| Pumpkins and Spiders Unit |
Shared Reading:
The Big Toe by June Mesler
and Joy Cowley
The Big Toe by June Mesler
and Joy Cowley
Focus Poetry:
"Bones" by Ferne
Connor
"Bones" by Ferne
Connor
Journal Topics:
*Draw a pumpkin growing on a vine.
*Draw a jack o' lantern.
*Draw something bigger than a pumpkin.
*Draw a haunted house..... what would be inside it?
*Draw a spider.
*Draw a pumpkin growing on a vine.
*Draw a jack o' lantern.
*Draw something bigger than a pumpkin.
*Draw a haunted house..... what would be inside it?
*Draw a spider.
Center Ideas:
fine motor: perforate a spider outline and a pumpkin shape, scribble
art bat
writing: "Spiders can ....."
art: pumpkin or jack o'lantern mosaic
reading: reading chains (We borrowed this idea from Mrs. Scott who
teaches 1st grade)- students make black and orange paper chains,
writing a known word or letter on each link. Then they read them to a
peer. They LOVED this..... most kept working on these during their
spare time!
fine motor: perforate a spider outline and a pumpkin shape, scribble
art bat
writing: "Spiders can ....."
art: pumpkin or jack o'lantern mosaic
reading: reading chains (We borrowed this idea from Mrs. Scott who
teaches 1st grade)- students make black and orange paper chains,
writing a known word or letter on each link. Then they read them to a
peer. They LOVED this..... most kept working on these during their
spare time!
Literature:
In the Haunted House by Eve Bunting
Inside a House That is Haunted by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
The House That Drac Built by Judy Sierra
*After reading these books, we discuss what was in the houses. We
make a list, labeling each thing as "fact" or "fantasy". Then each child
receives a black house cut-out. He/she illustrates the house using
white chalk, toothpicks, cotton, etc. making it "haunted". After
illustrating, each child completes/attaches a "In a haunted house, I can
see..." page.
In a Dark, Dark Wood illustrations by Christine Ross
*The first time we read this story in the dark, using a flashlight to
illuminate each word. It quickly becomes a favorite, especially using
the flashlight in the reading center. We create a class book In a
Dark, Dark School ( each table illustrates a page "In a dark, dark
school, hallway, classroom, closet, box, etc. there was a .......").
Dem Bones by Bob Barner
The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
*We use the clothing from the book to recreate the tale. Children
work together to create a scarecrow, labeling the clothing with text
from the book: "a shirt that went shake, shake," "pants that went
wiggle, wiggle," etc.
Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O'Connell
Rotten Ralph's Halloween Howl by Jack Gantos
*Students create their own Rotten Ralph masks and act out the
rotten things he did in the story. Then they complete/illustrate the
sentence starter: I think Ralph was most rotten when he ....
Shake Dem Halloween Bones by W. Nikola-Lisa
The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons
*We created a list of "Pumpkin Investigations":
1. How many creases does the pumpkin have?
2. How much does the pumpkin weigh?
3. How many seeds does it have?
4 Will the pumpkin float or sink?
5. What is inside the pumpkin?
6 Are pumpkins mostly full or mostly empty?
We do lots of estimation charts- one for each question. Then we
investigate to find the true answer. Gail Gibbons' book is a great
source of information.
We finally open the pumpkin to see what's inside. Then we pass
around the pumpkin to let each student grab a handful of strings and
seeds. Seeds are sorted from strings.
On a pumpkin-shaped chart, we write words describing pumpkins;
external descriptors are written outside the pumpkin outline, internal
descriptors are written inside the outline. Each student is given a
pumpkin booklet, made of 2 orange die-cut pumpkin shapes.
On the front is a label: (Name) knows pumpkins outside...
On the inside is a label: and inside.
Students write/copy descriptive words on the outside and inside of
their booklets. They can add seeds and orange/yellow yarn on the
inside, too.
The Vanishing Pumpkin by Tony Johnston
Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll
On Halloween Night by Ferida Wolff and Dolores Kozielski
Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington
*Students sequence 8 picture cards (seeds, sprout, leaves, vines, small
green pumkin, large orange pumpkin, pumpkin cut from vine, jack
o'lanter/pupmkin pie) on a sentence strip. We also sing "In My Garden".
Seven Little Monsters by Maurice Sendak
Spiders are Animals: Concept Science by Judith Holloway
Mighty Spiders by Fay Robinson
*Students create their own construction paper spiders; using 2 body
parts, 8 legs, pairs of eyes (usually 8), etc. Then students will
complete the sentence starter: Spiders have.... and attach it to their
spiders.
Clifford's First Halloween by Norman Bridwell
The Trouble With Mom by Babette Cole
Dare You Go Into the Forest (Golden Books)
The Skeleton Inside You by Phillip Balestino
*Students can create a Q-tip skeleton on black paper.
Bat Child's Haunted House by Mercer Mayer
Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin by Stan and Jan Berenstain
My Mama Says There Aren't Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires,
Creatures,
Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins, or Things by Judith Viorst
Harry and the Terrible Whatzit by Dick Gackenbach
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
*Complete a "book talk" on this story, charting Puzzles / Patterns.
Halloween by Gail Gibbons
The Hallo-weiner by Dav Pilkey
One Monster After Another by Mercer Mayer
Boris and the Monsters by Elain MacMann Willoughby
The Pumpkin Man by Judith Moffatt
Alice Nizzy Nazzy by Tony Johnson
Knock, Knock (This is one of those teacher-made books..... we're not
sure who the original author is)
*This is the text of the book:
Knock, knock.
Sounds like more
trick-or-treaters at my door.
I open the door and what do I see?
page 1: One frightful Frankenstein
page 2: Two messy mummies
page 3: Three black bats
page 4: Four scary spiders
page 5: Five giggling ghosts
We brainstorm what other "trick-or-treaters" might come to the door.
Students complete their own "Knock, Knock" book, illustrating one
"trick-or-treater" on page one, two on page two, etc..
In the Haunted House by Eve Bunting
Inside a House That is Haunted by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
The House That Drac Built by Judy Sierra
*After reading these books, we discuss what was in the houses. We
make a list, labeling each thing as "fact" or "fantasy". Then each child
receives a black house cut-out. He/she illustrates the house using
white chalk, toothpicks, cotton, etc. making it "haunted". After
illustrating, each child completes/attaches a "In a haunted house, I can
see..." page.
In a Dark, Dark Wood illustrations by Christine Ross
*The first time we read this story in the dark, using a flashlight to
illuminate each word. It quickly becomes a favorite, especially using
the flashlight in the reading center. We create a class book In a
Dark, Dark School ( each table illustrates a page "In a dark, dark
school, hallway, classroom, closet, box, etc. there was a .......").
Dem Bones by Bob Barner
The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
*We use the clothing from the book to recreate the tale. Children
work together to create a scarecrow, labeling the clothing with text
from the book: "a shirt that went shake, shake," "pants that went
wiggle, wiggle," etc.
Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O'Connell
Rotten Ralph's Halloween Howl by Jack Gantos
*Students create their own Rotten Ralph masks and act out the
rotten things he did in the story. Then they complete/illustrate the
sentence starter: I think Ralph was most rotten when he ....
Shake Dem Halloween Bones by W. Nikola-Lisa
The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons
*We created a list of "Pumpkin Investigations":
1. How many creases does the pumpkin have?
2. How much does the pumpkin weigh?
3. How many seeds does it have?
4 Will the pumpkin float or sink?
5. What is inside the pumpkin?
6 Are pumpkins mostly full or mostly empty?
We do lots of estimation charts- one for each question. Then we
investigate to find the true answer. Gail Gibbons' book is a great
source of information.
We finally open the pumpkin to see what's inside. Then we pass
around the pumpkin to let each student grab a handful of strings and
seeds. Seeds are sorted from strings.
On a pumpkin-shaped chart, we write words describing pumpkins;
external descriptors are written outside the pumpkin outline, internal
descriptors are written inside the outline. Each student is given a
pumpkin booklet, made of 2 orange die-cut pumpkin shapes.
On the front is a label: (Name) knows pumpkins outside...
On the inside is a label: and inside.
Students write/copy descriptive words on the outside and inside of
their booklets. They can add seeds and orange/yellow yarn on the
inside, too.
The Vanishing Pumpkin by Tony Johnston
Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll
On Halloween Night by Ferida Wolff and Dolores Kozielski
Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington
*Students sequence 8 picture cards (seeds, sprout, leaves, vines, small
green pumkin, large orange pumpkin, pumpkin cut from vine, jack
o'lanter/pupmkin pie) on a sentence strip. We also sing "In My Garden".
Seven Little Monsters by Maurice Sendak
Spiders are Animals: Concept Science by Judith Holloway
Mighty Spiders by Fay Robinson
*Students create their own construction paper spiders; using 2 body
parts, 8 legs, pairs of eyes (usually 8), etc. Then students will
complete the sentence starter: Spiders have.... and attach it to their
spiders.
Clifford's First Halloween by Norman Bridwell
The Trouble With Mom by Babette Cole
Dare You Go Into the Forest (Golden Books)
The Skeleton Inside You by Phillip Balestino
*Students can create a Q-tip skeleton on black paper.
Bat Child's Haunted House by Mercer Mayer
Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin by Stan and Jan Berenstain
My Mama Says There Aren't Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires,
Creatures,
Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins, or Things by Judith Viorst
Harry and the Terrible Whatzit by Dick Gackenbach
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
*Complete a "book talk" on this story, charting Puzzles / Patterns.
Halloween by Gail Gibbons
The Hallo-weiner by Dav Pilkey
One Monster After Another by Mercer Mayer
Boris and the Monsters by Elain MacMann Willoughby
The Pumpkin Man by Judith Moffatt
Alice Nizzy Nazzy by Tony Johnson
Knock, Knock (This is one of those teacher-made books..... we're not
sure who the original author is)
*This is the text of the book:
Knock, knock.
Sounds like more
trick-or-treaters at my door.
I open the door and what do I see?
page 1: One frightful Frankenstein
page 2: Two messy mummies
page 3: Three black bats
page 4: Four scary spiders
page 5: Five giggling ghosts
We brainstorm what other "trick-or-treaters" might come to the door.
Students complete their own "Knock, Knock" book, illustrating one
"trick-or-treater" on page one, two on page two, etc..
Math/Graphs:
*We sort and graph Harvest Candy (2 different kinds of candy corn and
candy pumpkins).
*We estimated then counted the number of creases on our pumpkins.
*We weighed our class pumpkin after recording everyone's estimates.
*We sort seeds from strings after scooping everything out of our class
pumpkin. Everyone makes "piles of 10" so we can count (by 10's) how
many seeds were in the pumpkin.
*We use Halloween confetti (the plastic kind) to create patterns on felt.
Handling the confetti is great for those pincer-grip muscles.
*We sort and graph Harvest Candy (2 different kinds of candy corn and
candy pumpkins).
*We estimated then counted the number of creases on our pumpkins.
*We weighed our class pumpkin after recording everyone's estimates.
*We sort seeds from strings after scooping everything out of our class
pumpkin. Everyone makes "piles of 10" so we can count (by 10's) how
many seeds were in the pumpkin.
*We use Halloween confetti (the plastic kind) to create patterns on felt.
Handling the confetti is great for those pincer-grip muscles.
Science/Social Studies:
*We predicted whether or not our pumpkin would float. Then we tested
it in our classroom sink. A lively discussion ensued!
*We completed the AIMS "Spinning Ghosts" project. Each student
predicted which ghost (ghost with paper clip; ghost without paper clip;
ghost with arms folded forward; ghost with 1 arm to the front, 1 arm
to the back, and a paper clip) would spin. Then we created our ghosts
(using blackline masters), stood on our chairs, and dropped them! We
glued our ghosts to the prediction chart so we could see everyone's
thinking. Of course, this was after we performed the experiment
several times..... for "accurate" results.
*Each child planted 6 pumpkins seeds in a baggie with dirt and water.
They sprout quickly and the children are always amazed at how the bag
"create their own rain" to keep the soil moist.
*We predicted whether or not our pumpkin would float. Then we tested
it in our classroom sink. A lively discussion ensued!
*We completed the AIMS "Spinning Ghosts" project. Each student
predicted which ghost (ghost with paper clip; ghost without paper clip;
ghost with arms folded forward; ghost with 1 arm to the front, 1 arm
to the back, and a paper clip) would spin. Then we created our ghosts
(using blackline masters), stood on our chairs, and dropped them! We
glued our ghosts to the prediction chart so we could see everyone's
thinking. Of course, this was after we performed the experiment
several times..... for "accurate" results.
*Each child planted 6 pumpkins seeds in a baggie with dirt and water.
They sprout quickly and the children are always amazed at how the bag
"create their own rain" to keep the soil moist.
Links:
Along Came a Spider
Spiders Home Page
Farmer Ken's Fun and Games
Pumpkin Nook
Pumpkin Potpourri
Pumpkin Unit
Another Pumpkin Unit
Pumpkins
Pumpkin Patch
Wotch Fun Page
Pumpkin, Pumpkin Poem
October Links
Debbie's Unit Factory October Links
Kindergarten Is Just Batty
Along Came a Spider
Spiders Home Page
Farmer Ken's Fun and Games
Pumpkin Nook
Pumpkin Potpourri
Pumpkin Unit
Another Pumpkin Unit
Pumpkins
Pumpkin Patch
Wotch Fun Page
Pumpkin, Pumpkin Poem
October Links
Debbie's Unit Factory October Links
Kindergarten Is Just Batty
