In the fall, many classrooms are still building a community and setting expectations about cooperation. Read alouds can be a great way to continue reinforcing this even after the first few weeks of school. This week we are spotlighting the book Pumpkin Soup because it is a wonderful way to discuss sharing and friendship in the classroom. There is great flexibility around when you can use this book in the classroom because it fits in well with fall and harvest or Thanksgiving themes. Either way, this book has a great message to share with students. - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
The story, Pumpkin Soup, is about three friends; Cat, Squirrel, and Duck. They live together in an old, white cabin, and always make pumpkin soup. Each character has a specific role in creating the soup. The Cat slices the pumpkin, Squirrel stirs in the water, and Duck adds the salt. One day, Duck decides that he would like a turn at stirring. This causes a huge fight between the three friends, and Duck leaves the cabin.
At first, Squirrel and Cat are angry at the Duck. Eventually, they grow sad and miss their friend. They go out to look for him. As they look for him, they reflect on what kind of friends they were to him. They even worry that he found better friends that would let him help and have a turn. When they return to the cabin, they see that Duck is there! They let him have a turn at stirring and have delicious pumpkin soup.
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Pumpkin Soup can be used to teach a variety of skills. Teachers can use it as a way to practice reading comprehension skills and introduce new grammar concepts. It also lends itself to a range of different types of writing and vocabulary instruction. These skills can be taught in whole group lessons as well practiced independently and in small groups.
- Discuss the use of rhyme, repetition and alliteration in the story.
- Identify and discuss the message of Pumpkin Soup.
- Help students to form an opinion and write about their reasoning.
- Practice writing book reviews.
- Introduce synonyms as you read the story.
- Work with contractions and adjectives.
- Discuss friendship and the qualities that make a good friend.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30 writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
Everything is specific to the book making it an easy resource to use and students are sure to love!
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will also love these similar books:
- Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman
- A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Batemani
- Nerdy Birdy by Aaron Reynolds
- Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
