A guide for using our resources

Students will identify and use words to describe pumpkins.

Vocabulary: texture, wide, rot, hollow

Science Focus: plants

CCSS (and states that have similar standards): RI.1.1 key details; RF.1.3 phonics and word analysis; SL.1.1 collaborative conversations; L.1.2 standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling; RL.1.1 key details; W.1.8 answer questions

Simple, spectacular ideas to boost your lessons.

• Grow children’s vocabulary and imaginations with this adorable book! It takes you on a trip to see pumpkins across the country, teaching big new words along the way. Kids will love envisioning the size of these larger-than-life pumpkins.

• Tell children that the article has a lot of antonyms.
• Explain that antonyms are words that are opposite in meaning.
• Ask students to finish these sentenc
• Guide kids to identify the opposites in the article:
  • smooth/bumpy
  • tiny/huge
  • tall/wide
  • fresh/rotten
• Then have them think of more antonyms!

• Work together to find and circle the words some, they, are in the article. Use a different color for each word.

Skills: writing, drawing

Materials: Design a Pumpkin skills sheet or blank paper, crayons, and a variety of art materials

• Let students design their own pumpkins, using Scholastic News as inspiration!
• Give each child a copy of the skills sheet. Students can also use a blank sheet of paper. Then have them create their own pumpkin, using any available materials. For example:
  • Use crayons to make pumpkins orange, blue, green, or white.
  • Tear and ball-up tissue paper. Paste it to the pumpkin to make it bumpy.
  • Add lines of glitter or string coming from a stinky, rotten pumpkin.
• Finally, encourge students to write a sentence below their pumpkin. They can use the words they read in their Scholastic News to describe it.