FALL BOOK LINKY PARTY - PUMPKIN TOWN

I've said it before and I'll say it again . . . FALL is by far my favorite time of year.  Not only are things just oh so cozy in regular life, but the themes at school are so cool.  You can leverage all the fall fun into oodles of absolutely UH-MAY-ZING lessons.  

On that note, it only seems right that I jump on board with the sweeter than sweet Ashley over at the Teacher's Treasure Chest to bring you a little festive "sumptin'."  In this fun Fall Book Party I bring you a print-and-go freebie that connects oh so nicely with one of my favorite autumn flavored tales.   

Have you seen the sweet little story, Pumpkin Town by Katie McKy?  I discovered this gem a few years ago at it's always a real crowd pleaser in my classroom.  The kids squeal with delight when the pumpkin chaos hits the town and the giggles are contagious.  

When a book elicits such emotion (such as this little ditty), a savvy teacher knows that she just has to find a way to harness this excitement to influence a rockin' lesson that ties to the common core.  With this said, my babes have completed very successful story retells with this one in the past.  However, I want to take it a step further this year . . . I'm gonna tackle the notion of inferences.  BOOM!  Take that kiddos :)

This story ends with the PERFECT cliffhanger - all this insanity occurs because they throw pumpkin seeds down the hill at the beginning of the tale (they float into town and grow endless amounts of plump pumpkins that take over the land).  Well . . . at the end, they toss watermelon seeds down the hill and the wind picks up.  Seriously folks . . . it's practically begging teachers to take its conclusion a step further.  SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO . . . here's a little something to help us do this.  

CLICK HERE to snag this inference freebie!

If you have older babes, I see this working as a supa-awesome independent activity.  However, with my little first graders, I will be holding their hand through most of this one.  We will complete the first two questions on the projector together.  Then we will really talk about what "could happen" based on what they "know" from the story before I unleash them on that final question.  

I can't wait to roll with this one.  I see it as being a great way to open up some deep dialogue on literature!!!  We shall see . . . I promise to report back (let me know how it goes for you too).

Alright, I am off to get my hair did at the beauty salon - I is gonna be so purdy tomorrow ;)  Thanks so much for visiting and a HUGE thanks to Ash for hosting such a festive little party.  BIG hugs and lots of high fives - I'll see you soon.  Night y'all . . . Wednesday here we COME :)