Curriculum Guides

GRADE LEVEL: 5th

CONTENT AREA: Measurement

SKILLS: Make and use measurements in every day situations

PREREQUISITES: 5.0 grade level in reading and math

INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES:

Estimation, reasoning, measurement, fractions, charts, shapes, relate activity to daily situation

MATERIALS NEEDED:

One large uncut pumpkin; several additional uncut pumpkins of varying sizes - one pumpkin for each group of 3-5 students; rulers, measuring tapes, and scales and measuring cups

TECHNOLOGY:

IBM SOFTWARE

Measure It

Reading for Information Level I, II, III

Measure Up

Problem Solving with Money

Making Sense of Money

Exploring Measurement Time and Money

ACTIVITY:

*Explain to the students that the pumpkin is a member of the gourd family. Ask them to examine the pumpkin and describe it in detail as the teacher records the findings on a chart. Ask the students if the pumpkin has any outstanding characteristics or marks. Ask them how they would measure the pumpkin to determine height, weight, and girth (be sure they are provided with measuring tapes, scales, rulers, etc.). Chart their information on the board before you move on to the next step.

*Ask students to estimate the number of seeds that may be inside the pumpkin. Record their answers on a chart that would show the student's name and estimation.

*Use a marker to divide the pumpkin into 4 equal parts (or as close to equal as you can get). Cut out one quarter of the pumpkin and have students count the number of seeds in this part of a whole. The seeds can be divided between cooperative groups of students to count. When the seeds have been counted, ask the students if they want to change their original estimations. Cut another quarter of the pumpkin and have the students count those seeds. When they have completed this task, ask again if they want to change their estimation. Do the same with the two remaining parts. Talk about how close the students' estimations were.

*Ask the students if they think all pumpkins have the same number of seeds. Would the size of the pumpkin determine how many seeds it may have? Would the number of seeds be determined by the pumpkin's weight or girth?

*Keeping students in their cooperative groups, allow them to dissect their own pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin into quarters yourself to ensure that the parts are close to equal. This also would keep knives out of the hands of your students. Provide the students with charts to record their answers, containers for seeds, and lots of newspaper to work on. Give each group an opportunity to share and compare the information they gathered. Ask if there was a relationship between the size of the pumpkin and the number of seeds. If so, can they come up with a formula to predict the number of seeds with the size (weight, height, and girth) of the pumpkin.

*Within their groups, ask the students to determine how many cups of pumpkin flesh is in each quarter of the original classroom pumpkin. Will it be the same amounts if the pumpkin flesh is cooked? How many cups of pumpkin flesh would it take to make a pumpkin pie? Chart these estimations the same way as the original seed estimations. Ask the students to measure the raw pumpkin flesh to check against their estimations. Puree the pumpkin flesh to compare it with the raw pumpkin flesh (by cup).

*Finally, roast the pumpkin seeds for snacks and have students bring in their favorite pumpkin pie receipt. The next lesson could be following written directions for making pumpkin pies.

THEME IDEAS:

This lesson can be integrated into a science theme or unit (plants) by using different types of plants; a seasonal math unit; and a life-skills unit for cooking.

SOURCE:

Creative Classroom, October, 1994 Edition.