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BIG Pumpkins!

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Subjects

  • Mathematics
    --Applied Math
    --Arithmetic
    --Measurement
    --Statistics
  • Science
    --Agriculture
    --Life Sciences
    ----Botany

Grade

  • 3-5
  • 6-8

Brief Description

Read a chart and solve word problems about big pumpkins.

Objectives

Students will

  • read a chart about ten of the biggest pumpkins in the world.
  • determine what math operation needs to be used to solve word problems based on the chart.

Keywords

word problems, story problems, pumpkins, Halloween, October, chart, fall, autumn, September, harvest, farm

Materials Needed

Lesson Plan

Before the Lesson
Before teaching this lesson, you might want to review math word (story) problems with students. Talk about key words students might read in a problem that will help them decide whether to add or subtract.

Lesson
Provide students with a copy of the BIG Pumpkins work sheet. Talk about the chart with students before asking them to solve the problems. If this is their first experience this year with word (story) problems, you might have students complete the work sheet with a partner. Otherwise, let them solve the "big pumpkin" word problems on their own. (See the Answer Key in the Assessment section below.)

Extension Activities

  • Teach the concept of "rounding numbers" by having students round off numbers on the work sheet to the nearest hundred pounds.
  • Challenge students to create a picture or bar graph to illustrate information on the chart.
  • Teach the concept of "tons."
  • Share with students photographs of some very large pumpkins:
    source 1
    source 2 (click Records)
    Have them write a story about the day they woke up to find that overnight a 1,300-pound pumpkin had grown in their gardens!
  • Have students make up their own word problems about the chart.

Assessment

Students will correctly solve at least four of the five word problems.
ANSWER KEY: 1. 76 pounds; 2. 2,600 pounds; 3. Dave Stelts's pumpkin weighed 9 pounds more; 4. 3,752 pounds; 5. 63 pounds. Challenge Question! The pumpkins weighed 12,161 pounds, which is close to 6 tons.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Gary Hopkins

National Standards

MATHEMATICS: Number and Operations
GRADES 3 - 5
NM-NUM.3-5.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
NM-NUM.3-5.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
NM-NUM.3-5.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-NUM.6-8.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
NM-NUM.6-8.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
NM-NUM.6-8.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates

MATHEMATICS: Measurement

GRADES 3 - 5
NM-MEA.3-5.2 Apply Appropriate Techniques, Tools, and Formulas to Determine Measurements
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-MEA.6-8.2 Apply Appropriate Techniques, Tools, and Formulas to Determine Measurements

MATHEMATICS: Problem Solving
GRADES Pre-K - 12
NM-PROB.PK-12.1 Build New Mathematical Knowledge Through Problem Solving
NM-PROB.PK-12.2 Solve Problems That Arise in Mathematics and in Other Contexts
NM-PROB.PK-12.3 Apply and Adapt a Variety of Appropriate Strategies to Solve Problems

Find more great fun activities in Education World's Awesome Autumn and Spook-tacular Halloween archives.

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