Pumpkin fun!

So I have done quite a bit this year with my first graders and pumpkins. We have read lots of books and learned quite a bit. Last Friday, we read and looked at several books that detailed the life cycle of a pumpkin. After that, I have my students a blank sheet of paper and has them draw a flow map with the pumpkin life cycle. I told them they needed at least three steps in their flow map. They had to draw a picture and then label each one. Before, I have always given them pictures or other support to help with this type of activity. This year, mostly because of the group of students and other activities we have done, I felt like they could handle the assignment in this way. The kids really enjoyed creating their own flow map and for the most part did really well. I was surprised by much they remembered and how they represented it. It just goes to show that if we reasonably raise expectations, the students are capable of meeting them. Here is how I hung it in the hallway. 

Notice the number spiders around it. The students thought that it was funny that the spiders were "climbing" on their pumpkins. Here is a close up of the spiders.