Let's Make Pumpkin Pie

A WebQuest by

Kathy Edwards and Bob Taylor

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Grades 6-8

This Web Quest was inspired by the book Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden by George Levenson

 

IntroductionTaskSourcesProcessEvaluationConclusion

Introduction:  Pumpkins are fun!  Most everyone enjoys a good pumpkin pie in the fall.  The origin of pumpkin pie occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and filled the inside with milk, spices, and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in hot ashes.

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Task:  You are going to research pumpkin pie.  Your group will search for information about pumpkin pie and answer questions related to the recipes you find during your search.

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Sources:

Levenson, G. (2004). Pumpkin circle project. Retrieved November 7, 2004, from http://pumpkincircle.com/

Lehar, D. (2000). Pumpkin pie for all. Retrieved November 7, 2004, from http://score.kings.k12.ca.us/lessons/pumpkin.htm

Bull, F. P. (1996). Fifi's pumpkin pie recipes. Retrieved November 7, 2004, from http://www.camellia.org/kitchen/pumpkin-pie.html

University of Illinois Extension-Urban Programs Resource Network. (2004). Pumpkins and more - pumpkin history. Retrieved November 7, 2004, from http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/pumpkins/history.html

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. Retrieved November 7, 2004, from http://standards.nctm.org/

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Process:

Your teacher will assign groups.  Each group needs to work together.  Please make sure that everyone in the group is participating.

Step one:  Find the basic recipe for Maple Pumpkin Pie No. 1.

Step two:  Answer the following questions based upon the recipe and the following information.  Assume there are 28 students in the class and the pies will each have eight pieces.  Approximately four pies are needed for each student to have at least one piece. 

  1. How many eggs will be needed for four pies?

  2. How many cups of milk will be need for four pies?

  3. How may tablespoons of flour will be needed for four pies?

  4. How many cups of pumpkin puree are needed to make four pies?

  5. How many teaspoons of cinnamon will be needed for four pies?

  6. How many tablespoons of nutmeg will be needed for four pies?

  7. How many tablespoons of heavy cream will be need for four pies?

  8. How many teaspoons of maple syrup will be needed for four pies?

  9. How many tablespoons of ground ginger will be needed for four pies?

  10. You have 10 pies with eight pieces each.  There are 28 people who would like share these pies equally.  How many pieces does each person get?  Are there any pieces left over?  If so, how many?

These links will help you with your search for information to find the answers to the questions.

Pumpkin Pie Recipes - http://www.camellia.org/kitchen/pumpkin-pie.html

Cooking Measurement Conversions - http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001723.html

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Evaluation:

Answer Key:

  1. How many eggs will be needed for four pies?  16 eggs

  2. How many cups of milk will be need for four pies?  2 cups of milk

  3. How may tablespoons of flour will be needed for four pies?  8 tablespoons of flour

  4. How many cups of pumpkin puree are needed to make four pies?  6 cups of pumpkin puree

  5. How many teaspoons of cinnamon will be needed for four pies?  4 teaspoons of cinnamon

  6. How many tablespoons of nutmeg will be needed for four pies?  1/3 tablespoon of nutmeg

  7. How many tablespoons of heavy cream will be need for four pies?  64 tablespoons of heavy cream

  8. How many teaspoons of maple syrup will be needed for four pies?  96 teaspoons of maple syrup

  9. How many tablespoons of ground ginger will be needed for four pies?  1/3 tablespoon of ground ginger

  10. You have 10 pies of 8 pieces each.  there are 28 people who would like share these pies equally.  How many pieces does each person get?  Are there any pieces left over?  If so, how many?  Each student will get two pieces of pie.  Yes.  There will 24 pieces of pie left over.

Pumpkin Pie WebQuest Rubric

Possible Points

Self-Assessment

Teacher Assessment

Answered all 10 questions (worth 5 points each)

50

 

 

Evidence of teamwork

 

20

 

 

Total points

 

70

 

 

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Conclusion:

Summary:  You have used an existing recipe for a pumpkin pie to practice operations with whole numbers and fractions.  You also made measurement conversions within the customary system of measurement.

Pumpkin Pie for Thought:  Assuming that each person gets a piece of pie that is 9 square inches, how many people could they feed with the World's Largest Pumpkin Pie?  What do you think it would cost to make a pumpkin pie this large?  World's Largest Pumpkin Pie

 

Grade Band: 6-8 Mathematics

NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, Standard 1, Number and Operations, grades 6-8: Instructional programs should enable all students to understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems-

  • work flexibly with fractions, decimals, and percents to solve problems.

NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, Standard 4, Measurement, grades 6-8: Instructional programs should enable all students to understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and processes of measurement-

  • understand both metric and customary systems of measurement.

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