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Pumpkins

Little Boo: Mentor Text Lesson Plan Ideas

Fall is my favorite time of year! My students are working hard, we have established our rules and procedures for a month or so, and…we get to teach about pumpkins! Little Boo is a brilliant book that I just discovered last year. It is about a pumpkin seed named Boo who travels through many seasons of the year as he transforms into a pumpkin. Ladies and gentlemen, this book is amazing. Talk about content integration at your fingertips! This fiction story will allow your students to truly see the cycles that a pumpkin seed goes through to become a great big orange pumpkin.

Little Boo Lesson Plan Ideas for a pumpkin life cycles unit

Little Boo Lesson Plan Ideas for a pumpkin life cycles unit

I plan to use this book as an introduction to our two-week pumpkin life cycle unit which begins in the middle of October. After reading the book, I will introduce each stage of the pumpkin and connect it to this text.

Little Boo Lesson Plan Ideas for a pumpkin life cycles unit

During the last week of the unit, I always host “Pumpkin Day” for students and any parent volunteers. We transform the classroom into a pumpkin paradise complete with about 10 different pumpkin math, literacy, and science centers. On this day, the class plants individual seeds into a small clear cup at one of the center rotations. We water the seeds each day and watch the seeds grow into vines right in our windowsill. Little Boo is the perfect book to read as you begin planting because it describes how Boo needed rain and sunshine to grow into a big orange pumpkin! These plant journals (click the picture to see more) help my students to track their pumpkin plant as it grows each day.

Little Boo Lesson Plan Ideas for a pumpkin life cycles unit.

Little Boo Lesson Plan Ideas for a pumpkin life cycles unit

There are endless possibilities for this wonderful book about a little pumpkin seed! It will help to easily integrate science into your reading block. It will engage students with the beautiful illustrations. AND it will help your students understand the stages of the pumpkin’s life cycle. I am not being paid one penny to promote this book. However, I promise you, it will not disappoint! Head over to Amazon to grab a copy today and be sure to enter below to win a few books for yourself!

Filed Under: Literacy, Misc Tagged With: books, content integration, literacy, Pumpkins, science

Taste Tests!

I absolutely love fall. I don’t get much of it {FL girl, born and raised}, but it is my favorite. I incorporate many thematic units from September-December in order to keep the kids engaged and hit all of the necessary curriculum in a fun way.
In October, we spend an entire day looking at pumpkins. We write, read, sequence, create, and experiment with pumpkins. We count, practice math skills, plant, and predict with pumpkins. In November, we spend an entire day acting like the Pilgrims and Indians (Colonial Day). We write, read, sequence, create, and experiment with colonial items. We practice math with corn and design maps of the Atlantic Ocean.
Pumpkin Day!
But today, I would like to introduce you to the student favorite of both themed days – The Taste Test.
DISCLAIMER: Please, please, please check your students for allergies before including this in your classroom.
Pumpkin Taste Test
The idea is quite simple: Just buy some foods, place them on the table, print the graph, and EAT! Let me tell you, the kids have a fabulous time! It is also quite cute to hear all their Mmmmmmmmm’s and Ewwwww’s. Amidst all this excitement, the students don’t even realize that they are practicing graphing!
Thanksgiving Taste Test

You can choose whichever foods you prefer or have access to. Here is a list of ideas that I have used in the past:

Pumpkin: pumpkin bread, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin pie, pumpkin coffee cake, pumpkin ice cream.
Thanksgiving: biscuits, corn bread, popcorn, apple pie, cranberries, cranberry juice.

Thanksgiving Taste Test
You may be able to get some donations to have a fun day like Pumpkin Day or Colonial Day! Ask parents in advance! Get volunteers to come in. Make a day of it! If you are interested in the entire Pumpkin Day product, you can check it out by clicking the picture below. The Pumpkin Taste Test graphs are available in this pack.
All students can use practice graphing! Soooo…here’s a little freebie for you. Click on the image below for the graphing freebie! Also, be sure to hop over to my store to check out some fall product discounts!!! Happy Fall Ya’ll!
Thanks for stopping by the Fall Favorites Blog Hop! I hope you enjoy hopping from one blog to another to hear about many different fall lessons and activities. Maybe you can try one in your classroom. Now be sure to hop on over to my friend Kristen’s blog for more fall fun!

Filed Under: Math, Misc Tagged With: Fall, freebie, Math Centers, Pumpkins, Thanksgiving

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