Who doesn’t love butterflies? Their beauty, grace, and transformative nature personify Spring! The Butterfly Poem below is an easy and fun read that any elementary kid will love during this time of the year.
So, if you need a butterfly poem ready for springtime, check it out below.
Keep reading for a Butterfly Poem your students won’t soon forget!
Need help with Test Prep? Check out this FREE Pack of 3 Test Prep Activities to help students achieve success on standardized tests!
A Butterfly Poem
“If I Were a Butterfly” by Kristin Menke
I gotta tell you everything
about my little life
I’m sitting here all wrapped on up
and stuck without a knife
It’s quiet now, except for me
I can’t quite hear outside
of this snug and a tiny place
Trust me; I’ve tried and tried
Before I got myself wrapped up
I saw so many things
Bugs with red spots, those with blue
And intricate lace wings
Some were tall and some were short
With long thin legs and thick
While others had on armor
Or looked like a simple stick
Masses of small honey bees
with black stripes and light yellow
and in the mud most wriggling worms
seemed happy and quite mellow
But my most favorite one of all
I’d wish upon a star
that I could be like that one bug
and soar away afar
If I could be a certain bug
And choose my very fate
I’d become a butterfly
And not some grubby bait
If I were a butterfly
I’d show off my bright hues
to all those who’d stop to look
and pay their rightly dues
To see the paint upon my wings
and softly curled antennae
They’d describe my flawless face
Like a shiny copper penny
But alas, I’m not what I
had hoped that I would be
so when I bust up out of here
at least I will be free
Now, I wait impatiently
trapped in a cocoon
Perhaps, I may break through one day
In April, May, or June
2025, Kristin Menke-Integrated ELA Test Prep
Want to read a poem about a dragon? Click below!
5 Fun & Rigorous Butterfly Poem Activities
1. Visualize Vocabulary
Helping students increase their vocabulary knowledge should be one of the most important standards we teach throughout the year. After all, if students cannot understand specific words, how can they understand the meaning of an entire text?
They can’t!
A single word or phrase can alter the whole theme or central idea of a story. poem, or passage, so we MUST guide our students in dissecting and analyzing vocabulary in context.
The process can be made easier by focusing on words they don’t know or completely understand before they begin reading. Let’s check out the Butterfly Poem above for specific words students may have a problem with:
- snug
- intricate
- flawless
- antennae
- perhaps
- fate
Students can identify words, look up their definitions, examine the context of the words, use them in different sentences, and visualize them in a creative way! So much to do, so little time!
2. Write 1-Sentence Summaries
You could ask students to write an entire paragraph summary of the Butterfly Poem; however, I prefer short summaries in one complete sentence.
Here is an example based on the first stanza and underlined evidence to support the summary!
STANZA 1
I gotta tell you everything
about my little life
I’m sitting here all wrapped on up
and stuck without a knife
Ex. The speaker is preparing to discuss its life while trapped somewhere.
If you want differentiated options to help teach students this strategy, click here!
3. Analyze Imagery
Imagery refers to descriptions related to the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste). There are several types of imagery used in this poem: sight, sound, and touch!
EVIDENCE
Ex. “It’s quiet now, except for me”
TYPE OF IMAGERY
Ex. Sound
EXPLANATION
Ex. The speaker is surrounded by quiet and cannot hear.
To extend this assignment, students can create a visual based on the imagery-based evidence!
4. Answer Reading Questions
After students have read, be sure to assign critical thinking and reading comprehension questions that they can answer in writing or during a class discussion.
To help with differentiation, you can offer questions to various students based on different standards.
Here are 2 examples:
This question has 2 parts.
TONE
Part A: What is the speaker’s tone at the start of the poem? Explain.
CITING EVIDENCE
Part B: Which 2 pieces of evidence support your answer to Part A?
Check out every question with this easy-to-teach poetry pack!
5. Incorporate a Test Prep Quiz for this Butterfly Poem
Unfortunately, we cannot forget that most of our students will take a reading comprehension test at the end of the year. To prepare your students in a fun and engaging way, you may want to include test prep questions throughout the year!
THEME QUESTION FOR THIS BUTTERFLY POEM “IF I WERE A BUTTERFLY:”
What is a theme of the poem?
A. Insects have feelings just like humans do.
B. One may not understand certain stages of life.
C. There are many different types of animals in the world.
D. People should recognize that nature provides beauty for all to see.
You can also offer 6, 7, 11, or 14 questions to assist your students in their test-taking skills as they read this butterfly poem!
POETRY TEST PREP BUNDLE
Do your students need help with poetry test prep? This Poetry Comprehension Reading Test Prep Lesson BUNDLE incorporates 86 test prep QUESTIONS and ANSWERS modeled after the various state standardized tests as well as engaging poetry analysis activities (for the poems “If I Were a Butterfly,” “A Dragon’s Egg,” “My Shadow,” “Thanksgiving Day,” “I Saw the Moon One Time,” “A Frog Who Would Not Move,” and “At the Zoo”)!!
These Poetry Test Prep Lessons are helpful for 2nd, 3rd, and/or 4th graders who need assistance in preparing for reading tests and want to have FUN simultaneously!
Give yourself a breath of fresh air with this NO PREP curriculum that integrates test prep within teaching literature!
Do you need more fun lessons and activities to teach a butterfly poem? Check out my store Kristin Menke-Integrated ELA Test Prep!
