Apples on parade

Children will discover the different varieties of apples after listening to a selected story by describing likenesses and differences of apples, sorting apples, graphing apples, eating apples, and creating apple star trees. This unit can be extended to allow children to cook with apples.

A lesson plan for grade K Mathematics

By Nancy Haley

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• discover the different varieties of apples (Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith).
• listen to a selected story about the different varieties of apple-describe likenesses and differences of apples by looking, touching, and tasting the apples.
• sorting the apples by attributes (size and color).
• graphing the apples by preference of personal taste.
• creating apple-star trees.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

3 hours

Materials/resources

• Apples (Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith)
• Knife
• Troll First-Start Science Apple Picking Book
• Graphing Chart Paper and Red, Yellow and Green Construction Paper Apples
• Paint (Red, Green, and Brown Tempera), Brushes, and Construction Paper (Red)

Pre-activities

Dramatize the fingerplay, “Way Up in the Apple Tree” on an interactive chart.

Activities

1. Use a Thinking Map (Circle Map) to brainstorm students’ prior knowledge of apples.
2. Read the children’s literature Apple Picking book. Add new knowledge to the Circle Map from having listened to the Apple Picking book.
3. Use the Thinking Maps (Bubble Map and Double Bubble Maps) to describe likenesses and differences of apples.
4. Sort apples on graphing mats or in baskets by color and size.
5. Eat apples (Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith).
6. Graph preference of one apple only onto Graph Chart using a red, yellow, or green construction paper apple cut from the Ellison machine.
7. This lesson can be extended by incorporating a shared reading entitled, “The House With No Doors and Windows,” followed by creating apple -star trees, an art activity.
• Cut a Golden Delicious apple in two pieces across the middle of the apple. Use a paint brush to spread green paint on each apple half, being careful not to put paint in the star center of the apple.
• Print with the apple on l2 x l8 white construction paper to form a tree. Top with green tempera paint followed by red tempera to make the trunks.
8. Closure can be included by cooking apples to make applesauce in a crock pot on this day.

Assessment

Teacher observation of child participation and responses