Pumpkins Literature Focus Unit Morgan Pandolfo EDU 315

Literature Selection Fiction 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 Selection Non-fiction Pumpkin Harvest Calvin Harris Seed, 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 Fowler Pumpkin Circle: Story of a Garden by George Levenson and Shmuel Thaler Pumpkins in Fall by Mari Schuh Harvest in Fall by Mari Schuh Weather in Fall by Mari Schuh Animals 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 Unit RL.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 Activities Students 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 Activities  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 Activities  1.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 Activities  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 Activities  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.

Technology Students will complete a KWL chart about pumpkins with ActiveInspire ◦ (Pumpkin patch boogie song) ◦ (I Love Pumpkins song) ◦ (lifecycle video) ◦ (song about lifecycle) ◦ (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 Writing Trait Assessment for personal narrative Poetry numerical score sheet for poem Completion of art projects. Active listening during read-alouds Respectful input in small group activities PE skills checklist and active participation in music and PE activities Word wall spelling test Venn Diagram checklist Measurement skills checklist Number and operation sentences

SubjectMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday Language ArtsTeacher 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 MathAdding/subtracting with seeds Temperature changes and length of fall days activity Estimation/predicti on activities Bar graph of estimations Dice game Art/MusicSing songs about pumpkins “Spookley the Square Pumpkin” Paint fall trees Sing songs about the fall season Watercolor painting Carving/painting a pumpkin SciencePlant 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 WalkRolling pumpkins and gourds “Pumpkin Smash.”Fall sports day Social StudiesWeather and time of year for pumpkins Research pumpkin/fall season facts Daylight savings time Cultural traditions project Facial expression activity