I promise I’ll be brave,
With shadows all around.
I promise I’ll be brave,
When I hear a creepy sound.
I promise I’ll be brave,
In the deep, dark night.
I promise I’ll be brave,
If you’ll please turn on my light.
CLICK!
Art by Mike Deas
Brave Night
Read this poem about how a little light can help us be brave.
By Janice Behrens
From the September 2022 Issue
Guided Reading Level: H
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
More About the Article
Social and Emotional Learning Focus
Emotional regulation
Bravery
English Language Arts Focus
Craft and structure
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Essential Question
The essential question of this issue is How Can We Be Brave? The articles below connect to this theme.
- Big Read-Aloud: “Dogs to the Rescue,” p. 10
- Word Play: “Three Ways to Say Brave,” p. 16
- Mini Graphic: “Sticky Situation: Who Will I Play With?,” p. 17
- Fiction: “My Name is Zahara,” p. 26
- Poetry: “Brave Night,” p. 32
Through the above genres, students will discuss:
- What do the people (and animals!) in these stories do that is brave?
- When have you been brave?
- What happens when we are brave?
IMPLEMENTATION SUGGESTION
Shared Reading
- After you introduce and explore the meaning of the poem, use it as a daily shared reading experience to build fluency and phonological awareness through rhyme.
1. BEFORE READING
Show a Video (10 minutes)
- Tell your children they are going to watch a video about bravery (this video also goes with other stories in this issue). Ask, “What brave things do the people in the video do? ”
Preview Text Type and Illustration (5-10 minutes)
- Now tell students they will read a rhyming poem. Point out the features that many poems have.
- Open your magazines to “Brave Night.” Together, observe details in the illustration. Can children predict what the poem is about?
2. READ THE POEM (10-15 MINUTES)
- Read the poem to model fluency. You can also click the Read Aloud button at the top of the digital issue to hear it read by a voice actor!
- Invite children to choral read along with you for the repeated phrase “I promise I’ll be brave.”
- Discuss the meaning of the poem. Guide students to see that sometimes we need a little help to be brave!
3. AFTER READING: FOCUS ON SKILLS
ELA Focus: Craft and Structure (10 minutes)
- The Mark Up the Poem! skills page allows children to engage with the structure of poetry.
SEL Focus: Bravery (20 minutes)
- With the My Bravery Story skills page, children share a time they were brave. (This page also goes with other stories in the issue.)
ELA Focus: Main Idea (20 minutes)
- The Design a Night-Light page helps children deepen their understanding of the poem’s meaning by drawing a comforting night-light. They can practice speaking skills by explaining their night-light to a partner.
Text-to-Speech