With Halloween quickly approaching, kindergarten teacher at North Ridge Elementary, Rebecca Jack decided to tie pumpkin carving into letter lessons for ‘p’ and ‘j’. Jack read The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin aloud to the students. The story follows the life of a pumpkin, in a fictional setting, and ends with a group of kids carving the pumpkin into a Jack-o-lantern that becomes scary once it is lit. The author describes the process of carving the Jack-o-Lantern in detail.   

After, the students helped Jack carve a class pumpkin. The students were able to refer back to the story as they carved the pumpkin to help understand the author's use of descriptive vocabulary. While carving, they discussed the parts of the pumpkin using vocabulary such as pulp, seeds, ribs, and stem. Additionally, they were able to identify which of the senses they were using as the students observed the carving. Each student then had the opportunity to paint their own Jack-o-Lantern to take home.  

This activity was fun for students because they were able to investigate pumpkins hands-on using academic terms. Now they have a real-world connection to remember the letters and sounds of ‘p’ and ‘j’.   

“The students in my room loved having other adults come in so we could “BOO” them,” said Jack. “Most students also really enjoyed picking through the pulp to collect seeds to take home.”