How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?
by Margaret McNamara
One chilly fall day in Mr. Tiffin’s class there were three pumpkins sitting out. Before counting the seeds they all guessed how many each pumpkin had..
Resources for How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?:
Full Book Review (English)
Full Book Review (Spanish)
Brief Book Review (English)
Brief Book Review (Spanish)
Who will have the most seeds in their pumpkin?
Math Connections:
Following Directions
Order
Size
Estimating
Counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s
Activities to Do Together:
- Count by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s the number of spoons, forks, and knives you have in the kitchen.
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Take a walk around the block and count how many trees you see. Before leaving, estimate how many you think there will be.
Extension Questions:
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How would you count the pumpkin seeds? Are there other ways than in the book?
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Compare counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s. Which way is easiest? Which why is hardest? Why?
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Think of another way you could line up the students that is based on a characteristic?
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How many students are there? Can you count them by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s?
Vocabulary for Building Math Concepts:
5, 35, 63, 170, 316, 340, 350, all, biggest, circle, count(ing), eight, even, fifteen, five, fives, forty, four, groups, guesses, groups, hundred, lines, lining, many, more, most, numbers, odd, one, one million, over, pairs, rows, six, size, smallest, tallest, tens, thirty, three, time, twelve, twenty, twenty-five, twenty-two, twos, whole