1-2-3 Come Do Some Sequencing and Retelling a Story Activities With Me 

Do you read the story “Big Pumpkin” by Erica Silverman? It’s one of my all-time favorite Halloween stories. My students love it too.

With that in mind, I designed 3 different “Big Pumpkin” storytelling craftivities, which are a quick, easy & fun way for children to practice the “retelling & sequencing” a story standards.

The gist of the story is that a witch has grown a gigantic pumpkin, which she cannot get off the vine. Even her spooky friends ( a ghost, vampire, and mummy) can't budge the pumpkin. So how does a little bat think he can succeed where the other stronger characters could not?

Read the story, then pick your favorite crafty option from these 3:

1. A "Big Pumpkin" storytelling wheel, which is in the shape of a pumpkin. Run the pattern off on orange construction paper.

Students trim, then using a brass brad, attach their picture wheel, which they've colored to the back.

2. A "Big Pumpkin" storytelling "slider" which is also in the shape of a pumpkin. 

Students color the graphics on the strip of paper, then insert it into the pumpkin to retell the tale, and finally  ...

3. A 3 dimensional pumpkin "flip the flap" booklet.

This craft is not as easy as the wheel and slider crafts, so I recommend it for older students.

The pages of the pumpkin booklet fan out so the witch and her "Big Pumpkiin" are  free standing, creating a nice wow factor, which makes a cute Halloween centerpiece.

All 3 options have  full color patterns to use for an independent center, as well as a sample to share, plus black & white templates, so students can make their own.

When everyone is done, practice retelling the “Big Pumpkin” using the manipulative.

For the pumpkin "slider", children pull the various graphics through the "window".

For the wheel craft, everyone starts by turning their wheel so that the witch with her pumpkin, appears in the “pie-slice window”.

For the flip-the-flap booklet, children begin by flipping the first page to where the witch is seen with her big pumpkin.

Call on a child to begin the story by turning their wheel, pulling on their slider strip, or flipping a pumpkin page.

Continue turning, sliding or flipping, calling on different students to tell you that portion of the story, explaining the “picture prompt”.

After the sixth picture (a slice of pie) is revealed and explained:(The witch made pumpkin pie and everyone ate a piece. After her guests left, she went back into the garden and planted some more pumpkin seeds.) in unison have everyone yell “Happy Halloween!”

To  further reinforce the retelling, have students pick a partner and take turns sharing their wheel or slider with each other.

Sometimes we do this with our older, reading buddies. This is a quick, easy & fun way to check comprehension too.

For writing practice, all three options include a “Here’s What Happened” writing prompt worksheet, which students complete and color.

There’s also a full color template so you can quickly & easily make an example to share, or do this activity as a whole group with little ones.

Since this story has a moral to it, I take time to define this language arts term.

I’ve included a poster in each packet for you to hang and use as a guide.

As you can see by the photographs, each packet's writing prompt worksheets and posters are different.

There’s also an additional writing prompt worksheet, where students explain the moral of the story.

Use the colorful pattern as a whole group activity, asking little ones what they learned from the bat, then write their answers down on the paper, which you’ve attached to your white board.

Today's featured FREEBIE is a candy corn-themed packet.

Use it to reinforce circles, the concept of small, medium and large; or  have students write whatever you want them to practice, on the individual sections of the candy corn pieces. 

I've made examples to give you some ideas, such as CVC words, upper and lowercase letters, shapes, showing a number, counting to 30, color words, writing down examples of things that are those colors etc.

If you're also working on fractions, I've included pocket chart cards for a quick review that you'll find helpful.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for popping in. 

It's going to be a chilly, rainy and damp day... perfect for creating some more Halloween activities.  

Wishing you a satisfying and snuggly kind of day.

"Acting is like a Halloween mask that you put on." -River Phoenix