Beverly Fanelli & Suzanne O’Brien
Fox Elementary School, Macomb

Pumpkin Possibilities

Objectives
Students will:
1. Determine many possible ways to
“measure” a pumpkin

2. Find pumpkin measurements using tape
measures, rulers, scales, and
water displacement

3. Create “Big Questions” based on two
measurable characteristics of the
pumpkin

4. Enter data in Excel spreadsheet

5. Interpret data on Excel spreadsheets and
scatter plots

6. Connect the knowledge from the pumpkin
experience to a similar experience

Our first and third objectives were met through class discussion. The second objective was met through hands-on experiences in the classroom. The fourth and fifth objectives were met during teacher-guided class discussions. The sixth objective was met for almost 80% of the students on a written assessment (41 out of 52 students scored 70% or higher).

Approach
To ensure student discovery and attainment of the math, science and technology objectives; we believe in creating high-interest learning environments. During the fall, students are interested in pumpkins and excited to use them in the classroom. In previous years we have measured pumpkin circumferences, counted seeds and carved the pumpkins. To incorporate deeper thinking in math, science and technology; we adapted an activity from Teaching Children Mathematics (Vol. 13, No. 2, September 2006) to meet Michigan benchmarks and go beyond traditional classroom instruction.

We also wanted to create a student-centered atmosphere to ensure success and began by asking children what measurements they wanted to make. After creating a class list of possible measurements, students determined the methods and tools needed to find these measurements. Students then went to work to find the width, height, equatorial circumference, polar circumference, weight, and volume of their pumpkins.

As students found measurements, they recorded them in an Excel spreadsheet. They also were challenged to engineer a box (i.e., rectangular prism) as if they were planning to send their pumpkin via a delivery service—just as companies send heavy packages every day. This also reinforced their knowledge of surface area and three-dimensional geometry. Students were busy and excited to complete their tasks!

After the measuring was complete, students then created “Big Questions” to answer through spreadsheet analysis. One such question was, “Do heavier pumpkins have more seeds?” We spent class time analyzing the data through the spreadsheets and scatter plots comparing two measurable characteristics with each question. Through this exercise, they have become more interested in uses for spreadsheets.

Students now understand that objects can be measured in a variety of ways, which has enriched subsequent science experiments and math activities in the classroom.

Relevance
Students were motivated to learn science, math and technology by using pumpkins—something they enjoy every fall. They took ownership of the project by developing their own questions and methods for measuring. Our project provided a realistic application of scientific thinking, mathematical problem solving, engineering concepts and computer spreadsheets allowing students to see the connection between these fields. This gave students a positive experience to associate everyday “things” with math and science that, we hope, will lead them to consider careers in these areas.

Measurement
Using a written assessment, designed to measure students’ understanding of our project, students averaged 78%, and more than 58% scored above 80%. Further, some of the students who scored highest had not performed well in previous years and had developed anxiety about math and science as reported to us by their parents.

Additionally, we believe in providing numerous positive experiences and activities in math and science, in order to enrich student learning. Through the years we have made a difference in the students’ appreciation of these subjects. We use beginning- and end-of-year surveys where students rate how they feel about math and science, using scores from 1 to 10. For example, in the beginning of the 2003 school year, science was rated 7.7 compared to the end of year rating of 8.1. This information has provided quantitative evidence that our approach is making a difference—proven by the end-of-year score. In addition, our efforts are reflected in improved MEAP scores. We believe that this indicates that when student attitudes toward math and science improve so does their overall achievement.

Challenges
In our two classrooms (52 students), we have eight children who have non-English or limited-English-speaking parents. Based on the income level of our families, our school qualifies to serve free-and-reduced breakfast and lunch. Due to overcrowded classrooms in the district, our school receives children from outside our set school boundaries. Our district receives the lowest per-pupil funding in our county. Based on these parameters, we had difficulty obtaining pumpkins for every child. Therefore, students volunteered to bring in pumpkins and teachers purchased pumpkins to allow students to work with one pumpkin for every two children.

Because the students wanted to measure the volume of their pumpkins, we needed to create a tool that measured water displacement. We researched various ways to allow an exact amount of water to pour out of a container that would equal the volume of the pumpkin. Yet, we had to be able to measure the water that was displaced and students had to be able to use the tool with minimal supervision. We gathered water-holding materials from our homes, had holes drilled and marked out the container in cubic centimeters.

Finally, we created spreadsheets in Excel that were easy for the students to use. We also created scatter plots that would automatically reflect the students’ data.