Lesson Title – Pumpkin Circle

Contributor – Melissa Ingram

Grade Level – K-2

Essential Reading Element - comprehension

Objective(s) – After reading Pumpkin Circle: the story of a garden by George Levenson, students will recall the life cycle of a pumpkin.

Procedure - 

Read Pumpkin Circle aloud stopping periodically to list the stages in a pumpkin’s life (seed, plant, vine, flower, pumpkin, Jack-O-Lantern, seed).  Give the students a chance to carefully observe the photographs. After the story have the students sit in a circle.  Have students act out the stages in a pumpkin’s growth starting from seed (on knees, cover head with hands and crouch in a ball) to plant (sit up with elbows bent and hands out to side to represent two leaves) to vine (stretch out arms) to flower (make the flower shape with hands) to pumpkin (circle arms around head) to Jack-O-Lantern (have students make scary face) and back to seed.

Alternative exercises: Pass a small pumpkin around the circle having each student repeat the stages as the pumpkin goes around or sing the Pumpkin Song (attached below).  See the website link for additional activities.

Implementation - The excellent photographs kept students engrossed in the story and they really enjoyed acting like pumpkins.  I did have to remind students that Jack-O-Lanterns did not make noises.  The first group was overzealous making scary faces and scaring each other with loud noises.  This fun activity meets science standards and there are lots of other activities that could be tied in with the book.

 Examples, Resources, and Links -

http://www.informeddemocracy.com/pumpkin/contents.html

http://www.informeddemocracy.com/pumpkin/activities.html

   (lots of classroom activities)

Pumpkin Song (tune: Have you ever seen a lassie?)

Have you ever seen a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin,

Have you ever seen a pumpkin, that grows on a vine?

A round one, a tall one, a bumpy one, a squashed one.

Have you ever seen a pumpkin, that grows on a vine?

(You can add your own adjectives to describe it)