K - 2nd Grade
“ This lesson is easily nested into a storyline as an episode exploring the phenomenon of decomposition. In this episode, students investigate the question, "What happens to a pumpkin over time?" Keep in mind that phenomena-based lessons include storylines which emerge based upon student questions.”
The Case of the Missing Pumpkin
Grade Level(s)
K - 2
Estimated Time
2 hours instruction time plus 1-2 months for observation
Purpose
Students investigate the phenomenon of decomposing pumpkins as a part of the plant's life cycle.
Materials
Activity 1:
Jack-o-lantern with seeds and fibrous strands intact
Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell
Rotten Pumpkin: A Rotten Tale in 15 Voices by David M. Schwartz
Aquarium
Soil
Pumpkin Science Journal
Activity 2:
Mini pumpkins, 1 per student or larger pumpkins, 1 per group (with the tops of the pumpkin removed)
Potting soil
Garden trowels or spoons
Pumpkin Science Journal
Activity 3:
Life Cycle of a Pumpkin by Ron Fridell and Patricia Walsh or Pumpkins by Ken Robbins
White paper plates, 2 per student
Black and orange markers or crayons
Green yarn, 1 arm-length per student
Brown, green, yellow, and orange construction paper
Great Pumpkin Paper Patterns
Hole punch
Stapler
Scissors
Essential Files (maps, charts, pictures, or documents)
Essential Links
Vocabulary
bacteria: a group of single-celled living things that cannot be seen without a microscope that reproduce rapidly and sometimes cause diseases
decomposer: an organism that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter
decomposition: the breakdown of plant or animal matter, the process of decay
fungus: any one of a group of living things (such as molds, mushrooms, or yeasts) that often look like plants but have no flowers and that live on dead and decaying things
humus: a brown or black material in soil that is formed when plants and animals decay
nutrient: a substance that plants, animals, and people need to live and grow
phenomenon: an observable event which is not man-made; plural form is phenomena
pumpkin: a large, rounded fruit with a thick rind, edible flesh, and many seeds
Did you know? (Ag Facts)
Pumpkins are 90% water, high in fiber, and contain potassium and Vitamin A.
Pumpkin flowers are edible.
The town of Goffstown, New Hampshire holds an annual pumpkin regatta each October.
Giant pumpkins are hollowed out to make room for a single passenger to race down the Piscataquog River.
Background Agricultural Connections
This lesson is easily nested into a storyline as an episode exploring the phenomenon of decomposition. In this episode, students investigate the question, "What happens to a pumpkin over time?" Keep in mind that phenomena-based lessons include storylines which emerge based upon student questions.
Interest Approach – Engagement
Ask the students if they have ever carved a pumpkin into a Jack-o-lantern.
Have the students predict what they think would happen to a Jack-o-lantern if they kept it until the next summer.
Read the book Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietler Miller.
Discuss with the students what happened to Sophie's squash. Could that happen to a pumpkin?
Procedures
This lesson investigates the phenomenon of decomposition. Natural phenomena are observable events that occur in the universe that we can use our science knowledge to explain or predict.
Phenomenon-Based Episode: What happens to a pumpkin over time? Disciplinary Core Ideas: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics National Agricultural Literacy Outcome Theme: Plants and Animals for Food, Fiber & Energy