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The Firefly Who Lost Her Glow

3rd grade fiction passage about a firefly and patience: 162 words, seven questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade fiction a firefly and patience 162 words

The Firefly Who Lost Her Glow

On a warm evening, the meadow filled with blinking lights. All the fireflies were glowing, except for Lumi. She was new, and her tail stayed dark.

"Why can't I do it?" she asked an old firefly named Dot.

"Try harder," said Lumi to herself. She squeezed her eyes shut. She wiggled and puffed. Still nothing happened.

Dot laughed kindly. "A glow is not something you push. It comes when you are calm."

"But everyone is waiting for me," said Lumi.

"No one is waiting," said Dot. "Look around. Everyone is busy with their own light."

So Lumi stopped trying. She sat on a blade of grass and watched the moon rise over the hills. She listened to the crickets sing. She felt her wings grow still.

Then something warm flickered in her tail. It was small and yellow. It blinked once, then twice.

"There it is," Dot whispered.

Lumi smiled. Some things only come when you stop pushing and let them grow.

Questions

  1. Which firefly could not glow? in the text

  2. What did Lumi do when she tried harder? in the text

  3. What did Dot say a glow is like? in the text

  4. What did Lumi watch while she sat on the grass? in the text

  5. What color was Lumi's first glow? in the text

  6. Why did Lumi think everyone was waiting for her? think about it

  7. What lesson does the story teach? think about it

Words to know

meadow
a field of grass and wildflowers
glow
to shine with a soft light
calm
quiet and relaxed, not worried
flickered
shone with a light that goes on and off quickly
wiggled
moved with quick, small twists
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 158 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.4

One warm night, the meadow was full of blinking lights. All the fireflies were glowing. But not Lumi. She was new. Her tail stayed dark.

"Why can't I do it?" she asked an old firefly named Dot.

"I will try harder," Lumi said to herself. She shut her eyes. She wiggled and puffed. Nothing happened.

Dot laughed in a kind way. "A glow is not a thing you push. It comes when you are calm."

"But all of them are waiting for me," said Lumi.

"No one is waiting," said Dot. "Look. Each one is busy with a light."

So Lumi stopped trying. She sat on a blade of grass. She watched the moon rise over the hills. She heard the crickets sing. Her wings were still.

Then something warm flickered in her tail. It was small and yellow. It blinked once, then twice.

"There it is," Dot whispered.

Lumi smiled. Some things come when you stop pushing.

▲ This passage · 162 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.7

On a warm evening, the meadow filled with blinking lights. All the fireflies were glowing, except for Lumi. She was new, and her tail stayed dark.

"Why can't I do it?" she asked an old firefly named Dot.

"Try harder," said Lumi to herself. She squeezed her eyes shut. She wiggled and puffed. Still nothing happened.

Dot laughed kindly. "A glow is not something you push. It comes when you are calm."

"But everyone is waiting for me," said Lumi.

"No one is waiting," said Dot. "Look around. Everyone is busy with their own light."

So Lumi stopped trying. She sat on a blade of grass and watched the moon rise over the hills. She listened to the crickets sing. She felt her wings grow still.

Then something warm flickered in her tail. It was small and yellow. It blinked once, then twice.

"There it is," Dot whispered.

Lumi smiled. Some things only come when you stop pushing and let them grow.

■ Harder · 183 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.4

On a warm summer evening, the meadow filled with blinking lights as every firefly began to glow, every one except Lumi. She was new to the meadow, and her tail stubbornly stayed dark.

"Why can't I do it?" she asked an old firefly named Dot.

"I simply must try harder," Lumi told herself. She squeezed her eyes shut, wiggled her body, and puffed out her cheeks. Still, nothing happened.

Dot laughed kindly. "A glow is not something you can force. It arrives when you are calm."

"But everyone is waiting for me," said Lumi anxiously.

"No one is waiting," said Dot. "Look around you. Each firefly is busy with their own light."

So Lumi stopped trying altogether. She settled on a blade of grass and watched the moon climb over the hills. She listened to the crickets sing, and she felt her wings grow still.

Then something warm flickered in her tail. It was small and yellow, and it blinked once, then twice.

"There it is," Dot whispered.

Lumi smiled. Certain things only come when you stop pushing and allow them to grow.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put meadow, glow, calm, flickered and wiggled on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the story will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 2 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 6 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to retell the story in three sentences: how it began, what the problem was, and how it ended.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "The Firefly Who Lost Her Glow"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 162 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.6. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are seven. 5 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 2 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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