Pumpkin Unit for Phenomenon-Based Learning

Pumpkin Phenomenon-Based Learning Unit

Hey, y'all! How are you doing with phenomenon-based learning? Have you tried it in your classroom yet? My students loved our last unit and I can't wait to introduce them to this pumpkin PhenomBL unit. (If you're still not sure about what phenomenon-based learning is or how to implement it, check out this blog post here.)

In each phenomenon based unit, we start off with what our guiding questions are. We have one as a class, in this case: What makes pumpkins unique? Then, students have their own questions that they are seeking answers to. This puts the learning at the hands of the student. 

With PhenomBL, students are largely in charge of the learning. It's kind of like a research project on steroids. Students have an overall topic, in this case it's pumpkins, and learn all about pumpkins through the lens of each subject area. 

So, included in this unit are graphic organizers for finding the main idea of pumpkin-related texts, bubble maps, writing pages, "how-to" style writing pages, thinking response pages--and that's just for reading and writing! 

There are also options for students to measure their pumpkin (a great time to introduce the vocabulary "circumference" and "diameter"), compare it to a friend's pumpkin, learn about different types of pumpkins and what they're used for, conduct research on all things pumpkin-related, and more. 

Students could research how pumpkins get from the farm to the table (or to the latte!), pumpkin growing contests around the country, which ones grow the largest, or any other topic of interest to your students. The beauty of phenomenon-based learning is that students are able to answer their own questions which helps to teach students how to learn and become life-long learners. 

I would use this unit after we already learn some basics about pumpkins. This helps students to become successful in their research because they already have the background knowledge and vocabulary. You don't want to throw a PhenomBL unit at your kiddos without first giving them some sort of introduction to the material. 

This unit includes over 40 pages of organizers, ideas, and information to get you started on your pumpkin exploration unit. Many pages can be used for more than one activity or research focus. Let your students lead and they will let you know what they need!

You can find this resource at my Teachers Pay Teachers store here. I'm always adding new resources so be sure to follow me on TPT to see what's new. 

I hope you found some new ideas for your classroom and some new ways of thinking about teaching. I hope you have a wonderful week and I'll talk to you soon.

Stay cozy,