We began our exploration of different types of creative writing by reviewing friendly letters, using a persuasive format. Children created two paragraphs, written from a pumpkin's point of view. They included vivid descriptions and persuasive arguments for me not to choose, buy, or carve them to decorate my front porch for Halloween.
We continue to practice writing process skills using the available technology, meeting the following Pennsylvania Academic Standards:
1.4.5 Types of Writing
1.5.5 Quality of Writing
3.7.5 Technological Devices
... Hmmmmmm... Now, which little pumpkin should I choose?!
Hi, I am Pumpk Man. I live at Stinky Franny Gogobootshighheal’s pumpkin farm. I am a purple pumpkin. I smell like the makeup Mommy’s use to hide their scars. I feel a chipmunk living inside of me and his name is Chili. He likes to kick people in the shin. I taste like moldy hotdogs with Jar Jar Binks on them.
If you buy and carve me I will sue you so bad it will burn you. You will be living in a cardboard box in the middle of the road. If you still carve me Chili will kick you 4,000 times. So please don’t pick me and I warned you. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
Bye bye,
Pumk Man
AKA Andrew
P.S. Have fun at any other farm!
October 6, 2006
Dear Mrs. Dingman,
One day I was in the Pumpkin patch having a good time growing, getting big, strong, and being the best pumpkin I could be. It was fun and exciting being a pumpkin. I actually was the strongest. It was great. My name was Lucky because I was lucky all the time. The next day was really bad. People were here to buy pumpkins. I was convincing them not to buy me because I was too strong and big to carry. I was really scared.
All the pumpkins were gone but me. It was lonely here at pumpkin picking. I was so happy no one picked me and didn’t carve me. I would have been dead. Thank you Mrs. Dingman for not buying me. Thanks a lot.
From,
Lucky
AKA Jeremy
October 6, 2006
Dear Mrs. Dingman,
Hi my name is Miss Pumpkin and I am the prettiest pumpkin of all pumpkins. I dress up for Halloween every year because it’s my favorite holiday. I live in a pumpkin patch near a farm so all I smell are the stupid cows and all the other animals. It’s awful, just nasty and horrible. Anyway all I feel is the wet grass everyday and I have mud on me. It’s so disgusting. I hear the cars and people coming by and I just want to become real and tell them to be quiet. But I can’t because I’m not real.
I just wanted to say that I don’t want you to buy me because I like it here even though I have to live with the smelly cows, the other animals, and also the cars and people coming by. I also want to say that I don’t want you to buy me and then carve me because I’m too pretty to be carved. I want a head. I don’t want a giant hole in my head so that everybody could see my brain and all the other stuff in it. I don’t want spiders in my head either because I don’t like spiders. I also don’t want you do put a candle in my head because that will burn if it melts so please don’t carve me because I don’t want to be brain damaged by a candle that melted in my head. Thank you for not buying me and carving me and then decorating your porch for Halloween.
Sincerely,
Miss Pumpkin
AKA Alicia
P.S. Thank you for listening and not buying or carving me!
October 6, 2006
Dear Mrs. Dingman,
Hi my name is Pumpkinpie. I live in pumpkin patch fifty-one. I like being a pumpkin because I live in a group and have lots of friends and family members. I’m ten years old and I was born on a farm. I can’t smell anything because I don’t have a nose, but I can feel things. My family can remember from when I was only a seed. If I was taken home with a human and carved up I would be very upset. And I would be homesick.
If I wasn’t brought home I would very thankful and happy. And if I had arms I would give you a hug. I’d really be happy if I was a pumpkin player and made it to the Pumpkin Bowl in two thousand and seven. Thank you for listening to me.
Sincerely,
Pumpkinpie
AKA Anthony
October 10, 2006
Dear Mrs. Dingman,
Hello my name is Billy P. Pumpkin. I live in the Windy Brow Pumpkin Patch. I am a big pumpkin. I can hear crows getting scared by the ragmuffin. I can see coyotes all day long, and I can taste the new fertilizer the farmers put out every morning.
I know you should not buy me and then carve me up because if you buy me you will have to pay $125.00. You will have to pay that much because you have to pay $24.99 for every pound plus tax. My weight is 5 pounds. You also don’t want to buy me because if you cut me up I will squirt dark green goo at you and it will stay on your clothes FOREVER!!! The last thing is that if you leave me outside I will smell really bad and all your neighbors will be mad at you. Thank you for listening to me. I will never forget you.
Yours sincerely,
Billy P. Pumpkin
AKA Darren
P.S. I forgot to tell you in the letter that if your dog goes outside I WILL EAT HER!!!
October 6, 2006
Dear Mrs. Dingman,
Hi Mrs. Dingman my name is Pumpkin King. I can feel people touching me. I’m huge and have millions of friends. I taste a lot of dirt and hear a lot of owls. I am not that old. I like to eat roast dirt for dinner, dry dirt for lunch, and wet dirt for breakfast.
I’m invoking you not to pick and carve me, and I don’t beg a lot. Don’t pick me now because you have to work and won’t have time to carve me. You have to grade tests and stuff. If you don’t carve me in time I’ll rot. If you do pick me and carve me in time I’ll talk and talk and talk. I’ll be on your nerves. I’ll also petrify away kids on the holiday so you’ll have a lot of candy left and won’t be able give it away. Thank you for not picking me and carving me.
Good bye,
Pumpkin King
AKA Jon
October 6, 2006
Dear Mrs. Dingman,
My name is Plum the Pumpkin. I live in the Green Land pumpkin patch. It smells like pumpkin pie, and it tastes like pumpkin seeds. It sounds like birds swarming around the pumpkin patch.
You don’t get it. Pumpkins are living things and when people carve pumpkins they die. So if you carve me or eat me that is hurtful! Please don’t buy me, and carve me. If you do carve me you’re taking my intestines out! I wanted to say thank you if you don’t buy me.
Sincerely,
Plum
AKA Katie
October 6, 2006
Dear Mrs. Dingman,
Hi my name is Squash. I live in a pumpkin patch in Pumpkinville, Pennsylvania. I see a lot of mean crows and squirrels that try to eat me. I smell a lot of old discolored pumpkins that die and the farm dude doesn’t pick those pumpkins up and put them in the compost pile. Also I hear a lot of crows squawking.
One reason why you shouldn’t buy me or carve me is that I am very small so you wouldn’t want to carve me. If you buy me I will yell like a maniac all night so you wouldn’t get any sleep. Also during the day I would roll away, go to your bank, and spend all your cash. After I did that I would go in your car and drive back to Pumpkinville, Pennsylvania and you would never see me again. Also you would waste your money buying me. Thank you for listening to what I have to say.
From,
Squash
AKA Luke
October 6, 2006
Dear Mrs.Dingman,
Hi my name is Chunky Pumpkey. I am in a lovely garden in the back of a black spooky house. It’s a big black house. I mean big! I could smell big beautiful flowers. I could feel dirt and grass. I could see nice ivory, scarlet, orange, and magenta coloring of the big flowers. I could taste the rain and air. I know that’s weird but I love it. I could hear birds, airplanes, and kids playing in front of the house going trick or treating, knocking on the front porch with a bag in their hands filled with candy. I could also hear spooky noises in the big black house. The noises sound like ghosts, bats, squeaky stairs, and footsteps. That is really scary. You know what I mean? The most noise I could hear is BOOOOO!!!!!! from the ghost. It sounds really loud and scary.
The people who made me want to sell me. So please don’t buy me because I am so big for you that I won’t fit in your car! You also won’t like me for being big. Your dog will EAT me. Please look at my face. Look how sad it looks. You won’t carve me right? Any way don’t buy me. If you carve me it’s going to be a huge mess… like my seeds and my stuff inside of me. The deer will EAT me and so will the bear and the other animals. PLEASE, PLEASE don’t buy me!!!!! Whew! I am so safe! Thank you for not buying me. You are the best person in the world. Thanks again and your dog for not buying me. I am so happy that you did not buy me or else your dog will have eaten me.
We began our exploration of different types of creative writing by reviewing friendly letters, using a persuasive format. Children created two paragraphs, written from a pumpkin's point of view. They included vivid descriptions and persuasive arguments for me not to choose, buy, or carve them to decorate my front porch for Halloween. 
