Lauren Banks

29 October 2009

TOPIC: HALLOWEEN

Monday

Standard 1.3.2 – Identify and describe continents, oceans, cities, and roads on maps and globes.

Activity: History of the Pumpkin!

- On this day we will have a discussion about the history of the pumpkin and how they were spread throughout the world. The teacher will show the students on a globe and a world map that pumpkins originated in North, Central and South America. After the Americas were discovered the pumpkins were taken back to France and England. The children will each get their own world map and they will have to represent the travels and identify the specific areas on their maps. Student must also write a detailed description about the travels and areas of their pumpkin path (Language Arts). The teacher will then read the book Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington.

Objective: After instruction, students will be able to identify Northern, Central and South America and France and England on a world map and a globe.

Assessment: The student’s ability to recognize specific areas where pumpkins are grown on their maps will be assessed.

Tuesday

Standard 1.4.1 – Identify goods that people use.

Standard 1.4.2 – Identify services people do for each other.

Activity: Pumpkin Patch Economics!

- Read the book The Pumpkin Patch by Elizabeth King. This book has photographs of pumpkins at all stages of growth, of farmers planting them, and of children enjoying them. After this show the students other pictures of pumpkin patches. Allow the students to ask questions and explore the different pictures. Discuss with the students the economics of growing pumpkins. Discuss that some farmers

specifically grow pumpkins, and other fruits and vegetables, for a profit. The farmers invest time and money into growing and caring for the pumpkins which they have planted. In turn, they sell them to the public either from their own stands or to grocery stores for resale. For the other part of the activity, give a pumpkin to each group of four or five students. Have the students weigh, measure and find other facts about their pumpkins by answering the following questions: How long is the stem of your pumpkin? How many ridges are there going around the pumpkin? How much does your pumpkin weigh? Have each group record their answers. We can also discuss economic prices of the pumpkins. (Math) Have the children draw a picture or write a sentence or two about what they learned (Language Arts).

Objective: After instruction, students will be able to discuss the economics of growing pumpkins and other crops farmers grow.

Wednesday

Standard 1.1.8 –Develop a simple timeline.

Activity: Sequence a Pumpkin!

- Read the book The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll aloud to students. After reading a few pages, have students predict what will happen next. This will get their minds thinking about sequence of events. After finishing the story, ask the students what happened in the beginning, middle and end? Write this information where the students can see it because they will need to remember this information for their storyboards. It is important to show them the pictures so that they can recall these images for their storyboard illustrations. Tell the students that their task for today is to create a storyboard of the story we just read. Explain to the students what a storyboard is. You will tell them that they will be making their own copy of The Biggest Pumpkin Ever. The students will need paper, crayons, and a pencil. The paper should be 8x 15 and folded into 8ths. Each box is designed for a different event. Their tasks will be to find 8 events from the story, place them in the right order, write a sentence, and illustrate it. (Art & Language Arts)

Objective: After instruction, students will be able to sequence events after reading a story.

Assessment: Assess whether the students sequenced the events on their storyboards correctly.

Thursday

1.3.6 – Explain the effect of seasonal change on plants, animals, and people.

Activity: Predicting Pumpkins!

- Ask the children to make predictions about what they think the inside of a pumpkin looks like. (Example - solid, liquid, slimy, etc.) Write the predictions on the board. Have a small pumpkin there for several small groups of students to handle and look at. Have it pre-cut and have them open their pumpkins and look at the inside of it. Have them discuss whether or not their predictions were right. Discuss about what is inside the pumpkin. (example - seeds, meat, etc.) After they see the inside of the plant, the discussion will turn to the seasonal change on the pumpkins. We will talk about what season pumpkins grow in and what types of things they need to grow. We will talk about whether pumpkins will be able to grow during off-seasons. “What will happen to the pumpkin if someone tries to grow it in the off-season?” needs to be discussed as well. (Science)

Objective: After instruction, students will be able to answer questions about the inside of a pumpkin and what season pumpkins can or cannot grow in.

Friday

1.1.9 – Use the library and other information resources to find information that answers questions about history.

Activity: Halloween around the World!

- Students will watch the Social Studies movie about Halloween at brainpop.com. In this video Tim and Moby take on Halloween, exploring the origins of the popular autumn holiday. Students will also learn about the early history of Halloween, and why you can thank naughty spirits for all the candy you get today. Students will learn what country Halloween began in, as well as how some of the different customs of Halloween grew up. You’ll also discover why we celebrate with pumpkins for Jack ‘o Lanterns. The last thing the video discusses is the surprising vegetable that people used to use. Students will then use the internet or library resources to research Halloween History in other countries. Particularly the country it all began. We will compile a list of all the interesting things the students found. After researching the holiday, each child will get to participate in making a Quick and Easy Pumpkin Pie while listening to Halloween music. The students will be put into groups for this activity. I will have the recipe and all of the ingredients ready for the students. The students will be instructed to use correct measurements and methods. Later in the day, the children will then be able to taste the pie that their group prepared and listen to the Halloween music again if they would like. (Math and Music/Movement)

Objective: After instruction, students will be able to discuss certain aspects of the history of Halloween: where it began, different Halloween customs, the meaning of trick or treat, etc.

Assessment: Responses to discussion questions will be assessed.

RESOURCES

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/Byrnes-celebrations/halloween.html www.brainpop.com http://www.eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Story_Telling/STT0003.html http://www.doe.in.gov/