How Bout Them Apples?

I know it's October and my mind should be all about pumpkins, but with all of the interruptions activities going on at school, our apple activities stretched a out a little longer than I planned.  Of course, my kids did not seem to mind.  They really loved getting a chance to learn with apples.

Most of our apple fun took place during our math time.  One day we practiced ten frame addition using Apple Jacks.  We had plenty of cereal left over, so a couple of days later be practiced making addition equations and solving them with a part/part/whole chart.  As you well know, kids love working with food.  They were as happy as could be when they got to eat their cereal at the end of the activity.

If you would like a FREE copy of these handouts, click on one of the picture below.

We also spent time with Cara Carroll's math and science journal, The Great Apple Investigation.  I tried to snap lots of pics of this activity.  It provided practice with different types of measurement, estimation, and focused on observations.  (As luck would have it, someone forgot to charge her camera battery.  I took two shots and then iPad to the rescue.)

To start, all the students picked an apple and I prepped our table for small groups.  After that we were off.  We observed, predicted, estimated, and measured.  All apples were throughly investigated by the end of the day.

Math with apples wouldn't be complete without a tasting and graphing activity.  This year I moved away from my normal apple tasting and tried out Sarah Cooley's Apple Tasting Party.  We sampled apples, apple muffins, Apple Jacks, apple juice, and apple sauce.  We then graphed our favorites and completed a recording sheet.  My firsties loved it.

Besides all the math skills we hit using apples, we also learned a little history by reading some books about Johnny Appleseed.  We made these cute Johnnys to brighten our hallway.  Students colored his apple their favorite apple colors.

I love teaching with apples and the students love learning with them.  There are so many directions you can go.  What we were able to fit in is just the tip of the iceberg (or maybe it is just the stem of the apple).  But now it's time for all things pumpkin, so stay tuned.

The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree: A Science Mentor Text and a Free Graphic Organizer

It's September and that means one thing in an first grade classroom . . . it's apple time.  The number of activities you can do with apples is only limited by your time.  Math, science, social studies, language arts, and more, apples lend themselves to so many subjects.  I'm linking up with the Collaboration Cuties to share one of my favorite apple books for their Mentor Text Linkup.  This week's topic is science.
A fav apple book of mine is Gail Gibbons' The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree.

This text follows Arnold and his favorite apple tree through all of the seasons.  Arnold loves spending time at the apple tree and it's fun to see how each season brings new adventures with it.  The illustrations in this book show the life cycle of an apple tree, as well as a glimpse at the four seasons.

This book is a simple and engaging story that offers many opportunities for extensions and activities.  One activity I like to do with this story is a four square writing assignment.  Later in the year we use four square graphic organizers as a jumping off points for writing paragraphs.  But in September, my first graders' four squares are a little more basic.  

If you would like a FREE copy of this four square graphic organizer, click on the picture below.  It is a great way to combine science and writing.  (Of course older students can certainly take this graphic organizer further by writing sentences.  A sentence in every square can add up to a coherent five sentence paragraph.)

Here is the scoop on this week's mentor text pick . . .

Be sure to visit Collaboration Cuties for more tried and true science text recommendations.

Ten Apples Up On Top: A Math Mentor Text and a FREE Math Center

Wowie, wow wow!  What a week.  I know I don't have to tell you about the first week of school.  Throw in my daughter starting kindergarten and hosting her 6th birthday party (which included adding two bunnies to our family) and you have a recipe for a BUSY week.

But enough about that . . . it's time for Collaboration Cuties Mentor Text Link Up.  This week's topic is math.  I have an oldie but a goodie to share, Dr Seuss' Ten Apples Up on Top.  

This story follows a dog, lion, and tiger as they try to out do each other by balancing more and more apples on top of their heads.  Like most Seuss books, it is fast pace, fun, and includes loads of rhyming.

There are so many activities you can do with this book.  It's great to use if you are doing an apple unit with your class or if you are spending time with Dr. Seuss.

I made a ten frame and related equation math center inspired by the fun in this book.  Click on the picture below for a FREE copy of this center.

This activity is one from my September Smarties {10 Math Centers} available at Teachers Pay Teachers.  But, you can have this one for free :).

For more ideas of great math read alouds and texts, visit Collaboration Cuties.

Have a great week and thanks so much for stopping by.

Best.