Sad Jack-o'-lantern against a purple and black background with a spider and its web
Shutterstock.com
Infographic,

A Pumpkin Problem and 5 Solutions!

People across America love pumpkins! But by the end of the fall, most pumpkins get thrown away. Here’s what you can do to keep your pumpkin out of the trash!

From the October/November 2022 Issue
Featured Skill: Main Idea and Supporting Details,

Presentation View
See Student View

Shutterstock.com (all images)

1. Turn it into soil 

Let your pumpkin get soft and mushy. Then break it into little pieces. Cover the pieces with dry leaves and mix the pile once a week. Slowly, the pieces will turn into soil. This process is called composting!

2. Smash it

Go to a pumpkin-smashing event! People get together, dump their pumpkins in a pile, and smash ‘em to bits. The smashed pumpkins are then turned into soil.

3. Donate it

Ask farmers if they want to use your pumpkin as food for animals. Zoos and animal shelters may take pumpkins too.

4. Eat it

Pumpkin seeds can be a tasty—and healthy—snack! They’re packed with nutrients, which help you stay healthy.

5. Plant it

Plant your pumpkin’s seeds to grow a new pumpkin!

Think and Write Contest

Imagine it’s the day after Halloween. Your friend has five leftover pumpkins. Write your friend a letter explaining what she can do with the pumpkins. Five winners will each receive a Scholastic e-gift card.

Audio ()
Activities (3)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Audio ()
Activities (3) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Can't Miss Teaching Extras

Can’t get enough of pumpkins? No problem! Students can practice their contraction skills while learning more about these amazing gourds: “Fascinating Facts About Pumpkins.”

Connect the infographic to a fiction text with “The Day the Worms Moved In,” a story that features composting. 

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

1. READING AND DISCUSSING

Project the infographic as students follow along in their magazines.

  • Prompt students to use the headline, subhead, and main image to identify the topic of the infographic.
  • Ask: Is the purpose of the infographic to 
    • explain something to you?
    • convince you of something?
    • tell you how to do something?
  • Have students look over the labels and images surrounding the main image. Ask:
    • How are they related to the main image? (They provide details about the main idea.)
  • Break students into groups to read each section of the infographic and discuss what they find interesting, surprising, or convincing.
  • Come back together as a class and ask volunteers to summarize the main idea and supporting details from the infographic.

2. WRITING

  • Preview the writing prompt in the “Think and Write Contest” box.
  • Download and distribute the Guided Writing skill builder that goes along with the infographic.
  • Have students respond to the writing prompt. If you wish, send their responses to our infographic contest. Details are at Storyworks 3 Digital.

EXTENTION!

Have students create their own infographics! Download our Make Your Own Infographic skill builder from Storyworks 3 Digital.

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARD

RI.1, RI.2, RI.7, W.1, W.2

Text-to-Speech