell students that a firefly is another name for a lightning bug (or vice versa). Ask students what letter firefly begins with. Tell them to listen to the beginning sound. Then ask students what letter lightning bug begins with. Have them write the letters F and L on their paper. (L.K.1.A, L.K.2.C)
Show students a lightning bug or firefly geographic map of the United States. Point to different parts of the map, and ask students if they are called fireflies or lightning bugs in that area. Then point out to where your students live, and ask them if most people where they live call them lightning bugs or fireflies. Explain that one researcher found that in places where lightning strikes happen more frequently, the bugs are called lightning bugs.
Here are some good examples of regional firefly vs lightning bug maps:
- When is peak lightning bug and firefly season in the U.S.? | 5newsonline.com
- Lightning bug season has arrived in Ohio: where to see them | wkyc.com
What is a Firefly?
Ask students, “What is a firefly?” Tell students that a firefly (or lightning bug) is a beetle. Show students a picture of a lightning bug and one or two pictures of other types beetles. Have students point out what is the same or different between the pictures.
Tell students that there are over 2,000 species of fireflies. Show a picture of a few different types and have students point out what’s the same and different.
Math and ELA Lesson: Ten Flashing Fireflies
Ten Flashing Fireflies by Philemon Sturges is a charming summertime book. Ten fireflies are flashing outside in the yard for the children to admire. One by one the children catch them and put them in a jar, counting backwards from 10 to 1. Kids love fireflies! They are such a friendly little bug. Most of us can relate to the simple joy of collecting fireflies on a late summer night. Personally, we used to pretend they were magical fairies flitting about. 😊 What an engaging topic to use to teach math!
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Teaching Skills
Math
Counting Forwards & Backwards
Counting forwards is a part of the Common Core Math Standards. Students need to establish one-to-one correspondence by saying a number and paring it with an object (K.CC.4). They also have to answer questions such as “How many?” where they count objects in different configurations (K.CC.5).
Although counting backwards is not in the Common Core standards, it is still an essential skill for children. Not only does it help with subtraction, but it’s important that students are able to move fluently in both directions on a number line (or number path at this grade level). This will set the stage for understanding integers in later grades. This is why Ohio added counting backwards to their standards. Note: The National Research Council (and thus most state standards) recommends delaying teaching of the number line until Grade 2, but students in younger grades can still practice counting backwards using physical objects like sidewalk blocks or going up and down steps.
For a more detailed lesson plan using Ten Flashing Fireflies to teach math, find the cross-curricular lesson on my Math Lessons page.
Decomposition within 10
Decomposing numbers is an important skill for children to build number fluency. Ten Flashing Fireflies is the perfect book for teaching decomposition among 10. You can talk about how there are still 10 fireflies present even though some are in the jar and others are flying in the field.
While reading the story, have students use number bonds and linking cubes to make sense of the different ways to decompose ten (K.OA.3). Students can tie these models to number sentences (aka equations). Writing number sentences will set the stage for adding and subtracting within 10.
Invisible Ink Math Activity
To apply their knowledge in a fun way, students can draw lightning bugs using invisible ink pens to illustrate decomposition among 10. See my Math Lessons page for a more detailed lesson plan on Ten Flashing Fireflies including an activity using invisible pens/markers.
English Language Arts
Reading Strategies
Students can use a variety of reading strategies while reading Ten Flashing Fireflies. Most people have fond memories of catching fireflies. You can leverage these experiences to help students make connections with the text. They can also ask and answer questions about the text and make predictions while reading.
For a more detailed lesson plan using reading strategies, find the cross-curricular lesson on my English Language Arts Lessons page.
Integrating Knowledge and Ideas
In Ten Flashing Fireflies, the illustrations add to the understanding of the story. The students can discuss the relationship between the words and the pictures and the nuances of meaning behind the different adjective the author chooses.
For a more detailed lesson plan, find the cross-curricular lesson on my English Language Arts Lessons page.
Language
Because of the rhyme and the repetition students can discuss how the rhyme and meter add to the enjoyment of the story. They can also discuss author’s word choice and the relationship and nuances among words.
For a more detailed lesson plan, find the cross-curricular lesson on my English Language Arts Lessons page.
Music Connection
Closer your eyes and listen to Fireflies by Owl City.
Ask students how the song makes them feel? What pictures do they see in their mind? Have them listen to the song a second time. Ask them if they see any new images in their mind this time.
Play the song one more time, and have the students act out the song. Some students may want to act out the person trying to sleep and others may want act out the firefly. Let them choose whatever they feel like as long as they have fun. Afterwards, ask them how they chose to act out the song and why.
For a more detailed lesson plan, find the cross-curricular lesson on my Fine Arts Lessons page.
Science Connection
Why Do Fireflies Blink?
Ask students: Why do you think fireflies blink? Have them record their answers using drawings or words.
Tell students that there are several reasons:
- To attract mates;
- To help them identify their own kind; and
- As a defense against enemies. The lights make them look like they taste yucky!
Tell students that there are many different kinds of fireflies, and they all have different blinking patterns. Show students a video of different firefly blinking patterns.
Activity
Put students in pairs or small groups. Have them come up with a secret code to talk to each other with a flashlight. Have students take turns going to the front of the classroom and use his/her flashlight to communicate with his/her partner.
What Do Fireflies Eat?
Ask students, “What do fireflies eat?” Tell students that different species of fireflies eat different things. They also eat different things at different stages of their life cycle. Fireflies like most living creatures have a life cycle. They start out an egg and continue as a larva, pupa and adult. Most infant fireflies are carnivorous; they eat other animals like other insects. Many adult fireflies don’t eat much. They may eat nectar or pollen or nothing at all. But some species like to eat other bugs such as worms, snails, or slugs. Some even eat other fireflies. Some pet fireflies might like sugar water or slugs or snails depending on the species.
STEM Application: Fireflies and Light Pollution
Not only are many of fireflies’ habitats shrinking or disappearing across the world, but light pollution is also a problem. Discuss with students how light pollution is hurting fireflies. When there is too much light, fireflies find it hard to mate.
STEM is about problem solving. In order for something to be considered STEM, “students need to think critically, design solutions, and make evidence-based explanations through real-world authentic learning experiences.” [Ohio Department of Education and Workforce] Put students in groups and have them problem solve about how to help fireflies. They need to go through a modeling process. For kindergartners it should be much simpler than modeling process shown in the GAIMME report or the modeling process in the Common Core that older students should use. It could be as simple as the following:
- Ask a question;
- Brainstorm a solution;
- Make a model or picture; and
- Explain the model or picture.
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Comments
Show me pictures of your student’s firefly drawings and number bonds!
