Pumpkin Globe Lesson Plan

Instructional Goals

Students will:

• Construct a pumpkin globe with continents, oceans, and major geographic features
• Identify and label continents and oceans as well as locate and label major geographic features of the earth on a globe (ex: major oceans and the seven continents)
• Present their pumpkin globes to the class and discuss where their continents, oceans, and major geographic features are located.

Instruction

• Provide each group with a pumpkin, a globe, tagboard patterns of the continents, and blue and brown tempera paint and brushes. 
• “Okay class let’s get our creative juices flowing.  For our Social Studies lesson today, we are going to do an art project!  In the center of your table groups (classroom desks are already clumped in groups of four and five, creating their table groups), there is a pumpkin and a globe for you to share.  By working together, your groups are going to make a pumpkin globe!
• Show a pumpkin globe that was previously made. 
• Place a pumpkin and a globe side by side.  Have students gather around to examine the pumpkin and the globe visually and tactilely.  Help them recognize how they are similar in shape.  Point out the continents and oceans on the globe.  Call on different students to touch a continent or touch an ocean on the globe.  Show how the tagboard patterns of the continents have the same shape as the continents on the globe. 
• “Now, lets look at the pumpkin and globe on your table and talk a little bit about both of them.  Does anyone notice any similarities between the two?  (same shape, circle) Great job, friends!  There are seven continents on the globe, can anyone come up to the front of the class and point to one on the map?  Thank you, Brianna!”
• Instruct each group to work together using the globes and maps to label each of the tagboard patterns with the name of the continent it represents. 
• Instruct each group to use the tagboard patterns to trace the outlines of the continents onto their pumpkins using the felt marking pens. 
• Have each group paint the continents brown and the oceans blue. 
• With a marking pen, label the oceans and the continents using the globes and maps for reference.
• Circulate, check for understanding, and provide assistance when needed. 

Content Standards

Social Studies Standard# 3: people, places, and environments.  Students will interpret, use, and distinguish various representations of the earth such as maps, globes, and photographs. 

Instructional Materials/Resources

• Pumpkins (one per group) as round as possible
• Tagboard patterns of the continents
• Simplified word maps, simplified globes
• Blue and brown tempera paint and brushes
• Felt marking pens
• Clean up materials, paper towels and sponges

Assessment

Teacher will:

• Check for completion of each globe created
• Check for accurately labeled continents and oceans on each globe completed.
• Observe each group presentation by having each group show and tell about its pumpkin globe.  While each group should select a spokesperson to introduce the group and make the opening comments, each person in the groups should be involved in telling about some aspect of the pumpkin globe.

Adaptations/Accommodations

I will make sure my two students with learning disabilities are included in the pumpkin mapping process as they learn best during hands on activities.  As for my TAG students, I will challenge them by asking them questions about the locations of the continents, oceans, and where major geographical features are located. 

Reflection

This activity was definitely a fun one!  It was a little messy with the paint so in the future I would make sure they have newspaper down on their desks as well as having paint shirts on before they start their globes.