I'll be the first to admit that I was a little leery the first year I tried this with primary students. Part of me thought that I was setting myself up for disaster, but when I saw the incredible learning opportunities attached to bringing pumpkins into the classroom I was sold!
There are countless books available for reading about pumpkins! From a funny story about a runaway pumpkin to a procedural recipe for making pumpkin pie, books are the perfect place to begin a pumpkin unit. You can read fiction or non-fiction, depending on your purpose, and the mentor texts you choose can be the perfect inspiration for encouraging your students' own writing! Here are a few of my personal favorites. Click each image for more information!
We begin with some simple observations:
Then progress through a variety of estimation and measurement activities throughout the day:
Welcoming your students first thing in the morning with a SMARTBoard attendance is a great way to kick off your exciting day! Just watch your students' faces light up when they walk into the room!
If you have any energy left beyond all the math and language fun there are always pumpkin treats to be consumed! Pumpkin pies and tarts, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin treat bags (and of course there's always the hope that a parent will present you with a pumpkin beverage of sorts)...
You can find more Pumpkin Fun on this Pinterest board:
Pumpkin images in headings from Whimsy Workshop Teaching.
I love using pumpkins in the classroom!! I loved the pictures in this post. What fun! Can I be in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteShelley
Thanks, Shelley! We had such a blast doing this! I can't wait until later in the month when we'll do it again! :)
Delete~Erin
I love bringing pumpkins into my classroom. In fact, I will be doing this on Tuesday! Trying something new this year - cooking pumpkins in a crock pot! We will enjoy the wonderful smell on Tuesday as they cook, and use the cooked pumpkin to make pumpkin pancakes later in the week. Can't wait!
ReplyDeletelblaeser@d124.org
Oooh.... I'd love to hear how the cooking goes, Linda! That sounds like great fun! :)
Delete~Erin