Instructor: Katie Copper Lesson Title: Life Cycle of a Pumpkin Curriculum Area: Science
Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: K / Ashley Sing Date: October 7, 2013 Estimated Time: 20 min.
Standards Connection: Science K.2.a: Predicting the effect of the sun on living and nonliving things. Science K.6: Compare size, shape, structure, and basic needs of living things. Learning Objectives: The students will learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin and will create a flow chart to show this cycle. Evaluation of Learning Objectives: The teacher will evaluate the flow charts made by the students as well as listen in class for comments or questions that show understanding. Engagement: Engagement in the lesson will come in the form of observing the pumpkin seeds we planted last week. The children will be given back their prediction sheet and they will draw what really happened in the box next to their prediction. (Their predictions were drawn last week when we planted the pumpkin seeds.) Learning Design 1. Teaching: a. The teacher will ask, Who remembers what we planted in this pumpkin a week ago? (wait for answers.) Thats right! Pumpkin seeds! b. The students will l be given back their predictions sheets to look at. The teacher will ask, Who can remind me what a prediction is? (wait for answers) Ok, so can everyone look at their prediction sheet and remember what their prediction was? Now we are going to see what really happened! c. The teacher will show the students the pumpkin. The teacher will a sk, What do you see in the pumpkin? (wait for answers) Why do you think these tiny little plants are growing from the pumpkin seeds? This is not a pumpkin? So what is it? (Discuss the plant). d. The teacher will say, Well, just like you start out small and grow up big and strong, the pumpkin does that too! Lets read our story to learn more about how the pumpkin grows! e. The teacher will read The Pumpkin Circle. 2. Opportunity for Practice: a. The teacher will then say, Now we are going to make out pumpkin life cycles. Everyone return to your seat and get out your glue stick and crayons. b. The teacher will instruct students on making their pumpkin circles/life cycles. First we are going to color and cut out the pumpkin seed. Hold up the pumpkin
seed. What color is this seed? (wait for answers) Good! OK so color your seed (whatever color they said: brown or tan). c. Now we are going to color the flower. Who remembers what color the flower was? (wait for answers) Good! Orange! Color your flower orange and glue it on next. d. Now we are going to color the big and little pumpkins. What Color are these pumpkins? (wait for answers) Good! Color your pumpkins! But which one should we glue on first? Does the bug pumpkin come first, or the small one? (wait for answers) Good! The small one. Glue on the small pumpkin and then the big pumpkin. 3. Assessment a. The teacher will evaluate the students work based on the directions. Content and Resources: 1. Student worksheets 2. Planted pumpkin seeds (planted one-two weeks prior) 3. Pumpkin prediction sheets 4. From Seed to Pumpkin, by Wendy Pfeffer 5. The Pumpkin Circle, by. George Levenson 6. Pumpkin cut outs 7. Arrow cut outs 8. Seed cut outs 9. Flower cut outs 10. Small pumpkin cut outs 11. Glue sticks 12. Scissors
