Visiting a Pumpkin Farm Through Books
Literature-Based Lesson Plan About Growing and Using Pumpkins
Sep 4, 2008
To build background knowledge about visiting pumpkin farms, pair the books Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night by Anne Rockwell and Pumpkin Day! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.
If you plan to visit a pumpkin farm as a fun autumn activity this fall season, or even just to learn more about pumpkin farms, share and compare and contrast Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night by Anne Rockwell [Walker and Company, 1999] and Pumpkin Day! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace [Marshall Cavendish, 2002].
Objectives
- Students will use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast elements of the two books.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of pumpkin farms by using information from the books to write and illustrate a short guide to a pumpkin farm.
Share the Books
- Display the covers and then the front and back endpapers of Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night. Discuss the pictures and title, focusing on the difference between the front and back endpapers. Ask children what they think a "pumpkin day" and a "pumpkin night" might be.
- Have children predict what they think the story will be about. Then, read the story aloud and check predictions, working together to define a "pumpkin day" and a "pumpkin night."
- Display the front and back cover of Pumpkin Day! and discuss the pictures and title.
- Preview the illustrations on the front and back endpapers, noting that these are the same illustrations as pictured on the back cover.
- Have children identify any similarities they see already between the two books.
- Have children predict what they think this story will be about. Then, read the story aloud and check predictions.
Comparing and Contrasting the Books
- Explain that while both of these books are fiction, or tell made-up stories, Pumpkin Day! also includes nonfiction content that tells true facts about pumpkins. Also, Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night has one main text feature (illustrations to show what is going on in the story), while Pumpkin Day! contains many text features (like diagrams and recipes) to display extra information beyond the main plot.
- Help children make a list of ways these two books are alike and different. Encourage children to make as many comparisons as they can, however big or small.
- Provide children with blank copies of Venn Diagrams. Have them label each circle with the title of one of the books. Then, work together to list things the books have in common in the shared section, and things that are different about the books in each of the individual circles.
- Some examples of similarities include that both books involve characters: visiting a pumpkin farm, looking at big and little pumpkins, using many of the same descriptive words (skinny, tall, round) to describe pumpkins, and using pumpkins to make baked goods and jack-o-lanterns to light at night.
- Some examples of differences include: that one book has human characters and the other bunny characters, that only Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night mentions other fall activities (like leaves turning colors, squirrels collecting food, and making paper pumpkin faces), and that only Pumpkin Day! gives scientific information about topics like how pumpkins grow.
- Other things you can compare include the style of the illustrations, the personalities of the characters, and, most importantly, the purpose of each book.
Exploring Author's Purpose and Theme
- Tell children that authors write books for a reason, or purpose, and that every book has a theme, or main idea.
- Ask children what they think the theme of each book is and why the author wrote it. For example, the theme of Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night could be what people do during "pumpkin time," and the author could have written it to share what these experiences feel like. On the other hand, the theme of Pumpkin Day! could be that pumpkins have many fun uses, and the author could have written it to teach people important information about pumpkins.
Assessment
Have students use what they have learned about pumpkin farms to write a short guide to one.
Try other lessons to explore additional pumpkin-themed topics such as how pumpkins grow and the writer's craft used to make Pumpkin Day!
The copyright of the article Visiting a Pumpkin Farm Through Books in Primary School Lesson Plans is owned by Renee Carver. Permission to republish Visiting a Pumpkin Farm Through Books in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
