Apples – A Great Theme for Learning!
All About Apples
Did you know there are about 7,500 different varieties of apples grown all over the world? That is simply mind blowing! How could you EVER pick your favorite one? Here in the United States there are much fewer types grown, only about 2,500 different kinds. Whaaatt???? I have seen a LOT of varieties of apples in grocery stores. There are a few more varieties available at a nearby apple picking area called Apple Hill. This is a very popular place to enjoy delicious apple treats each fall.
History of these Varieties
In the 1980s, top apple growers in the United States focused on growing mostly Red and Golden Delicious apples. (There were certainly the ones I carried in my lunch to school most often!) Then there was a push by a Washington State University horticulturist to develop different kinds of apples and the market exploded. Galas, Pink Ladies, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Smitten, the list goes on! Poor Johnny Appleseed is famous for planting orchards all over the Midwest but I’m sure he concentrated on only one kind!
Here’s Johnny!
When you think of Back to School and September, apples are often the symbol for the month. Apples make a great learning theme for your primary classroom. Learning about Johnny Appleseed is a fun bit of history to study around his September 26th birthday! Because we LOVE to sing with our students, we wrote a song that tells the story of Johnny Appleseed. The song is easily sung to the tune, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” however a mini-movie comes with it that has us singing the lyrics as the pages of the book turn! LOTS of additional resources are included: Beginning Readers, games, and math worksheets. This is a perfect mini-thematic unit with enough activities to last a full week or more. Click HERE to find this one at TPT.
More Apple-Themed Resources!
An Apple-Themed packet, 1-2 Apples For You, is LOADED with all the activities for a fun study of apples in September. It comes with a Shared Reading Book that’s a innovation on the familiar “1-2, Buckle My Shoe” poem. Beginning Readers, writing charts, themed writing papers, BUMP Math games, pocket chart cards and so much more is included! Click HERE for this complete 88-page packet.
Beginning Reader – Apples
No primary classroom ever has enough Beginning Readers to meet the diverse needs of the learners as they progress in their reading journey! Here is a Non-fiction Reader that is all about Apples! Add this Beginning Reader to your apple-themed studies. Click HERE to link to it.
In Need of a FREE Learning Game?
Most Kindergarten students learn letter names and sounds at the beginning of the school year. Why not use a fun game for extra practice? SWIPE is an exciting game format that students LOVE to play. APPLE SWIPE comes with both colorful & black and white cards. EDITABLE cards are included so any content can be added, like numbers or high frequency words. Click HERE to download this FREEBIE at our TPT store.
Are you craving some apple pie or a crisp apple snack right now? I know I am!
