Pumpkin Price Ponderings: A Profit-Making Game!

Objective

To be the group with the highest total profit by strategically selling your pumpkins!

Materials Needed

• Pumpkin Cards (provided by teacher - imagine these have varying sizes/weights written on them, e.g., 'Small - 5 lbs', 'Medium - 10 lbs', 'Large - 15 lbs')
• Price Chart (provided by teacher - e.g., Small = $0.50/lb, Medium = $0.40/lb, Large = $0.30/lb)
• Calculators (optional, or encourage mental math/pencil and paper)
• Score Sheet (for each group)

How to Play

1. Form Your Farm Teams!

   • Divide into small groups (2-3 students per group).
   • Each group is a 'Pumpkin Patch Business'.

2. Draw Your Harvest!

   • Each team draws 5 'Pumpkin Cards'. These are the pumpkins they have harvested.

3. Consult the Price Chart!

   • Review the provided Price Chart. Notice how different sized pumpkins might have different prices per pound. (This introduces a basic supply/demand or quality concept).

4. Calculate Your Costs!

   • For this game, let's say it 'costs' $0.10 per pound to grow any pumpkin. Calculate the cost for each of your pumpkins.
   • Cost Calculation: Pumpkin Weight (lbs) x $0.10/lb = Cost

5. Set Your Prices & Sell!

   • For each pumpkin, calculate its potential selling price based on the Price Chart.
   • Selling Price Calculation: Pumpkin Weight (lbs) x Price per lb (from chart) = Selling Price

6. Calculate Your Profit!

   • For each pumpkin, subtract its cost from its selling price to find the profit.
   • Profit Calculation: Selling Price - Cost = Profit

7. Total Your Earnings!

   • Add up the profit from all 5 of your pumpkins to get your team's total profit.

8. The Most Profitable Patch Wins!

   • The team with the highest total profit at the end of the round wins!

Discussion Questions (After the Game)

1. Which pumpkin size was generally the most profitable? Why do you think that is?
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Did you try to sell certain pumpkins before others? What was your strategy?
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. How does understanding cost and selling price help a real farmer?
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Can you think of other real-life situations where people need to calculate profit?
   
   
   
   
   
   

Pumpkin Measurement Mania!

Name: _____________________________

Part 1: Estimation Station!

Look at the pumpkins below. Estimate their measurements. Don't use a ruler yet! Just guess!

Pumpkin 1

![Image of a small pumpkin - imagine this is drawn on the worksheet]

Estimate its Height: ___________ (inches/cm)

Estimate its Circumference (around the middle): ___________ (inches/cm)

Pumpkin 2

![Image of a medium pumpkin - imagine this is drawn on the worksheet]

Estimate its Height: ___________ (inches/cm)

Estimate its Circumference (around the middle): ___________ (inches/cm)

Pumpkin 3

![Image of a large pumpkin - imagine this is drawn on the worksheet]

Estimate its Height: ___________ (inches/cm)

Estimate its Circumference (around the middle): ___________ (inches/cm)

Part 2: Measure Up!

Now, use your ruler or tape measure to find the actual measurements of the pumpkins (or objects in your classroom that represent pumpkins of different sizes).

Pumpkin 1 (Actual)

Actual Height: ___________ (inches/cm)

Actual Circumference: ___________ (inches/cm)

How close was your estimate?

Pumpkin 2 (Actual)

Actual Height: ___________ (inches/cm)

Actual Circumference: ___________ (inches/cm)

How close was your estimate?

Pumpkin 3 (Actual)

Actual Height: ___________ (inches/cm)

Actual Circumference: ___________ (inches/cm)

How close was your estimate?

Part 3: Reflect and Compare!

1. Which pumpkin was the easiest to estimate? Why do you think that is?
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Which pumpkin was the hardest to estimate? What made it challenging?
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Why is it important to be able to estimate measurements, even if you have a ruler handy?
   
   
   
   
   
   

Pumpkin Patch Profit Planning: Teacher Script

Introduction: Welcome to the Pumpkin Patch! (10 minutes)

"Good morning, everyone! Who here loves autumn? What are some of your favorite things about fall?" (Pause for student responses, guide towards pumpkins and pumpkin patches).

"That's right, pumpkins are a big part of autumn fun! How many of you have been to a pumpkin patch before? What did you see there? What did you do?" (Allow a few students to share their experiences).

"Well, today, we're not just visiting a pumpkin patch; we're going to run our very own virtual pumpkin patch! We'll be using our amazing math skills to make sure our patch is super successful and profitable. Get ready to estimate, measure, and calculate like real farmers!"

"Our goal today is to understand how math helps us in real life, especially when it comes to things like growing and selling pumpkins. You'll be able to tell me how to estimate, measure, and even figure out how much money we can make!"

Activity 1: Pumpkin Measurement Mania (20 minutes)

"Alright, future farmers, before we can sell our pumpkins, we need to know how big they are! This helps us know how much to charge and how much we have grown. I'm going to hand out this Pumpkin Measurement Mania Worksheet."

"First, look at the pumpkins on your worksheet. Don't use your rulers yet! I want you to estimate their height and circumference. Remember, estimating is making a smart guess. Write your estimates in the spaces provided."

(Circulate, encouraging students to make their best guesses and explaining circumference if needed).

"Now that you've made your estimates, it's time to get accurate! Use your rulers or tape measures to find the actual height and circumference of each pumpkin drawn on your worksheet. If you have real objects in front of you representing pumpkins, you can measure those too! Write down the actual measurements. Then, think about how close your estimates were!"

(Circulate, assisting with measurement, reminding students about units, and checking for understanding).

Activity 2: Pumpkin Price Ponderings Game (20 minutes)

"Fantastic measuring, everyone! Now that we know the sizes of our pumpkins, it's time for the really fun part: selling them and making a profit! We're going to play a game called Pumpkin Price Ponderings."

"I'm going to divide you into small 'Pumpkin Patch Business' teams. Each team will get some 'Pumpkin Cards' – these tell you the size of your harvested pumpkins. You'll also get a 'Price Chart' that tells you how much you can sell your pumpkins for per pound, and a 'Score Sheet' to keep track of your earnings."

"Remember, just like real businesses, we have costs! For this game, it costs $0.10 per pound to grow a pumpkin. Your job is to calculate the cost for each pumpkin, then its selling price, and finally, the profit you make from each pumpkin. The team with the highest total profit wins!"

(Divide students into groups, distribute game materials, explain rules clearly, and facilitate the game. Encourage teamwork and help with calculations as needed).

Conclusion: Our Profitable Harvest! (10 minutes)

"Alright, let's bring it back together, pumpkin patch managers! What a harvest!"

"Let's quickly go over some of the measurements from our Pumpkin Measurement Mania Worksheet. Did anyone have an estimate that was super close? What made it easy or hard to estimate?"

"And for our Pumpkin Price Ponderings Game, which team made the most profit? What strategies did you use to get there?"

"Great job today, everyone! Think about it: What math skills did we use today? (Estimation, measurement, addition, subtraction, multiplication). How do you think real farmers use math in their daily lives?" (Allow for discussion).

"You all did an amazing job applying math to a fun, real-world scenario. Every time you see a pumpkin now, you'll know there's a lot of math behind getting it from the field to your front door!"

Pumpkin Measurement Mania Answer Key

Part 1: Estimation Station!

Estimates will vary. Encourage students to explain their reasoning.

Part 2: Measure Up!

Actual measurements will depend on the images/objects used. The key is the process.

Example Measurements (for reference, if using standardized images):

Pumpkin 1 (Small)

• Actual Height: ~6 inches (or 15 cm)
• Actual Circumference: ~18 inches (or 45 cm)

Pumpkin 2 (Medium)

• Actual Height: ~9 inches (or 23 cm)
• Actual Circumference: ~28 inches (or 71 cm)

Pumpkin 3 (Large)

• Actual Height: ~12 inches (or 30 cm)
• Actual Circumference: ~38 inches (or 96 cm)

Part 3: Reflect and Compare! (Sample Answers)

1. Which pumpkin was the easiest to estimate? Why do you think that is?
   • Sample Answer: The medium pumpkin might have been the easiest because it's a common size, and we see it often, giving us a good mental reference.
2. Which pumpkin was the hardest to estimate? What made it challenging?
   • Sample Answer: The largest or smallest might be hardest because they are at the extremes, and we might not have as many mental references for those sizes.
3. Why is it important to be able to estimate measurements, even if you have a ruler handy?
   • Sample Answer: Estimating helps us make quick decisions, check if our actual measurements make sense, and gives us a general idea of size without needing a tool right away. It also helps us develop our spatial reasoning skills.

Pumpkin Patch Math Warm Up: What Do You Know About Pumpkins?

Directions: Answer the following questions to the best of your ability. There are no wrong answers!

1. If you had to guess, how many pumpkins do you think are in a typical pumpkin patch?
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. What are some different ways people use pumpkins?
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Why do you think pumpkins are measured? (Hint: Think about buying or selling them!)
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. What math words come to mind when you think about pumpkins? (e.g., big, small, round, heavy)
   
   
   
   
   
   

Pumpkin Patch Math Cool Down: Exit Ticket

Name: _____________________________

1. List two math skills you used today during our pumpkin patch lesson.
   
   
   
   • Skill 1: _____________________________
     
     
     
   • Skill 2: _____________________________
     
     
     
2. Explain one way a real farmer might use math in their pumpkin patch.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. What was your favorite part of the Pumpkin Patch Math lesson today?