A. Instruction planned for the entire class.
B. Students have demonstrated their knowledge of pumpkins to make jack-o-lanterns and pumpkin pies along with other facts they are learning about pumpkins. Students' abilities to read and write are essential to gain information and ideas from a variety of sources. Appreciating literature and recognizing its many forms enable students to learn and respond to ideas, issues, perspectives and actions of others. Individuals must also be capable of writing for a variety of audiences in different styles. This lesson will ask students to listen to literature and write on a specific topic to create a story.
C. 1.B.1a. - establish purposes for reading, make predictions, connect important ideas, and link text to previous knowledge and experiences.
1.B.1b. - Identify genres of fiction and non-fiction...
1.C.1a. - Use information to form questions and verify predictions.
1.C.1a - Identify themes and topics.
2.A.1b - Classify literary works as fictional and non-fiction.
3.B.1a - Use prewriting strategies to generate and organize ideas (e.g. focus on one topic).
4.A.1a - Listen attentively by facing the speaker, making eye contact and paraphrasing what is said.
4.A.1c - Follow oral instructions accurately.
4.B.1b - Participate in discussion around a common topic.
2. Objective:
A. Students will learn facts about pumpkins, connect writing to a specific topic and learn how books can be found on a specific topic in both fiction and non-fiction books.
B. Students will be expected to express their existing knowledge in writing.
C. Students will be expected to be good listeners, follow directions, participate in discussion and demonstrate their understanding of pumpkins.
3. Method:
A. Materials needed
1) Students will need sharpened pencils and their pumpkin journals.
2) I will provide two books to be read, chart paper and markers to create a graph, and a pumpkin test.
3) Students will write their own pumpkin story, work on a group/shared writing, create a graph, listen to two books and participate in discussion, and take a test over the unit.
A) Students will write thier own pumpkin story in thier journals using information from books read and classroom discussions. I will allow fifteen to twenty minutes for writing.
b) As a group, students will sit on the carpet for a shared writing exercise. What have you learned about pumpkins? Followed by reading two books. After the reading and discusion, students wil return to their seats to take a test I have written to cover the unit.
4. Evaluation:
Students will be assesses on following directions, if they write on topic in their journals, and listening and participating on the carpet.
I will administer a test I have prepared for them along with the following rubric to assess student's understanding:
4 = Child has followed instructions, earned a 90 or above on test, and participated in discussion.
3 = Child followed most directions and participated in discussion.
2 = Child has followed some directions and contributed little to discussion.
1 = Child did not follow directions and did not participate in discussion.
3 = Child received 70 - 85 on test.
2 = Child received 60 - 65 on test.
1 = Child received below 60 on test.
B. Writing journals and tests will provide documentation for this lesson. Participation will be assessed during all activities and noted. listening will be assessed and evident from their writing and tests.
C. Depending on test results, we will move on to more Halloween themed books, writing and reading activities. If test results are low, I will review them with students, work on a shared writing covering facts learned and readminister the test.
5. Feedback:
You ended your pumpkin lesson very well. You probably would have added to your KWL chart. The forced choice test pulled out the ones who were listening. The students really did like the pumpkin journals. They have shown improvement in their writing.
6. Reflection:
I was a little disappointed with the results of the test. Yet a student being called to the office to go home interrupted the last three questions, which included the question mentioned. Unfortunately, it is difficult to judge how well students would have done without this interruption and this class is easily distracted on a whole. One of the questions nearly everyone in the class should have answered correctly since they have given me the answer verbally, written it in their journals and/or demonstrated their understanding in a variety of coloring activities. The last question asked them to name two things made from pumpkins while the chart for this that we created earlier was on display. One student in particular did not even get the concept of filling in the ovals. Even after specifically telling her and repeating the instruction as clearly as I could numerous times (at least five times and I thought I wa clear). I did this since we have used this type of testing several times in math, weekly readers and language arts. The importance of answering questions by filling in a circle or oval has been discussed in preparing student for testing in the spring. Overall, I was impressed with the results up to the final questions. The students were also very attentive during reading, but have lost interest in their journals. Perhaps I need to find more interesting topics. Another factor is not completing the lessons early in the day when students are more eager to write. Afternoon sessions lack interest quickly. Overall this was a very good experience. Students enjoyed the reading selections and the activities. I would find more variety when using this unit again and incorporate actually cutting a pumpkin; math activities such as estimating and counting seeds, and estimating and measuring diameter; and science - guessing and exploring what a pumpkin feels like inside and out with a couple of different types of pumpkins. The math activities we will do closer to Halloween so were not included this week. I could have explored a couple of different types of pumpkin though. I also would have like to have had some pumpkin butter for students to try. I had thought about it, but did not include this. Final thoughts, it was a good unit to study pumpkins around harvest time, get students thinking about what they already knew, and expand on their knowledge as they learned interesting facts and listened to some good books in fiction and non-fiction. I liked using a familiar subject to study different genres. In the future I would look for poetry as well, include more subjects such as math and science, and expand the writing exercises. This would be easier to implement in my own room due to time constraints. On the whole I believe both the students and I learned a few things from this unit.
Bibliography
Gibbons, Gail., In A Pumpkin Shell., Scholastic Inc. 1999.
Rockwell, Anne., Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night., Scholastic Inc., 1999. [Illustrated by Megan Halsey]
Return to the Lesson Plans page
Return to the Instructional Processes Page | Return to the Home Page
Lesson One B | Lesson Two B | Lesson Three B | Lesson Four B