1

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

River Bend Elementary

Presented:

A. TITLE/TYPE OF LESSON
Creative Art: The Pumpkin Story
The students will draw, cut out, and glue together their own unique paper pumpkin to
celebrate the coming of fall, and will then create a story to go along with their pumpkin.
The story will be five sentences long and each sentence will discuss a different aspect of
their individual pumpkin.
B. CONTEXT OF LESSON
While observing my practicum students these last few weeks, I have come to realize
that most of their activities center around worksheets and other model based activities
that have a focus on writing, reading, and spelling. They have the same activities that
are altered slightly everyday at the same time, with very little variation. While I have
noticed that the students enjoy writing and get very excited when they succeed in
completing their sentences correctly and with little to no mistakes, I have also seen
how repetitive these activities can get every week. I chose this particular activity for
the class because I believe that it will fit in nicely with the material they are already
learning, and I chose it because it will promote creativity and invoke their
imagination, while also giving them something fun to do as a break from their daily
classroom schedule.
This lesson is appropriate for my practicum classroom because it is building off of
knowledge they are already learning, and it is expanding that knowledge by
promoting individuality and creativity. Not only are they able to make their own
pumpkin any way they like, such as by customizing the shape, size, color, number of
teeth, etc, but they are also all going to have a different story for their pumpkins in
which each sentence is of their own imagination and is unlike anyone elses. This will
pull them out of their model based routines from their everyday lessons and allow
them to express themselves in a new way, and as they work they will be able to talk
about their pumpkins with each other, building stronger relationships, sharing new
ideas with one another, and celebrating their similarities and differences.
This lesson fits in with their classroom curriculum because most of their day is
centered around learning about reading and writing, punctuation and sentence
structure. They also are constantly practicing cutting with scissors and gluing with
glue sticks, so making the pumpkins will jump off of that and give them extra
practice. I had this lesson and another that I was considering using for my lesson plan,
and when I emailed my cooperating teacher asking for her opinion on which she
thought would be more beneficial and enjoyable for the students, she told me that this
pumpkin activity would work very well. She liked this idea because it fits with the
fall theme they have in their classroom right now, is something fun that they will
enjoy doing, and also fits perfectly with what they are already learning in class.
This activity fits in with my knowledge on child development because it goes along
with the topic of developmentally appropriate practices. The students are being

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

River Bend Elementary

Presented:

imaginative and unique, but are also improving their fine motor skills through gluing,
cutting, drawing, and coloring, and are improving their writing skills. They already
practice these aspects of learning in class on a daily basis, so I know that they are
capable of completing this activity successfully, but this is asking a little bit more of
them than they are usually tasked. Writing five sentences is quite a leap from being
used to writing two at a time at the most, so they will be writing for longer than they
usually do. They know how to cut and glue, but still have not mastered these abilities,
so having to cut out the different pieces of their pumpkin and put them together, will
also be challenging, but possible. I am hoping to use this activity to push them a little
farther than their comfort zone so that they are able to learn more than they usually
learn through their daily classroom activities, but I am also playing on their creativity
and imagination so that the activity does not seem like an insurmountable challenge,
but is instead fun and freeing.
C. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Understand (Concepts/Skills)

Know/Do (Learning objectives)

1. Pumpkins are used as

traditional symbols for the
coming of fall.

The students will talk about why they think pumpkins are so
common around fall time, what pumpkins are, what they look
like, what they are used for, and any other knowledge about
pumpkins they may want to share with one another.

2. Pumpkins have many

different uses and can also be
used in artwork and
storytelling.

The students will draw, color, cut, and glue together their own
paper pumpkin, using their creativity to make it look any way
they want.

3. Just like every person is

different, so are pumpkins.
They all look different and
can have a different story.

The students will take a few minutes to show off their pumpkins
to each other after completing them, and talk about how their
pumpkins are different from one another.

4. By using imagination, stories

can be given to anything, and
anything can happen in a
story.

The students will be given directions in writing a story for their

pumpkin; the directions will be specific enough so that the
students understand what they are doing, but broad enough that
each story will be unique for each students pumpkin.

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

River Bend Elementary

Presented:

D. ASSESSING LEARNING

Know/Do (Learning
objectives)

Assessment plan

The students will talk about

why they think pumpkins are
so common around fall time,
what pumpkins are, what
they look like, what they are
used for, and any other
knowledge about pumpkins
they may want to share with
one another.

I will write their responses on the board so that they are able to look back
on what they have already said. If students do not have any comments
about one of the questions, I will prompt them with ideas and information
that I will have prepared before beginning the lesson, such as by telling
them that maybe pumpkins are a symbol for fall because they are
harvested when fall begins. When I have heard a couple of comments for
each question and can see that all of the students are able to understand
the information, I will proceed onto the next part of the activity.

The students will draw,

color, cut, and glue together
their own paper pumpkin,
using their creativity to
make it look any way they
want.

I will give them broad directions on how to create their pumpkin so that
they are able to successfully complete the activity, but are able to use
their creativity and imagination to make their pumpkins unique from one
another. Example: Every student will be creating a pumpkin, each
pumpkin needs eyes, a nose, and a mouth with some teeth. After they
complete their pumpkin, I will be able to see if they were able to follow
the broad directions, but also make their pumpkin different from everyone
elses.

The students will take a few

minutes to show off their
pumpkins to each other after
completing them, and talk
about how their pumpkins
are different from one
another.

I will walk around the room as they talk to each other about their
pumpkins and take notes on the types of differences they have made to
their own pumpkin. When listening to how they describe their pumpkin to
their table, I will be able to see which differences they talk about the most
and which differences they do not really care enough to talk about at all. I
will be able to take notes on whether they tried to make their pumpkin
look more like a realistic pumpkin that they would see in a store or in a
pumpkin patch, or if they decided to make their pumpkin look nothing
like a pumpkin that may exist in real life.

The students will be given

directions in writing a story
for their pumpkin; the
directions will be specific
enough so that the students
understand what they are
doing, but broad enough that
each story will be unique for
each students pumpkin.

I will write on the board what each of the five sentences should be about:
1) Giving the pumpkin a name
2) The characteristics of their pumpkin (size, shape, color, etc)
3) The number of teeth their pumpkin has
4) Describing their pumpkin in one word
5) How their pumpkin makes them feel
My assessment will be on whether they are able to complete these five
sentences correctly, so that their pumpkin has its own unique story.

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

River Bend Elementary

Presented:

E. RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING

Patterns, Functions, and Algebra

1.16

The student will sort and classify concrete objects according to one or more attributes,
including color, size, shape, and thickness.

Oral Language
1.1

The student will continue to demonstrate growth in the use of oral language.
b) Tell and retell stories and events in logical order
e) Express ideas orally in complete sentences

1.2

The student will expand understanding of use of word meanings.

a) Increase listening and speaking vocabularies
b) Begin to ask for clarification and explanation of words and ideas
c) Use common singular and plural nouns

1.3

The student will adapt or change oral language to fit the situation
a) Initiate conversation with peers and adults
b) Follow rules for conversation using appropriate voice level in small-group settings
c) Ask and respond to questions

Reading
1.5

The student will apply knowledge of how print is organized and read.

a) Read from left to right and from top to bottom

c) Identify letters, words, sentences, and ending punctuation
d) Read his/her own writing
1.6

The student will apply phonetic principles to read and spell

a) Use beginning and ending consonants to decode and spell single-syllable words
b) Use two-letter consonant blends to decode and spell single-syllable words
c) Use beginning consonant diagraphs to decode and spell single-syllable words
d) Use short vowel sounds to decode and spell single-syllable words
e) Blend beginning, middle, and ending sounds to recognize and read words
f) Use word patterns to decode unfamiliar words
g) Read and spell simple two-syllable compound words
h) Read and spell commonly used sight words

1.7

The student will use semantic clues and syntax to expand vocabulary when reading.
a) Use words, phrases, and sentences
d) Use knowledge of sentence structure
e) Use knowledge of story structure

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

River Bend Elementary

Presented:

f) Reread and self-correct

1.8

The student will expand vocabulary.

c) Ask for the meaning of unknown words and make connections to familiar words
e) Use vocabulary from other content areas

1.11

The student will use simple reference materials.

a) Use knowledge of alphabetical order by first letter

Writing
1.12

The student will print legibly.

a) form letters accurately
b) Space words within sentences
c) Use the alphabetic code to write unknown words phonetically

1.13

The student will write to communicate ideas for a variety of purposes.

a) Generate ideas
b) Focus on one topic
c) Revise by adding descriptive words when writing about people, places, things, and
events
d) Use complete sentences in final copies
e) Begin each sentence with a capital letter and use ending punctuation in final copies
f) Use correct spelling for commonly used sight words and phonetically regular words in
final copies
g) Share writing with others

Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic

1.1

The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific reasoning, logic, and the
nature of science by planning and conducting investigations in which:
c) Objects or events are classified and arranged according to characteristics or properties

Life Processes
1.4

The student will investigate and understand that plants have basic life needs and
functional parts and can be classified according to certain characteristics. Key concepts
include:
c) plants can be classified based on a variety of characteristics

Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change

1.7

The student will investigate and understand weather and seasonal changes. Key concepts
include:

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

River Bend Elementary

Presented:

a) Changes in temperature, light, and precipitation affect plants and animals, including
humans

Civics
1.10

The student will apply the traits of a good citizen by:

a) Focusing on fair play, exhibiting good sportsmanship, helping others, and treating
others with respect
b) Recognizing the purpose of rules and practicing self-control
c) Working hard in school
d) Taking responsibility for ones own actions
e) Valuing honesty and truthfulness in oneself and others

Family Life
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.8
1.9
1.10

The student will experience continuing success and positive feelings about self
The student will experience continuing respect from others
The student will become aware of the effects of his or her behavior on others and the
effects of others behavior on himself or herself
The student will express his or her feelings of happiness, sadness, and anger to the
teacher
The student will become aware of appropriate behavior to use in dealing with his or her
feelings
The student will experience the logical consequences of his or her behavior

Visual Communication and Production

1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7

1.10
1.11
1.12

The student will examine a variety of solutions to art-making problems

The student will describe steps used in the creation of works of art
The student will use the senses of light, touch, and hearing as inspirations for works of art
The student will create works of art inspired by stories or poems, ideas, and themes
The student will create art from real and imaginary sources of inspiration
The student will depict personal experiences in works of art
The student will identify and use the following in works of art
1. Color primary
2. Line zigzag, dotted, wavy, spiral
3. Shape geometric, organic
4. Pattern alternating, repeating
The student will demonstrate the use of size relationships in works of art
The student will create observational drawings of people and objects in the environment
The student will use motor skills (e.g. cutting, modeling, molding, tearing, weaving) to
create two- and three-dimensional works of art

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

River Bend Elementary

Presented:

Analysis, Evaluation, and Critique

1.16
1.17
1.18

The student will describe the visual qualities and content of works of art
The student will describe similarities and differences among works of art
The student will explain why viewers may have different responses to works of art

Aesthetics
1.19

The student will describe how feelings, ideas, and emotions are communicated in works
of art

Essential Health Concepts

1.1

The student will identify the basic components and functions of human body systems and
the importance of safe practices, positive interpersonal relationships, and environmental
health
g) Compare and contrast emotions that may make a person happy and emotions that may
make a person feel unhappy or mad
h) Describe characteristics that are unique to each individual
i) Identify cooperative behaviors, respect for others, adherence to school rules,
acceptance of responsibility, and respect for the property of others

Advocacy and Health Promotion

1.3

The student will identify specific rules and practices to promote personal safety and
socially responsible behaviors
l) Demonstrate ways to express emotions appropriately
m) Demonstrate cooperation with friends and classmates
n) Demonstrate responsible behaviors when interacting with others

Social Development
1.4

The student will demonstrate basic knowledge and skills for safe and cooperative play,
individually and with others, without reminders from the teacher.
a) Work cooperatively, and demonstrate safe equipment use with peers
c) Demonstrate safe use of space
d) Identify classroom (procedural) rules

F. MATERIALS NEEDED
White construction paper (personally provided)
Colored construction paper (optional) (personally provided)
Googly eyes (optional) (personally provided)
Scissors (provided by cooperating teacher)
Crayons (provided by cooperating teacher)
Pencils (provided by cooperating teacher)
Glue bottles/sticks (provided by cooperating teacher)

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

River Bend Elementary

Presented:

Printed out copies of story paper (personally provided)

G. PROCEDURE
Students will come together as a class, sitting in their assigned seats at their group tables.
I will begin the lesson by asking them about different symbols related to fall, they will
contribute by raising their hands and giving different examples. Once a student brings up
a pumpkin I will begin discussion on why a pumpkin would be considered a symbol of
fall time. If students run out of ideas for symbols and have not yet thought of a pumpkin,
I will bring it up, or prompt them into saying pumpkin. Once I begin the discussion,
students will be able to raise their hands and give guesses or comments as to why they
think a pumpkin is such a big symbol in representing fall. As they give answers, I will
write them on the board so that the entire class can see what has already been said. We
will talk about that for approximately 5 minutes before continuing on to talk about what
pumpkins look like. As students give characteristics of pumpkins, such as color, shape,
size, etc I will write that on the board as well. I will then start a discussion about
whether all pumpkins look exactly alike by asking questions such as, Are there any
differences between pumpkins?, Is it ok for the pumpkins to look different from one
another?, What characteristics do you like pumpkins to have?, etc This discussion
will take no longer than 5 minutes.
After both discussions have been completed (approx. 10 minutes in length together), I
will ask the students to get out their toolboxes; their toolboxes are their personal cases in
their desks that hold their scissors, glue, crayons, and pencils. As they are doing that, I
will give each student a piece of white construction paper and explain to them that they
are going to be creating their own unique pumpkin. They will be allowed to make it look
however they want, the only rules are that it needs to have two eyes, a nose, a mouth, and
some teeth. The students will draw and color their pumpkin on the piece of paper and
then cut it out with their scissors. They are allowed to cut out any other pieces of the
pumpkin they want out of the extra paper, such as cutting out a stem, leaves, the eyes, the
nose, the mouth, the teeth, and glue those pieces onto their pumpkin.
After they have completed their pumpkins (approximately 20-30 min), I will ask them to
show each other their pumpkins and talk about why they made their pumpkin look the
way they did. They will talk about the differences their pumpkins have and the
similarities. While they talk, I will be walking around looking at the pumpkins they have
made and taking notes on what they discuss. After about 5 minutes of peer discussion, I
will bring them back together as a class and have one or two students bring their
pumpkins to the front of the room to talk about to the class; the student(s) will show the
class their pumpkin and talk about why they made it look the way they did and what they
like about it. This should only take about 5 minutes.
I will then take a couple of minutes to explain that they will be writing a five sentence
story about their pumpkins while I pass out the paper they will be writing their pumpkins
story on. After passing out the paper I will write on the board the directions for each

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

River Bend Elementary

Presented:

sentence, and explain each one as I write it. The students will be able to have these
directions stay on the board throughout the rest of the activity to reference as they write.
They will have about 30 minutes to complete the five sentences.
Once everyone has finished with both their pumpkin and their pumpkins story, I will
have the students share their stories with each other at their tables, and then, depending
on time, have one or two different students come to the front of the class and read their
stories to everyone. As a final piece to this activity, I will talk to the students about what
they learned from this activity, what they liked about the activity, and what they did not
like about the activity.
This entire lesson should take about an hour and a half to complete
H. DIFFERENTIATION
After observing my practicum classroom for the last few weeks, it is clear that even
though each child learns in a different way, they all have the capability of completing this
lesson.
The students are already split up into four separate groups, and I would like to keep them
in their groups to make the discussions they will be having throughout the lesson easier to
manage. Because my cooperating teacher was the one to make their groups, I know that
the students at each table will be able to work well together and help each other complete
their tasks.
Some of the students do get pulled from the class at certain points of the day, but I am
hoping that I will be able to begin and complete my lesson during a part of the day when
they will all be present.
There is one ELL student in my practicum classroom, but they are able to complete their
assignments almost as well as the other students in class, so, while it may take them a
little longer, they still should not have too much difficulty in completing this activity.
This lesson is meant to help them improve their fine motor and writing skills, but is also
meant to be something fun that allows them to be imaginative and create something they
can be proud of. Because of this, students that may be struggling with any part of this
lesson will be supported by me, my cooperating teacher, and their peers. They will be
told to just try their best, and as long as they are putting in the effort they will be doing
exactly what is expected of them.
I. WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO
ABOUT IT?
At the beginning of the lesson, the students may not know how to contribute to the class
discussions if they are unable to think of ideas as to why pumpkins are a symbol of the
fall or the different uses a pumpkin may have. If this happens, I will have facts or
comments that help to answer these questions prepared in order to prompt students into
thinking about new ideas.

10

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

River Bend Elementary

Presented:

The students may make a mess at their tables while doing the art activity, but that will
hopefully not be too much of a problem because I can designate a part of their desk for
them to pile their scraps of paper until the activity is over and they can throw everything
away.
If a part of the lesson takes longer than expected, some students may be unable to
complete their pumpkin or their pumpkins story. If this happens, I will allow those
students to continue working during the different discussions that will occur throughout
the lesson, and if students at their table finish early, I will have them help the students
who are taking a longer period of time.
References
Rosenburg, L. (2014, October 7). Pumpkin Writing Bulletin Board. Retrieved October 02, 2016,
from http://teachingwithloveandlaughter.blogspot.com/2014/10/pumpkin-writingbulletin-board.html

11

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

River Bend Elementary

Presented:

Objective 1: The students will talk about why they think pumpkins are so common around fall time,
what pumpkins are, what they look like, what they are used for, and any other knowledge about pumpkins
they may want to share with one another.

After writing thought on the board, and when students are working independently, I will
copy their answers and comments, as well as any notes I may have during this discussion,
here:

Objective 2: The students will draw, color, cut, and glue together their own paper pumpkin, using their
creativity to make it look any way they want.

I will walk around the room and make notes based on how they decide to create their
pumpkins, which I will write here:

12

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

River Bend Elementary

Presented:

Objective 3: The students will take a few minutes to show off their pumpkins to each other after
completing them, and talk about how their pumpkins are different from one another.

I will listen in on their discussions and make notes on the differences in their pumpkins,
what they decide to discuss with one another, and any other comments I may have here:

Objective 4: The students will be given directions in writing a story for their pumpkin; the directions will
be specific enough so that the students understand what they are doing, but broad enough that each story
will be unique for each students pumpkin.

I will take notes on whether or not they were able to follow my directions correctly, will
take notes on how correct and legible their handwriting is, and will take notes based on
some of the things they decide to include in their stories here:

13

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

Lesson Plan Rubric: ECED 372

Reviewer: ____________

Context/ Concepts(understand)/
Objectives (know/do)
15

Materials/ Procedures
10

Assessment
7

Organization/presentation
8

River Bend Elementary

Presented:

Name:______________________ Date:_________

Target

Proficient

Developing

Unacceptable

Clear and
convincing
connections
among context and
objectives. In the
objectives, specific
learning behaviors,
which are
measurable and
observable, are
identified.
Objectives are
clear and concise.
15

Context and
objectives are
consistent.
Specific learning
behaviors, which
are observable
or measureable,
are identified in
the objectives
but they are
lengthy and
confusing. 13

Context and
objectives are
consistent.
Learning
objectives are
too general
and not
specific.
Objectives are
not
measureable
/observable.
11

Statements of
context and
objectives are not
clear and
underdeveloped. 9

Thorough
explanations
provided including
introduction,
implementation,
and closure of the
lesson.
Essential
questions, rich
examples, prompts
are listed. 10

Steps are
economically
written and need
further
clarification.
Essential
question,
examples, and
terms were
partially
included. 8

Described
procedures
are not clear,
or repetitive.
Choices of
procedures,
questions,
examples are
not
appropriate. 6

Major components
(introduction,
implementation,
closure) of the
lesson are
confusing. Little
evidence in
material/procedure
planning. 4

Methods and
strategies for
assessing students
learning are
perfectly aligned
with the learning
objectives.
Assessment
methods are
developmentally
appropriate and
clearly articulated.
7

Connections
between
learning
objectives and
assessment
methods are
present.
Assessments
are traditional
and/or prepared
by outside
source and not
altered.
Description of
the assessment
is incomplete. 5

Poor choice of
assessment
strategies, no
connection
between
assessment
and objectives.
3

No assessment
strategies are
included. 0

Complete package
presented in wellorganized in a
professional
fashion. 8

Each section is
neatly organized
and presented
with 1 or 2
mechanical
errors in writing.
7

There are less

than 2
incomplete
sections in the
assignment.
Material
contains more
than 2
mechanical

Unorganized, need
major revision,
missing 2 or more
sections of the
assignment. 3

14

Meghan Tomasi
Immersion Week

Gerri Ziegler 1st Grade

Date: 10/02/2016

Lesson Plan Rubric: ECED 372

Reviewer: ____________
Target

River Bend Elementary

Name:______________________ Date:_________
Proficient

Developing
errors. 6

By Shin Ji Kang

Presented:

Unacceptable