PumpkinsLiterature Focus UnitMorgan PandolfoEDU 315

Literature SelectionFiction Pumpkin Countdown by Joan Holub The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz The Perfect Pumpkin Pie by Denys Cazet How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? By Margaret McNamara From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles Schulz It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff The Pumpkin Blanket by Deborah Turney Zagwyn Lonely Little Pumpkin by Nevin Hawlman Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Trioano Strega Nona’s Harvest by Tomie dePaola Let it Fall by Maryann Cocca-Leffler The Three Bears Halloween by Kathy Duval Twas the Night before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey

Literature SelectionNon-fictionPumpkin Harvest Calvin HarrisSeed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum A Day at the Pumpkin Patch by Megan Faulkner

and Adam Krawesky It’s a Fruit, It’s a Vegetable, It’s a Pumpkin by

Allan FowlerPumpkin Circle: Story of a Garden by George

Levenson and Shmuel Thaler Pumpkins in Fall by Mari SchuhHarvest in Fall by Mari SchuhWeather in Fall by Mari SchuhAnimals in Fall by Mari Schuh

Theme Study• Students will take part in a thematic unit on

the fall season with emphasis on pumpkins. This unit will integrate reading and writing with social studies, science, mathematics, art, music, and physical education.

• Students will gain an understanding of the characteristics of the fall season, pumpkins and the many uses, and deciduous leaves in such ways as life cycles, weather patterns, winter behavior patterns of animals, and holiday traditions.

Reading standards for Literature Focus UnitRL.10: Actively engage in group reading

activities with purpose and understanding.RI.1: Ask and answer questions to

demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for answers.

W.5: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.

SL.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Language Arts: Reading Activities

Students will read a variety of non fiction and fiction books about pumpkins and the fall season in various settings such as large group, small group, and independently.

Teacher will read aloud selected books from literature selection.

Students will share their poems about pumpkins and the fall season.

Students will identify informational non-fiction text features.

Students will peer-review a partner’s narrative story on pumpkins and the fall season.

Language Arts: Writing Activities

Students will generate a list of pumpkin characteristics within a small group.

Students will individually write an acrostic and haiku poem about pumpkins or the fall season.

Students will compare and contrast pumpkins and apples using a Venn diagram.

Students will write a personal narrative about an event they remember about a pumpkin or their favorite fall activity.

Students will use their five senses to write about a pumpkin or what they experienced on the nature walk.

Language Arts: Speaking Activities

Students will present haiku and limerick poems to the whole class.

Students will voice their thoughts about pumpkin and fall season characteristics in a small group assignment.

Students will partner read a book from the literature selection.

Students will act out the “Five Little Pumpkins sitting on a Gate.”

Language Arts: Listening Activities

Students will listen to the teacher read aloud stories about pumpkins and the fall season from the literature selection and provide instructions to activities.

Students will politely listen to peers share their poems about pumpkins and the fall season.

Students will politely listen to classmates as they offer insight on characteristics of pumpkins and the fall season.

Students will listen to songs about pumpkins and the fall season: “5 little pumpkins sitting on a fence,” “Pumpkin Song,” and Harvest Time.”

Students will listen to audio books about pumpkins and the fall season.

Students will listen to the weatherman give a forecast of the fall weather.

Language Arts: Viewing ActivitiesStudents will view a pumpkin to make

observations and inferences using their five senses.

Students will view a pumpkin and an apple to compare and contrast with a Venn diagram.

Students will view other classmate’s pumpkin and fall season art and poems.

Students will view classmate’s presentation of poems.

Students will view words about pumpkins and the fall season on the word wall.

Students will view videos on the lifecycle of a pumpkin and how the leaves change in the fall.

Language Arts: Visually Representing Activities

Students will display poems after completion on the art wall.

Students will add words about pumpkins and the fall season to the word wall.

Students will display a water color painting of a fall scene on the art wall.

Students will carve/paint a personal pumpkin.

Science Activities1.1.3 Describe different ways that things can change.

Students will use their five senses to describe a pumpkin and the fall season.

Students will learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin and how leaves change color in the fall.

Students will predict whether a pumpkin will sink or float when immersed in water.◦ Students will then research whether or not a pumpkin will

sink or float.Students will explore seeds of pumpkins and textures

of leaves. (Sensory activity of the inside of pumpkin.)Students will plant a pumpkin seed. Students will sort autumn leaves by color/shape.

Mathematics Activities1.OA.5 Relate counting to addition and subtraction.

Students will estimate the weight and measurement of a pumpkin and how many pumpkin seeds are in a pumpkin. Students will then create a bar graph with this data.

Students will practice adding and subtracting with pumpkin seeds.

Students will participate in a dice game about jack-o-lanterns.

Students will explore the temperatures of the fall season and the length of fall days.

Social Studies Activities2.1.3 Use a resource to gather information

Students will research various facts about pumpkins and the fall season such as national records, famous pumpkin patches, famous trees, etc.

Students will study different facial expressions through jack-o-lantern activities.

Students will study different cultural traditions of fall holidays.

Students will study weather of the fall season.Students will learn about daylight savings time.

Music and Art Activities Standard 1: SINGING: Students sing, alone and with others, a

varied repertoire of music. Standard 1: VISUAL ART MEDIA, TECHNIQUES, AND PROCESSES:

Students understand and apply visual art media, techniques, and processes.

Students will sing songs about pumpkins◦ “Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.”

◦ “Pumpkin song” (tune: I’m a little teapot)

◦ “Harvest Time” (tune: Twinkle, twinkle)

◦ “That’s How a Pumpkin Grows”

Students will create their own version of “Spookley the Square Pumpkin.”

Students will paint a watercolor painting of a fall scene.

Students will carve/paint a personal pumpkin. Students will create various pieces of fall art: paint

fall trees, trace leaves, draw/paint pumpkins.

Physical Education Activities1.1.2 Demonstrate the underhand ball roll as

a basic object control skill.Students will practice their underhand

throw by rolling pumpkins and gourdes.Students will play “Snatch the Pumpkin.”

◦Variation of capture the flag.Students will learn about dressing

appropriately for cold weather. Students will participate in a fall sports

day. Students will go on a nature walk.

Technologyhttp://onlinepumpkincarving.com/Students will complete a KWL chart about

pumpkins with ActiveInspirehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7JVH8f0fy

◦ (Pumpkin patch boogie song)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca_8vVWFaDc

◦ (I Love Pumpkins song)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cezg6Hi_Vsk

◦ (lifecycle video)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT6rtAcV3Ko

◦ (song about lifecycle)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mPwXC_ep4k

◦ (fall leaves video)

Language Arts Strategies Activate background knowledge: students will

recollect on previous knowledge about pumpkins. Connect: students will reflect on personal

experience while writing personal narrative. Elaborate: students will add detail to their personal

narratives about pumpkins. Generate: students will develop new ideas for their

poem. Observe: students will view peer’s poems and

artwork to deepen understanding of pumpkins. Predict: students will predict whether a pumpkin will

sink or float. Take notes: students will note similarities and

contrasts between pumpkins and apples.

Grouping Patterns Large group: teacher read-alouds, listening to poem presentations, listening to

songs about pumpkins and fall season, viewing classmate’s artwork, activity about the life-cycle of a pumpkin, underhand throwing technique activity, “Snatch the Pumpkin” game, watching videos about fall season and pumpkins, nature walk, listening to weatherman’s forecast, dressing appropriately for fall, Fall sports day, sing songs about fall season and pumpkins, learning about daylight savings time, exploring temperature/length of fall days

Small group: reading groups, generating ideas about pumpkins and fall season, compare/contrast pumpkins and apples, partner-reading, listening to peers offer insight about pumpkins, fall season dice game with math buddy, exploring weather of the fall season, sorting leaves by color and shape, act out “5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate.” Peer conference on narrative story

Individual: read to self, writing and presenting poems, personal narrative, five senses writing activity, researching measurements, creating watercolor painting, viewing and reading words on the world wall, predicting and researching pumpkin measurements and sink/float activity, researching pumpkin and fall season facts online, distinguishing facial expressions activity, “Spookly the Square Pumpkin” art activity, fall art projects, planting pumpkin seeds

Assessments 6 + 1 Writing Trait Assessment for personal

narrativePoetry numerical score sheet for poemCompletion of art projects.Active listening during read-aloudsRespectful input in small group activitiesPE skills checklist and active participation in

music and PE activitiesWord wall spelling testVenn Diagram checklistMeasurement skills checklistNumber and operation sentences

Subject Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Language Arts Teacher read-aloud, small group reading and writing , Venn Diagram

Teacher read-aloud, individual reading, personal narrative, word wall

Teacher read-aloud, acrostic poem, small group reading, personal narrative

Teacher read-aloud, individual reading, personal narrative peer conference

Teacher read-aloud, haiku poem, 5 senses writing, presentations of poems

Math Adding/subtracting with seeds

Temperature changes and length of fall days activity

Estimation/prediction activities

Bar graph of estimations

Dice game

Art/Music Sing songs about pumpkins

“Spookley the Square Pumpkin”Paint fall trees

Sing songs about the fall season

Watercolor painting

Carving/painting a pumpkin

Science Plant a pumpkin seed

Watch the weatherman

Lifecycle of a pumpkin

Why leaves change color in the fall

Sensory activity with seeds and leaves

P.E. Proper attire for outside

Nature Walk Rolling pumpkins and gourds

“Pumpkin Smash.”

Fall sports day

Social Studies Weather and time of year for pumpkins

Research pumpkin/fall season facts

Daylight savings time

Cultural traditions project

Facial expression activity