Pumpkin Carving Assignment
We are going to carve pumpkins in AP English this week!  You must supply your own
pumpkin (I suggest a large pumpkin) and you must have it gutted and prepared to carve
BEFORE you bring it to school on ______________________. I recommend thinning the wall to
a one-inch thickness to make carving the pumpkin a little easier.
Wal-Mart sells pumpkin carving kits for $_______ that have all of the tools that you will need
(including a gutting tool that makes thinning the wall of the pumpkin much easier). If you
would like to give me your money, I will pick this up for you. Otherwise, you will need to supply
your own pumpkin carving kit – it must come in an unopened package and needs to be brought
to my classroom upon your arrival to school. DO NOT BRING KNIVES OR OTHER TOOLS FROM
HOME. THE PUMPKIN CARVING KITS THAT ARE SOLD AT WAL-MART, K-MART, ETC. WILL
SUFFICE.
Scoring Criteria
You may choose to work alone or with a partner. If you choose to work with a partner, you
must work collaboratively. (Don’t count on your partner completing all of the work for you –
you will receive a zero.)
100 points possible
 Your pumpkin must have a design that illustrates something you have studied in AP
English this year (character, author, scene, book cover, quote, theme, setting, and the
list goes on). 20 points
 Your design needs to be school appropriate. 5 points
 Your design needs to be creative and original. 50 points
 You will be asked to present your finished product to the class and explain your design,
including its inspiration. 25 points
Due to time constraints, you will need to have your design selected and ready for your pumpkin
on _________________.
NOTE: If you do not clean up your mess or if you do not exercise caution with the carving
utensils, you will be written up and you will not be allowed to continue this project (resulting
in a zero). 