This Essential Supplemental is a classroom favorite every year. It is a great fall writing project. You will have to buy a gourd for each student in your classroom but it is well worth it. Included in this download is a descriptive packet that students fill out about their gourd. You will also find a sample leads/conclusion page, editing/revision checklist, rough and final draft paper, and a sample to share with students. I had students complete their final draft on a google doc this year and it was really easy for them to take a picture with their gourd and add it to their descriptive paragraph. As a culminating activity, I separate the gourds into 2 different groups (for different days) and read the descriptions one at a time while kids guess which gourd is being described.