All About Apples - FREEBIE!
ALL ABOUT APPLES
September is here! We love learning all about apples! Who knew one fruit could bring so many fun books, activities, songs and videos to our classroom?
I do an thematic unit every month. These activities are based around the read alouds I choose. This month it is All About Apples!
I used to think I had to read a new book every day, and this is simply not true.
I read one enrichment book a week and we have so much fun with thematic lessons all around our theme. You can visit my thematic teaching homepage to see each unit in action.
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I love being able to incorporate science and social studies into our day. My school never allowed very much time to these two subjects, so I incorporate it into our thematic lessons. Doing this kind of theme really helps with background knowledge, engagement, comprehension, and more. Plus the kids love all the fun, hands-on learning we do!
In my FREE lesson plans, I do not write the name of the read aloud book for the week - but there is a spot you can hand write the title in.
Here are the books we read this month:
Week 1 - How Do Apples Grow?
This is a really neat, in-depth book about how apples grow. It is packed FULL of information. I debated whether to read this story because I worried some of the vocabulary and content would go over my kinders’ heads. But, my kiddos surprised me!
We went slow and had a great discussion. I created a bunch of activities to help cement vocabulary and explore how apples grow, and how the tree changes throughout the seasons.
I would recommend splitting the book between two reading sessions because it has so much information.
We read the first half of the book and discuss how the apple tree changes throughout the seasons (see photos below).
Then the next day we come back and finish the book and complete our own apple mini book.
The book does use the word flowers and I chose to use the word blossoms with my resources. I did this because most books, songs and videos use the word blossoms, and children already know the word flowers.
After we read the story, this beautiful slideshow helps walk students through the changes an apple tree goes through throughout the year. We discuss the photos and read the sentences.
Then students get to make a coordinating mini book! We reread these all week and students can color the pictures.
This makes for a fun week to kick off our apple theme
And guess what?!
If you’re like me, then your voice is exhausted this time of year! I love that this book is on youtube! You can take a break and put the book on your smartboard.
I love reading the book on youtube because it enlarges the pictures so all my kiddos stay engaged. I am pausing the book on every other page or so to check for comprehension and review the vocabulary.
Don’t shy away from spreading this story over two days! The activities I provide lend themselves very well to this book.
Week 2 - The Apple Orchard Riddle
This book is beautifully written. It is about a class that goes on a field trip to the apple orchard. Their teacher gives them a riddle to solve while they are there touring.
We learn about the different kinds of apples - red delicious, granny smith, etc. We also learn about how to make apple cider and treats that can be made using apples.
To build your students background knowledge, you can start by showing them this 5 minutes video about going to an apple orchard. Showing this video will get your kiddos excited to read the story about going to an apple orchard.
This video and book work really well to have students taste test different kinds of apples! Print this FREEBIE to help with this fun, hands-on activity.
Students taste all three colors of apples, and circle the thumbs up or thumbs down.
Then we graph the results! Each student colors a cut-out apple and we graph which apple students like the most.
And because the story showed students how an apple cider press works, we use this theme to practice sequencing and writing a sentence.
These activities keep us busy and learning the rest of the week!
Week 3 - Apple Countdown
This week we read Apple Countdown! It is a quicker read than the first two books, but we love that it incorporates rhyming, has numbers and counting and teaches us about another field trip to the apple orchard.
Because this week is all about apples, numbers and counting, naturally we stand up and sing this song to get our wiggles out!
It starts with the number 20, and counts backward. So naturally, we have to make a class book!
These pages come in both color and black and white. Then each student gets a number page so they can illustrate and come up with a rhyming sentence (or any sentence!)
For many of my kiddos, at this point in the year, they tell me their sentence, I write it in highlighter, and they trace. Then we put it all together (in order 1-25 or however many students you have) and make our class book to reread.
Then throughout the week, we practice numbers, counting and patterns with apples.
Week 4 - Our Apple Tree
I love using this book to wrap up our apple unit! It is an easy read, and it ties everything together. It talks about how the apple tree changes throughout the year, what we can eat from an apples, making artwork using apples, etc.
Our first enrichment activity is to try apple treats! I bring applesauce, apple cider, apple donuts, caramel apples, etc. for us to try. needless to say, the kids LOVE this day!
We then graph our results… what apple treat is your favorite?
Then, the next day students use the word bank and finish the sentence starter, “My favorite apple treat is….”
The apple art page can be used in so many ways (and a number of times!) I like to cut up apples and we paint with the. I cut them in halves, quarters, shapes, etc.
Then we paint different apples with watercolors.
Students enjoy the open ended art with apples, but they also like to paint these silly apples using watercolors.
I love to watch different personalities paint - those who take their time and those who can’t wait to hurry up an finish.
These are adorable to hang in the hallway.
This tops off our All About Apples Unit! This unit is designed to enrich what you are learning about through reading stories, watching videos and classroom activities.
I love our read aloud-enrichment time each day.
I will be slowly posting an enrichment unit for every month. I hope you love these activities as much as we do!
TEACH THE STANDARDS WITH ENGAGING, THEMATIC UNITS!
Ready to get started with All About Apples?
“Love this unit!!! I already ordered the October unit! I cannot wait for the other units to become available thank you so much for all your hard work!!”
“I’m so excited that I stumbled on your blog when browsing Pinterest! I’m so excited to use this resource in September when I do my Apple Unit!”
“Great resource to use for kinders and I love your products!”
“This is a fantastic resource for my apple unit.”
Check out my other monthly thematic units!
