An Interview with a Pumpkin

     October brought a fabulous lesson in personification!  The AAA students learned all about growing pumpkins.  We studied all of the steps, from planting, to flowers, to pollination, to growth.  Then, we imagined what a pumpkin might feel like during this whole process.  We then "interviewed" a pumpkin, and had fun creating voice, mood, and of course, the pumpkin's end to life.  Enjoy these fantastic samples!

Pumpkin Interview

by Rayne (4th grade)

Rayne:  Hi, my name is Rayne.  Thank you for meeting me here.

Sugarspice:  You’re welcome.  My name is Sugarspice.

Rayne:  What a beautiful name that is!

Sugarspice:  Thank you so much.

Rayne:  Okay, let’s start right at the beginning.  Can you tell me the earliest thing that you can remember?

Sugarspice:  Oh yes, I remember it like it was yesterday.  One day I woke up from a nice long nap and saw light.  The next thing I knew a small hand was pulling me and my family out of this brown bag thing.I got stuffed in the ground and it was very dark!  Then this wet stuff hit my head and got me all wet.  I was soaked.  After a while, I grew two lovely pigtails and my mom told me they were called seed leaves. 

Rayne:  I bet you looked gorgeous with pigtails.  Did these seed leaves change at all?

Sugarspice:  Yes, my seed leaves did change.

Rayne:  What did they change into?

Sugarspice:  My seed leaves turned into vine leaves.  The vine leaves pricked me a couple of times.  Then my vine leaves grew and grew.  Then a tendril tried to latch on to everything around me.  Then this flower-like thing began to grow, on my head and I finally realized it was a yellow flower.

Rayne:  That’s very interesting.  Please tell me more.

Sugarspice:  Then a little green ball appeared at the bottom of my flower.  My mom told me I was going to become a pumpkin.  Then my mom said I had to be pollinated.  So, a bee came buzzing toward me and pollinated me.

Sugarspice:  After a week or so my flower fell off. 

Rayne:  Did you get scared?

Sugarspice:  I didn’t really feel anything so I guess it didn’t hurt.  I thought I was sick because I was green.  But after a little while, I turned orange and white.  Eventually, I got chopped off the vine.  It hurt very very badly! 

Rayne:  Sounds painful.

Sugarspice:  It was!  But then I got beautiful lace painted delicately around the bottom of my stem, and now I’m here with you.  Thank you for interviewing me.

Rayne:  You’re welcome.

Pumpkin Interview

By:Bette (6th grade)

Bette: It’s a pleasure meeting with you today Ms.October. You’re quite beautiful, and I love that color on you.

Ms.October: Thank you so much. You’re not so bad yourself. I’m very happy with the way I turned out. The journey was quite worth while.

B: Let’s dig into this journey, what do you first remember?

Ms.O: Well, It’s quite a far time back, but I do recall hearing a slice of scissors, then being blinded by sunlight. I saw a small girls face, her brown frizzy hair blocking most of it. She ran over to the yard and started to create a hole in the ground. From there I was thrown into the darkness, and quickly covered up.

B: I see. Do you recall anything after that?

Ms.O: I do recall being quite parched. That little girl must have some super power, because three seconds later I was drenched in the cold water.

B: Oh thank goodness! How long in the darkness did you stay?

Ms.O: Although it felt like forever, about 1 week. By Sunday I had the funniest green colored hair.

B: Wow, how exciting! What do you remember after that?

Ms.O: I thought I was growing longer hair, but the girl called them tendrils. These weird things never stopped growing. They would latch on to everything they could! It was amazing!

B: Oh! How long did they stay like that?

Ms.O: Eventually they stopped growing and out of nowhere, a golden flower had sprouted on the top of my head!

B: Truly magnificent! What happened next?

Ms.O: I remember feeling a small ball on the end of my flower. It was the darkest color of green.

B: Awesome! What happened to the flower?

Ms.O: Oh, the scariest thing. One minute all was quiet, then the air was filled with this horrible buzzing! I was landed on. This thing was furry, black and yellow. It threw this orange stuff on me, and like magic about 1-2 weeks later, my flower had disappeared.

B: Wow! How frightening! What else do you remember?

Ms:O: I started to get bigger, and bigger, and bigger. I was green at first, then became the brightest color of red. After, small bumps began to appear on me, and then here I am.

B: What a terrific story! How do you expect to end your life?

Ms.O: Something about being decorated, the girl said.  I honestly can’t wait!

B: Amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to come here today!

Ms.O: You’re most welcome!