 This free, printable, unit study is a ministry of Heather Idoni, www.HomeschoolingBOYS.com and Funschooling Units http://happyhomeschool.familyclassroom.net/ Please feel free to share it with others. An Apple a Day ABOUT THE UNIT School is back in session! September 26th is the birthday of Johnny Appleseed and October is National Apple month. This hands-on unit is a really fun and tasty way to start your school year. If you are in a homeschooling co-op, you will also find lots of fun activities that are adaptable to a group setting. Enjoy this Funschooling Unit and have a Blessed School Year! SUPPLIES Here are some supplies you may want to have on hand before starting the unit: * Red, Green, Yellow and brown construction paper. * Same colors of tissue paper. * Different varieties of apples. * A Report folder or thin 3-ring binder. * Blank map of the US--with only states outlined. * Small blank maps of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arknasas, Texas, and California. * tempra or poster paints. * Poster board, waxed paper, fingerpaint paper and/or other appropriate art paper. * Encyclopedia * Biography of Johnny Appleseed and misc. storybooks. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES HOW TO MAKE AN APPLE PIE AND SEE THE WORLD by Marjorie Priceman AN APPLE TREE THROUGH THE YEAR by Schneiper Any other fiction and non-fiction books available in your public library. Internet http://www.dole5aday.com/encyclopedia/apple/apple_menu.html JOHNNY APPLESEED: http://www.appleseed.org/johnny.html MICHIGAN APPLES--all kinds of worksheets and ideas. http://michiganapples.com/educational.html INTRODUCTION The format of the Funschooling units is to list activities by subject. When organizing your study, select activities that meet your needs, interests, and schedule. Select daily work from the various subjects and organize them into a lesson plan that works best for you.Introduce the unit by having your student make a notebook cover or title page. This unit is called AN APPLE A DAY but you can name it anything you like. LANGUAGE ARTS 1) Adjectives: Define adjective for the student. Then, select an apple of any variety. Have the student use as many senses as possible to make observations about the apple. List as many adjectives as possible describing the apple. Save the list.2) Using the list of adjectives, have student write a "What am I?" paper describing the apple. Have another child, or Dad, or someone try to guess what it is and then draw a picture based on the student's description. Keep in notebook. 3) Continuing with adjective list, write a poem about apples. Try to use some of the words. Younger children can practice rhyming words. 4) Begin reading a biography of Johnny Appleseed. If reading aloud, have student practice note-taking. 5) Have student write a short biographical sketch of Johnny Appleseed. 6) Read any other recommended books or books about apples. Have student do at least one book report over the course of the unit. 7) Write a first person monologue pretending to be Johnny Appleseed. Use a few props and tell about yourself. NOTE: A co-op or family could do this as a skit instead of a monologue. 8) Practice using reference materials and note-taking by researching information about apples. Older students should keep a bibliography of sources consulted. 9) Turn the research into a report. Older students should attach a bibliography of works consulted AND cited in the report. 10) Turn the report into a speech and present it to the co-op or some family friends. Public speaking is too often overlooked as an important skill. 11) Practice following directions by making a recipe with apples. 12) What is an adage or proverb? Write some in your journal. Talk about what they mean. Are they true? Why do you think it is a "saying?" Make up some of your own. * An apple a day keeps the doctor away. * He's a bad apple. *One bad apple will spoil the bunch. * A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. * You're the apple of my eye. GEOGRAPHY 1) Find out where Johnny Appleseed travelled. Mark his travels on a map.2) Find out where apples are grown. (Use the list provided above in addition to other states you may discover) 3) Find out what kind of apple is grown in each state and where it is grown. Mark it on the National map. 4) Using state maps, extend your study--depending on your student--to learning a little more about each state. Keep the map and additional information in your notebook. Information could include: * Full name of state and the capital * The state bird, flower and tree. * Other interesting information--especially with regards to apple production. 5) Do some comparing of the states to see what they have in common that allows them to successfully grow apples. Find out what climate, soil, water, etc. is needed for good apples. HISTORY 1) Using an encyclopedia, find out the origin of the apple. Is it native to the US? What other countries grow it?2) Use a Bible Concordance to find references to apples in the Bible. 3) Do a little overview of pioneer life. (This can turn into an expanded topic later). Try making an old pioneer recipe using apples. 4) Make a Family Apple Tree. Cut out a tree to hang on the wall or draw a smaller one for your notebook. Put the names of Grandparents, parents, sisters, brothers, (as extended as you want) on apples and hang them on the tree with the grandparents at the top. 5) If time permits, or at a later date, mark the movement of your family or research the roots of the tree. How many generations have lived where you live? Did your ancesters move around and establish roots across the country? SCIENCE 1) Biology: Learn about the life cycle of an apple tree. Draw a diagram for your notebook.2) Botony: What other flowers, trees and/or fruit belong to the same family as the apple? 3) Chemistry: What causes an apple to turn brown once it has been peeled? Why will lemon juice or ascorbic acid stop the browning? 4) What kind of weather conditions make for the "perfect" apple? 5) Learn and label the parts of the apple. APPLIED MATH 1) Learn the word "circumference". Measure the circumference of different apple varieties.2) Estimate how many seeds are in an apple. Cut it open and count them. After counting the seeds in several apples, what is the "average" number of seeds per apple? 3) Practice graphing skills. This can be set up to measure any number of apple related things. Take a survey of favorite apples and graph them. More advanced students could graph the number of apples and/or cost per pound of different varieties. 4) Younger children can practice lining up apples from smallest to largest. 5) Learn about quarts, bushels, pounds, etc. If you make applesauce, how many apples (or pounds) does it take to make one quart of applesauce? How about an apple pie? OTHER ACTIVITIES 1) Take a field trip to an orchard. Try to go when they are sorting, sizing and making apple cider.2) Make apple prints. Cut apples in various shapes--1/4's and 1/2 (both directions). Dip in paint and press onto paper. Use some of the apple seeds to decorate the page. 3) Have an apple-tasting party. You can do this a couple of ways. Either invite guests to sample and critique various kinds of apples OR have guests try various apple recipes...baked apples, raw apples, dried apples, apple pie, apple cider. etc. 4) Make caramel apples. 5) Bob for apples. CONCLUSION As you can see, the broad topic of "apples" has limitless possibilities. This unit study is meant as a jumping off point for you to take your study as far as your interests lie. My mission with Funschooling Units is to free families from the grind of textbooks--if only for awhile--to experience the wonder and joy of hands-on learning. Blessings to all of you!
For questions, comments, and suggestions, Please e-mail Heather at belovedbks@aol.com.
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