Lesson Plan: Do Larger Pumpkins have more seeds?

Teacher Candidate: Maddie Hutcheson Date: 2/5/17

Grade and Topic: 2nd, Technology/ Science Length of Lesson: 5 hours

STANDARDS ADDRESSED:

TN STATE STANDARD: 2.1.1. Use appropriate equipment and tools and apply safe
laboratory habits and procedures; Think critically and logically to analyze and interpret
data, draw conclusions, and develop explanations that are based on evidence.

ISTE STANDARD:
Creativity and Innovation: A. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products,
or processes.

Creativity and Innovation: B. Create original ideas as a means of personal or group

expression for this project.

LESSON OBJECTIVES:
Content Learning Goals and Objectives:
1. With the pumpkins the student chose, they are to collect, enter, and analyze
data to find patterns in data, with a score of 100% on the rubric given.
2. Given the chosen topic on the pumpkin, you need a computer, and a word
processing program and build a data graph for your findings
3. The 100% score on the rubric will only come if the presentation, project
neatness and completion of this project.
PROBLEM STATEMENT:
Our class has been selected to help start a garden in our community. Our first planting
will be pumpkins for the Fall Festival. We have been asked to supply 500 pumpkin
seeds for this first year. How many pumpkins will we need to carve in order to gather
500 seeds? In front of our room today we have five pumpkins that are about the same
size. Do you think that every pumpkin has the same number of seeds? You will work in
groups to form a hypothesis on two questions.
1. Do pumpkins of similar size have the same amount of seeds?
2. How many seeds are in an average pumpkin?
Each group will select a pumpkin, make their hypothesis, verify the number of seeds in
their pumpkin, and compare their data with the other groups to determine is all
pumpkins have the same number of seeds. From the information that we determine
today we will be able to purchase the correct numbers of pumpkins needed to gather
500 seeds.

LESSON DESCRIPTION: Students are being assigned groups, each group for this
assignment is collecting information from 2 different pumpkins. The students are going
to be asked to form a prediction, the weight of each pumpkin and the number of seeds
that they might have. The students then have to weigh their pumpkin and then write the
weight down. They then have to crack the pumpkin and record how many are in there.
They are then to use their hands to separate the pulp and seeds. The seeds were to be
put on a plate and counted. They are supposed to tally the seeds and write the total
number of seeds they found in each of the pumpkins. They are then to gather their
findings and enter their predictions and facts onto a graph in Microsoft Excel. The
students then use the graph they created of information to show a comparison between
their predictions and facts. They will need to get up in front of the class and tell about
their project what their findings were.

Teacher will be grading on how the groups work together, how the complete the
assignment with completeness and neatness, and also if they followed all the rules on
how to tally the data on Microsoft.

ASSESSMENT: The students will be evaluated on the following criteria:

-The following grading levels will be used: below expectations, meets expectations, and
exceed expectations

Information If you took If you used the

information from 2 scientific method
different pumpkins correctly
of different sizes.

Neatness of Graph If you used the If the student

computer for tallied everything
graphing correctly correctly with the
with Microsoft. information they
found.

Presentation how you worked Standing up in

with your group on front of the class, if
a daily basis. you presented well
by looking at your
audience and
telling them your
information.
 Pumpkin Chart
110

82.5 96
Large Pumpkin Medium Pumpkin
55 70
55 53 58
27.5 43
26
0
17
group 1 group 2 group 3 group 4
Example: