UNIT TITLE: Amazing Apples

Author: Anita Dally
E-Mail Address: adally@xoommail.com
School:Allen Township Consolidated School (Ransom, IL)
School Home Page URL: http://www.ottercreekschool.org/MrsDally/myweb/Kindergarten.htm

THEME : Apples

BROAD CONCEPT:  generosity

GRADES: Kindergarten

INTEGRATED SUBJECTS:Mathematics, Technology, Language Arts, Science, Art, Health

UNIT GOALS AND PURPOSE:

    Students will have an understanding of how apples grow and the life cycle of an apple tree.  Students will also have an understanding of generosity through examples of stories and, hopefully, each other.  The assessment for this unit will be ongoing and performance based.  I plan to use portfolios as well as my classroom observations to evaluate their understanding of unit concepts.

TIME FRAME: 14 days of one activity per day

OBJECTIVES:

In this lesson, students will:

•   understand what showing generosity means
•   label the parts of an apple
•   use the program KidPix with success
•   make a pattern from shapes given
•   use a balance to compare the weight of two given objects
•   understand the life cycle of a tree
•   have an understanding of how an apple gets from the tree to the store
•   follow directions given with accuracy
•   show accurate examples of healthy and unhealthy snacks

• General materials and equipment

• Technology tools

• Software Used in this Unit:

                 x  Brainstorming (Inspiration)
                 x  Spreadsheet (The Graph Club)
                 x Multimedia  (KidPix Studio Deluxe)
                 x Other software pertaining to unit (Millie's Math House)

  4.A.1c Follow oral instructions accurately.
  4.B.1b Participate in discussions around a common topic.
  6.D.1   Compare the numbers of objects in groups
  9.B.1b Sort, classify and compare  familiar shapes.
10.A.1a Organize and display data using pictures, tallies, tables, charts or bar graphs.
10.A.1b Answer questions and make predictions based on given data.
10.B.1b Collect, organize and describe data using pictures, tallies, tables, charts or bar graphs.
10.B.1c Analyze data, draw conclusions and communicate the results.
11.A.1a Describe an observed event.
11.A.1d Record and store data using available technologies.
12.A.1a Identify and describe the component parts of living things (e.g., birds have feathers;
             people have bones, blood,
             hair, skin) and their major functions
13.B.1a Explain the uses of common scientific instruments (e.g., ruler, thermometer, balance,
             probe, computer).
13.B.1b Explain how using measuring tools improves the accuracy of estimates.
22.B.1   Encourage and support others in making positive health choices (e.g., eating practices,
             cleanliness, safey practices).
 

N.C.T.M. STANDARDS ADDRESSED BY THIS UNIT:

• count with understanding and recognize  "how many" in sets of objects
• sort, classify, and order objects by size, number, and other properties
• recognize, describe, and extend patterns such as sequences of sounds and

shapes or simple numeric patterns and translate from one representation to another
• analyze how both repeating and growing patterns are generated
• pose questions and gather data about themselves and their surroundings
• sort and classify objects according to their attributes and organize data

about the objects
• represent data using concrete objects, pictures, and graphs
• describe parts of the data and the set of data as a whole to determine what the data show

STUDENT ACTIVITIES WHICH WILL PROMOTE ENGAGED LEARNING:

Opening Activity: The teacher will guide the students in making a KWL chart (what we Know, what we Want to learn, what we have Learned) using Inspiration.  The teacher will assist the students in adding to this chart every day of the unit as new discoveries are made or as the students ask more questions. The teacher should also add any questions that he/she may have pertaining to the topic.

Activity 1: Teacher will read the book The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein to the class.  The teacher will lead a discussion about the story.  The teacher will guide the students to using the word generosity to describe how the tree acted toward the boy.  The students should also notice the different parts of the apple tree illustrated in the book.  The students will use KidPix Studio Deluxe to draw a picture of their favorite part of the story.  This will be printed out and added to their portfolio.

Activity 2:   The teacher will give each student a small taste of each type of apple (red, green, yellow).  The student will decide which apple that they like the best and stamp their choice on the teacher made graph on KidPix Studio Deluxe.  The student will also add their choice to the template made by the teacher on The Graph Club.  The teacher will format the results into several different types of graphs (pictograph, bar, pie) and then print them out in color.  The teacher will guide the students into a discussion to read and analyze the graphs.

Activity 3:  The teacher will hold up an apple and ask the class what they think the apple looks like on the inside.  The class will be divided into small groups and given half of an apple to explore.  The teacher will ask the students to describe the parts that they see.  The teacher will assist the students in discovering the proper names for each part of the apple (meat, leaf, skin, stem, core, seeds).  The students, using a teacher made template, will use the moving van tool on KidPix Studio Deluxe to label the parts of the apple correctly.  The student will print out their work when finished for their portfolio.

Activity 4:   Students will then be given a set of construction paper apples of various sizes and colors.  The student must come up with a pattern from the apples in their set and draw their pattern on KidPix Studio Deluxe and print out two copies (one will be for the portfolio and the other will be bound into a class book).  The students will then switch papers and try to figure out their friend's pattern.  The teacher will move around the room and offer guidance as needed.  Millie's Math House can also be used for  extra practice or to extend learning.

Activity 5:  The teacher will ask the students to pick an object from the box and will introduce the problem of how to figure out which object is heavier than the apple.  The teacher will lead the students to discover that they need to use the balance and how to use a balance.  Each student will then use the balance to figure out if their object is heavier or lighter than the apple.  Each student will document their comparison by placing the object on the proper side of the chart (Heavier than the apple or lighter than the apple).

Activity 6:  Each student will plant bean seeds and apple seeds in separate cups.  Using a teacher made template in KidPix Studio Deluxe, the students will keep a journal of the growth of their seeds.  Each day the student will draw a picture of what they see, their name, the date, and a description of what they see (inventive spelling is allowed).  At the end of the unit the journal entries will be bound into a booklet and placed in their portfolio.

Activity 7:  The teacher will read the book Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg to the class.  The teacher will guide students in a discussion of how Johnny Appleseed showed the quality of generosity.  The students should eventually come to the conclusion that he showed generosity to his fellow settlers and their future generations by planting countless apple seeds so that they could enjoy the apples.  Following the discussion, the students will draw a picture of something that they an do to show generosity to others.

Activity 8:The teacher will read the flannel board story of  "The Little Red House with the Star Inside" (see URL 1).  During the story the teacher will encourage input as to where the boy can find the star.  At the end of the story, the teacher will cut the apple lengthwise to show the star to the children.  The students will then use the apple halves to make an apple print on their apple cut out in the color of their choice.

Activity 9:The teacher will help the students to follow the "Crock Pot Pink Applesauce" Recipe (see URL 1) making sure to discuss the measurements.  Each child should also get to do at least one thing during the measuring/cooking process.  While the students are waiting for the applesauce to cook, the teacher will discuss what they just did step by step to make the applesauce.  The students will each illustrate a step in the process using KidPix Studio Deluxe.    All pages will be printed out and put in order to make a book telling and illustrating to others how to make the applesauce.  This book can then be shared with other classes.  (If there is enough applesauce perhaps another class could be invited in to taste a sample.)

Activity 10:  The teacher will read the stories The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons and The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall.  The teacher will prompt a discussion about the seasons by asking the students what they notice about the pictures (shows trees in the different seasons) and how the tree changes.    The students will then use a teacher made template on KidPix Studio Deluxe to draw what the apple tree looks like as the seasons change.  This will become part of their portfolio.

Activity 11:  The teacher will read the online storybook "The Good Food Climb" with the class using the overhead computer projector.  The teacher will ask the students for suggestions of healthy snacks and unhealthy snacks.  The teacher will give the students an activity page that has a line down the center with two headings: healthy, unhealthy.  The students will use an assortment of magazines to find healthy and unhealthy snacks to glue to their activity page.

Activity 12:  The teacher will divide the students into groups of two to three to a computer.  The teacher will have already printed out a copy of the Fruit and Vegetables Internet Scavenger Hunt by Little Explorers.  The teacher will read to the students each question and the group will need to find the answer in the Little Explorers Dictionary.   When the group thinks that they know the answer they are to raise their hand.  The teacher could give a reward to the team with the most correct answers.

Culminating Project:  The teacher will read the book Picking Apples and Pumpkins by Amy and Richard Hutchings to introduce apple picking.  The students will visit an apple orchard in the area and will be shown by the staff how apples are picked and also how the apples get from the tree to the store. They will be allowed to pick an apple of their choice to bring home.  Upon return to the classroom, the students will create a multimedia presentation using Kidpix Studio Deluxe telling others how to pick apples. We will load these slideshows to the server and invite the other classes to view them.

 SHARE YOUR IDEAS:

    The students will share their work with the other classes through a display in the hallway of their work.  The teacher will make copies of all of the graphs made so that other teachers can use the graphs as examples to analyze in their own graphing skills units.
    If there is not an apple orchard in your area, an apple theme party could be planned instead.  All food would be made from apples and games such as pin the stem on the apple (pin the tail on the donkey), hot apple (hot potato), etc. could be played.  An apple print T-shirt could also be made as a keepsake of the unit.
    A note could be sent home to the parents asking each student to bring in 3 to 4 apples to help defray the cost.

Rubric for Final Project:
 

    The teacher's role in this unit is to be a guiding influence for the students.  Questions will be answered by redirecting the student to keep them on the right track without giving them the answer.  The teacher will learn with the students during the unit as well as from collaborating with colleagues because of the realization that one person can not know all information about a topic.
    The student's role in this unit is to be an active participant in their learning.  The student is responsible to stay on task within the guidelines of the assignment and share with others what they have learned.  Based on their research and learning, students must form their own opinions, hypothesis, theories, etc.
 

PRINT RESOURCES STUDENTS MAY USE:

Assorted Magazines with pictures of food

Books:

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall
Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg
The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons
Picking Apples & Pumpkins by Amy and Richard Hutchings
 
 

FOR ADDITIONAL ONLINE INFORMATION AND MEDIA PERTAINING TO THIS UNIT, TEACHERS MAY WANT TO USE THE FOLLOWING INTERNET ARTICLES:

RELEVANT  STUDENT  WEB SITES: