Lesson: Portly Pumpkins

Post a few statistical and nonstatistical questions for students. As a class, discuss different ways the questions could be categorized and have students explain their reasoning. Notice if any categories are grouped as statistical versus nonstatistical questions. Some question ideas you can display are:

• What is your favorite color?

• How many students are in this class?

• What is the temperature outside right now?

• How many pets do you have?

Play the video. Then ask students for their reactions about what they just watched. If students need prompting, you can ask the following questions:

• Did anything surprise you about how the pumpkins were moved or weighed?

• What do you think happens to the pumpkin after the competition? How might you repurpose it?

Have students read the article individually. Then discuss or share the following comprehension questions:

• What do you think a typical pumpkin weighs? A giant pumpkin? (Answers will vary; Cindy Tobeck’s 2016 pumpkin weighed 1,910 pounds.)

• What is the prize for winning the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off? (money, and the prizes are paid by the pound)

• What happens to the pumpkins after the contest? (Often they are sold to carvers, but Tobeck turned one into a boat to race in a pumpkin regatta.)

Read through the introduction and the example of the “Recognizing Statistical Questions” box on page 7. Using the definitions from the introduction, have volunteers provide examples of statistical questions and nonstatistical questions. Correct any student who may incorrectly categorize a question. Have students use a piece of a paper and write “statistical” on one side and “nonstatistical” on the other in large letters. Read the “Your Turn” questions aloud, and after each question, have students hold up their piece of paper identifying the question type. Select a few volunteers to share their reasoning for what they chose and why.

Have students illustrate the steps to grow a giant pumpkin, drawing a “Life Cycle of a Pumpkin.” Task them with rereading the article with the purpose of identifying which paragraphs will help them with their illustrations. Encourage students to use at least 3 life cycle steps.

Tell students that there are official rules for the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off to ensure that the contest is fair. Ask students to write a set of 5 to 7 rules that they would require if they were to run the contest. Then have them review and compare their rules to the official rules by visiting weighoff.miramarevents.com/event-details/official-rules.html.

Have students create a list of 5 questions that are a mix of statistical and nonstatistical to ask a family member. After asking the questions, have them challenge their family member to see if they can identify how the questions are alike or different. Then task them with providing a mini lesson about statistical versus nonstatistical questions for their family member.