How does a pumpkin grow?!

The Feeling festive this week and talking all about pumpkins!

What better to bring in the holidays and the fall season (with fall weather) than to talk about pumpkins!

We started this week with a read aloud about the life cycle of a pumpkin!

I love this story From Seed to Pumpkin 

by: Wendy Pfaffer

Check out our anchor chart building our schema about pumpkin

and completed the day with a worksheet challenging students to fill in the blank labeling the life cycle of a pumpkin found here

What goes better than shapes and pumpkins???

umm nothing!!

Check out these adorable Jack-o-lanterns we made with basic shapes that we have been learning about!

We read Little Boo 

by: Stephen Wunderli

What a cute story about a little seed who only wants to scare those around him ... 

he goes through the life cycle of a pumpkin and then turns into a jack o lantern!

This was a great story to read before students created their very own jack-o-lanterns. 

I used this sheet at the bottom of the project to encourage students to count and write the number of the shapes they used in their jack-o-lantern.

We closed the week with a Pumpkin Investigation inspired by firstgradeparade!

I was a little hesitant do to this ... and as a fellow teacher said to me today "your brave".

Haha yes I was but wow did it go well. 

We did firstgradeparade's Apple Investigation and after this students were aware of what to do for the Pumpkin Investigation and I was aware of what they were ready for. 

I plan on tweaking this a tad but promise to upload soon:)

Students ...

Counted the lines on their pumpkins

Measured height in cubes

Weighed their pumpkins on a balance scale with bear counters

Tested their pumpkins density with a sink or float activity

And the effect wind has on their pumpkins with my hair dryer:)

We measured the circumference of our pumpkins with pipe cleaners and rulers

Described individual pumpkins using words we brainstormed earlier in the week

and of course drew our pumpkin!

To adjust this book I took out predicting and included a number line for students to circle and write their own numbers. I have learned the difficulty many of my students are having writing their numbers but found that having the number line there for them was extremely beneficial.

Aside from all the fun of our pumpkin unit we also started our weekly letter units. 

This weeks letter was Mm!

We started the week with Mouse Mess and a text to self connection in our curriculum workbooks

Our readers were all about Monsters

and I used these interactive letter books found here

Each week I am also using firstgradeparade's Alphabet Intervention Pack found here

What a great purchase!!!

We are using these worksheets for homework, morning work, and enrichment at the end of the week.

Totally worth the purchase:)

I chose If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

by: Laura Joffe Numeroff

I used clip art that I found to create a sequencing activity that turned out AMAZING!

I was a little worried about not having specific spots for students to put their pictures for spacial reasons but seriously how cute ... 

Next week we are on to the craziness that is Halloween!

Ready or not here we go....