Apples Galore!

In honor of John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, we just completed our apple unit.  During this unit, we learned about the growth cycle of an apple.  Very few of my students actually knew an apple grew from flowers.  They did however, know they grew on trees!

After discussing this process, we explored the taste of red delicious, golden delicious and granny smith apples.  As we tasted each apple, we took time to describe their taste.  My students came up with great ideas such as juicy, crisp, sweet and sour.

We carried our apple tasting into math and graphed our favorite apples.  First, we created a class graph together.  We discussed the difference between the various colors talking about how many more and how many less we had.  In our classroom, the red delicious apple was the most favored with the green granny smith close behind.  Below are pictures of our fun work!

Not only did we taste apples, but the students participated in making applesauce!  The students were amazed to see the process of making applesauce.  Only one or two had ever helped with this before.  It cooked down just in time for a warm afternoon snack.  Those who were adventurous chose to add a little cinnamon to their snack.  It was a blast to see how much they enjoyed this activity.

One of our final projects throughout this unit was a journal writing.  Each student wrote and illustrated about their favorite apple.  They shared why they favored whichever apple they chose.  It was great fun seeing their ideas!