Kindergarten Apple Lesson #1 Unit Time (Approximately 30 Minutes)
Kindergarten Apple Lesson #1 – Unit Time (approximately 30 minutes)
This is an introductory lesson for our unit on apples…but I don’t tell them this until after the secret story is read.
SOL K.6 The student will investigate and understand basic needs and life
processes of plants and animals. Key concepts include
a)living things change as they grow, and they need food, water, and air to survive;
b)plants and animals live and die (go through a life cycle); and
c)offspring of plants and animals are similar but not identical to their parents and to one another.
Student Objective for this lesson: to discuss apples (what they know about them and what they want to know about them) – finding words to add to our interactive word wall.
Materials: 1 red apple (for teacher)
Copy of the story – The Little Red House (story can be found at thevirtualvine.com)
Knife
KWL chart / marker
Location: on the rug in a whole group – each student on an outside square so everyone can see.
Teacher Notes: It’s best to memorize this story…students can use their imaginations! Make sure the apple is hidden and be sure to cut it in half horizontally so the star is visible.
Activity:
- Tell the story of The Little Red House. After cutting the apple for the story, walk the apple around so all students can see the ‘star’ in the center. Novelty – J. Almarode
- Begin class discussion on apples – let them know that one person speaks at a time...you can use a ‘Talking Stick’ to pass around so that we all know who’s turn it is (they should be familiar with this technique by this time in the year)
- Bring out the KWL chart so we can begin filling in the ‘Know’ column. Priming/activating prior knowledge – J. Almarode
- The ‘Want’ column may take a bit longer to complete. I find that I often have to finish this portion either later the same day or the next day…it all depends on how lively our story and apple discussion becomes!
Closure:
Review the info we’ve written on the KWL chart so far.
Give them a preview of upcoming apple fun:
Class made big book
Apple games/song
Taste-testing & graphing
Making applesauce
From the chart you can pull some vocabulary words (words could include: apple, seed, plant, red, green, yellow, etc…) that you want on the Word Wall. Have the word cards available for the next day…try to include a picture with each word. D. Mulligan
End of the first day activity:
Play ‘Cool Apple’
This is played like ‘Hot Potato’ only it’s with an apple so it’s ‘cool’.
Students sit in a circle and pass the cool apple around while the music plays. When the music stops, the child holding the apple is out (but that’s OK…they get to have a mini apple muffin :o)
The following website is helpful to show the parts of an apple – great illustrations for vocabulary words:
describe apples (to add new vocabulary to our interactive word wall).