1. Overview: How does a pumpkin become a Pumpkin?

Fall Plants-Pumpkins, Nicole Velez

2. Objectives/Justification/Standards
a) ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS / KEY IDEAS: How does a pumpkin grow? Where do
they grow? How does a pumpkin change over time? How long does it take for a pumpkin
to grow and develop?
b) OBJECTIVE: (SWBAT)
❖ Order the stages of pumpkin growth and development based on how it grows in a
patch.
Science Standard:
➢ 5.3.4 Observe and record change over time and cycles of change that
affect living things (e.g., monitoring the life cycle of a plant, using
children’s baby photographs to discuss human change and growth, using
unit blocks to record the height of classroom plants).
❖ Describe how pumpkins grow based on the book read to them.
Social Emotional Standard:
➢ 0.1.3 Actively engage in activities and interactions with teachers and
peers.
Reading Informational Text Standard:
➢ RI.PK.4 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about
unfamiliar words in informational text.
❖ Illustrate the stages of pumpkin growth by drawing what a pumpkin looks like in
each stage.
Health, Safety, and Physical Education Standard:
➢ 2.4.2 Develop and refine fine-motor skills (e.g., complete gradually more
complex puzzles, use smaller-sized manipulatives during play, and use a
variety of writing instruments in a conventional matter).
Writing Standard:
➢ W.PK.2 Use a combination of drawings, dictation, scribble writing, letter-
strings, or invented spelling to share information during play or other
activities
❖ Act out the stages of pumpkin as if they were pumpkins growing, matching the
pictures in the text with their body.
Visual & Performing Arts Standard:
 ➢ 1.4.4 Demonstrate a growing ability to represent experiences, thoughts,
and ideas through a variety of age-appropriate materials and visual art
media using memory, observation, and imagination.
Approaches to Learning Standard:
➢ 9.2.2 Use the imagination to solve problems, use materials, role play,
write stories, move the body, or create works of art.
http://www.nj.gov/education/ece/guide/standards.pdf

Justification: upon entering this classroom, the students have shown a strong interest in fall and
the science behind it. Students have brought in signs of fall such as leaves and dead worms,
sharing what they brought and putting it in the science center. Students have also been observed
fighting over who gets to go to the science center to examine the objects in their fall tray which
included a tiny pumpkin, which was also fought over. Students have been seen enjoying acting
like a leaf falling from a tree during circle time. According to Vygotsky and the constructivist
approach to learning, children learn best when they are active in the their learning. Therefore,
having the students actively manipulating their bodies to make connections between themselves
and the pumpkins in each stages supports the students active approach to learning.

3. Assessment
A. Pre-Assessment: introduction of project and lesson will be an in a small group
that will contain discussion and personal stories about experiences and
knowledge of pumpkins. We will make a list of some of the things we know.
B. Checking for understanding: Checking for knowledge will take place throughout
the lesson in the form of reading based questions and through the activity that
occurs during and after the book in which they will match their picture with the
picture of the stages of pumpkin development in the text.
C. Post-Assessment: The students will complete the first few pages of their pumpkin
manuals which will require that they order the stages of pumpkin growth and
development.
4. Learning Experience
Brief description of learning experience
Introduction- students will gather at the circle time rug.
Small group discussion about pumpkins. Students will be shown a picture of
pumpkins and I will share a personal story about a time I went pumpkin picking.
 Going around the circle we will talk about the student knowledge and experience
with pumpkins. We will make a list so that we know what we already know about
pumpkins.
Reading- Book: Pumpkins by Ken Robbins
Throughout reading, the stages of development of a pumpkin will be highlighted and
a visual will be provided as an example of each individual stage. Students will be
asked to match the picture in the text with their body to physically represent the
stages of pumpkin growth.
Pumpkin Seed- lay flat on tummy.
Sprout- one arm in the air
Flower- sitting up with two arms in the air
Vine- still sitting hands together, both arms above head
Green Pumpkin- bend halfway over
Orange Pumpkin- curl into a tight ball.
Once performing all of the stages of the pumpkin growth, student will get their pumpkin
book and put the stages in order. They will then get a chance to draw what they think
each stage looks like. Once completing the drawings, they will hand them to me and I
will staple them into books for the students to have. Each learning experience will allow
the students to add to their book about pumpkins until at the end of the project they have
a manual on pumpkins.
Plan a connected learning experience: Pictures of the stages of pumpkin growth will be added
to the science center so the students can continue ordering them as a game. I will also add a
pumpkin and its vine to the fall tray in the science center so the students can explore them.
Pumpkin letter matching game will be added to the writing center so the students can match the
letters on the pumpkins to their spot in the pumpkin patch. Pumpkin books will also be added to
the reading corner so the student can take a picture walk and look at the various stages in the
text. Finally, the students will be encouraged to go pumpkin picking with their parents in
addition to finding pumpkins in different stages of development or decomposing. If the parent
cannot do this, I will encourage the parents to look through their child’s stage of pumpkin book
with them and ask them to demonstrate the stages as we did in class.
Considerations for diverse learners:
Patterns of learning: the group of students chosen demonstrated mix abilities, in order
to create a community environment students were encouraged to help one another. They
all displayed a pattern of making better connections to learning when physically
manipulating their bodies. Students also showed an interest in the stages of pumpkin
growth and development when briefly introduced by the cooperating teacher,
participating in brief class discussion about pumpkins during circle time.
Interdisciplinary and integrated learning experiences: This lesson covers science and
literacy skills in addition to, fine motor and some gross motor skills. It will also be
integrated into the science center, writing center, reading corner, and encourage parental
involvement at home. As the students work to sequence the stages we will review the
new vocabulary words that they have learned from the book to name each stage. The
connection between the various subjects and centers, and review of the new vocabulary
words will deepen the children’s development of language and literacy.
Play and active construction of learning: Students will be moving their bodies to
construct the various stage of pumpkin growth and development. They will also be
actively creating a small book that tells them about each stage,
Addressing higher level thinking skills and self-regulation- As provided in Bloom’s
taxonomy, asking students questions that encourage the students to remember,
understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create throughout the discussions and activities
will support the students in building higher level thinking skills. In participating in
discussion and being involved in an active read aloud they will be building self-
regulation skills in focusing on the task and questioning the content they are learning.
Multimodal and multisensory experiences: Since children typically have varying
learning styles, this lesson contains visual and kinesthetic with the pictures in the book
and the students hands on approach to creating the stage with their body. Verbal learners
will be engaged in the conversation and in reading the text. All learner will have the
ability to thrive as they create their own visuals while communicating their
understanding of pumpkins in small group discussion.
Approaches to Learning:
Initiative, engagement, and persistence- in physically acting out the stages, the
students are encouraged to remain engaged and persistent in their attempts. They
are also encourages to take initiative in asking questions and answering question
about their experiences with pumpkins.
Creativity and imagination- Their creativity and imagination come into play in
their drawings of what each stage looks like in order to act them out and draw
them.
 Children identify and solve problems- students solve problems when they work
to order their stages in their book before they complete their drawing and in
answering questions posed by the teacher throughout the lesson.
Children apply what they have learned to new situations- Students will be
able to apply their knowledge to the little manuals they are creating and in their
experiences in the various centers in which this lesson extends into to integrate
the learning experience for the students.

Next Steps: As a next step, students will continue their investigation of pumpkins by learning
about the parts of a pumpkin. In the next learning experience the student will be given the
opportunity to physically manipulate a pumpkin and its various parts, using their senses to
describe each part and then recreate the pumpkin. In using their senses to really understand the
pumpkin, the students are developing their science inquiry skills. As the students are
investigating on their own, the learning experience is fostering their sense of initiative, which
according to Erik Erikson’s stages of development, allow the children to develop confidence in
their ability to complete tasks independently, rather than guilt due to inability.