Pumpkin Pie in a Cup {Tasty Writing Activities}

If you ask me, pumpkin pie and writing make the perfect combination!

How to Make Pumpkin Pie in a Cup

You could write an opinion piece using the prompt "Do you like pumpkin pie?"  Or, "Would you rather eat pumpkin pie or apple pie?"

You could write a narrative too!  I once served my students a slice of pumpkin pie (that a student's family baked and sent in-yum) and then the students wrote about the experience.

Or, you could make a pumpkin pie with your students and have them write a "how to" piece.  There's no better way to develop writing skills in this genre than by letting students experience something so that they can write their directions with authority and confidence.  Plus, it's fun and tasty, and that's always a bonus!


Yesterday, my students and I did just that.  We made some no-bake pumpkin pie and wrote about it using the prompt "How to Make a Pumpkin Pie."

In all honesty, the pie was more like a very thick mousse, but it is a no-bake pie, after all.  I found a great recipe from Highlights, but ended up modifying the ingredients and procedures.  Below is my modified recipe.  You can grab it here for FREE!  :)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_Xl6AW_iMadQXNUbTVBN2xETWc/view?usp=sharing


The process was pretty simple and easy to manage.  We started by setting out the ingredients.  I basically did this like an interactive cooking demo. I narrated and opened the packages and containers, but I let the students add the ingredients to the bowl and mix everything together.  This way, they were involved and there was more buy in.


The original recipe yields one full size pie using a graham cracker crust shell. I did this a bit differently.  I gave each student a zip top baggie and a graham cracker.  While the mixture chilled, they pounded and crushed their crackers until they ended up with a pile of crumbs. Then, they poured their crumbs into a cup.



*Note: I have a mini fridge in my classroom so I was able to chill the mixture.  In all honesty, it is thick enough to skip this step if you don't have access to a fridge for chilling purposes.

After we made the delicious little pies, we completed a graphic organizer where we detailed the process.  We did this whole group because it was the students' first experience with this genre of writing (forgot to take a pic of our shared writing...ugh).  Later this week, the students will use the organizer to publish their writing.




A tasty experience would not be complete without some adjective work, right?  Today, the students thought back to their pumpkin pie experience and identified words that could be used to describe the pumpkin pie by completing this cut and paste activity.



Then, they responded to the prompt, "Do you like pumpkin pie?" I treated this more like a quick write, but encouraged them to use some of the adjectives from the cut and paste activity in their writing (they underlined these words with orange crayon).




This was a fun way to bring in some seasonal writing, while motivating the students to write.  They truly had a blast!  You can find the activities shown in this post in my Easy as Pumpkin Pie writing pack.  And, don't forget to grab the FREE recipe above!

Toodles!  :)


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