Literature Response Activity- The 5 Little Pumpkins

This was so fun! I did this lesson around Halloween last Fall. I read my students the story of the Five Little Pumpkins. After reading the book I had the students sequence the order of events in the book. As a literature response activity the students drew a face on their own pumpkin. The students loved this story so much that I would read it as a treat when they had a really good day in the afternoon. The students began to read it with me and we even had someone designated to flash the lights off when it happened in the story. The students created sounds for each part of the book. They would hold up their fingers when counting along with the book. The students would also make a swoosh sound for the wind in the story. Below are the basic steps if you would like to try this lesson out!

Grade Level: Kindergarten
Teaching Strategy: Total Group
Time Required: 45 minutes

Subject/Content Area
Reading

Materials
The book The Five Little Pumpkins
Sentence strips with pictures and words that represent the five main events in the story
Pumpkin cut outs
Crayons
Magnets
Dry erase board
Dry erase board marker

Teaching/Learning Procedures
The teacher begins by reading the story the Five Little Pumpkins.
After reading the story the Five Little Pumpkins the teacher draws a story web on the board. The teacher writes the title/main idea in the center. Next the teacher draws five lines extending from the main idea. The teacher labels the extending lines 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Next the teacher places sentence strips on the board with magnets. The strips are pre-written with words and pictures of the five main events in the story.
Next the teacher asks for someone to tell him/her what happened first in the story. The teacher calls the student to place the correct sentence strip on the line labeled 1st.
The teacher continues asking the students what happened next and allowing students to move the sentence strips to the correct line until the story web is complete.
Next the teacher has the students move to their tables. At the tables the students will find a pumpkin cutout to decorate and draw a face on.