Pumpkinology Combines Halloween And Science For 6th-Graders

In the spirit of Halloween, students at Grover Cleveland Middle School used a pumpkin to reinforce estimation, problem solving and the scientific method during a Oct. 25 class. 

An annual event, parent volunteers work with teams of three to five students to complete pumpkin-themed activities while emphasizing recent units from math and science classes. 

“This is a great way to reinforce the sixth-grade curriculum and get parents involved,” said sixth-grade math teacher Ryuichi Saito.  

“Parents lead the students through a series of teacher-provided activities, and students are able to use the skills that they acquired in their math and science classes to complete the project. And, everyone has fun doing it! 

Pumpkinology focuses on measurement, averages, estimation, problem solving and the scientific method, culminating with a not-so-common school activity: pumpkin carving.  

Math teachers Saito and Amanda Keenan coordinated the event and created student teams and developing the activities. Students used the scientific method to develop a hypothesis about the relationship of pumpkin seeds to the size and weight of the pumpkin, and used the activity to prove or disprove their theory.

Each student team worked together to complete the activities, comparing results to other teams within their class. Things got messy as pumpkins and seeds are cleaned and counted, but the excitement built as the finished jack-o-lanterns were displayed.

When everyone has completed the packet and carved a pumpkin, the students in each class hold a contest, voting for which pumpkin is the scariest, most traditional, funniest and more. 

Keenan, who came up with the idea for Pumpkinology several years ago, added, “Pumpkinology shows students that math and science are truly a part of everyday activities, and they are fun!”

For more information on Grover Cleveland Middle School, visit www.cwcboe.org/GCMS.