Jena Colon

Apples, Apples, Everywhere! Unit

2nd Grade/ 6-8yrs old

Belle Shermen Elementary School

Implemented October 1st- October 16th 2012

1) Goals for the Integrated Thematic Unit Students will be able to understand what an apple tree looks like in each season, and

recreate that image. Students will be able to share what they know, what they think they know, and what they

want to know about apples in a KWL chart. Students will also be able to retell new information they have learned

Students will be able to write a legend about how apples came to be by listening the legend of Johnny Appleseed.

Students will be able to listen to a fiction story and recreate it using their imaginations. Students will also be able to attempt spelling a word by stretching out the sounds before asking for help.

Students will be able to calculate the answers to word problems using multiple strategies. Students will also be able to explain how and why they chose to answer the question in their own way.

Students will be able to dissect an apple to find out what the inside looks like, and what the parts of a whole apple are.

Students will be able to participate in baking applesauce while learning two new poems as a class. Students will also be able to illustrate their meanings of the poems.

Students will be able to taste four different kinds of apple and complete a survey based on its characteristics. Students will guess what type of apple each one is.

Students will be able to read and discover a new poem. They will find the tune through trial and error. Students will also be able to sing the new poems together as a class.

Students will be able to experience a field trip to an apple orchard and be taught about the orchard from an expert. Students will be able to see where and how apples are made, along with what happens at an orchard. Students will be able to retell information they’ve learned using a book template.

2) New York State Learning StandardsELA

2.RL.7Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

2.W.8Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sourcesto answer a question.

2.SL.2Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or informationpresented orally or through other media

2.W.3Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

2.L.2Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,punctuation, and spelling when writing

2.SL.5

Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

2.W.1Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Social Studies History

Use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

GeographyUse a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

Math Problem Solving Strand

2.PS.2 Interpret information correctly, identify the problem, and generate possible solutions

Students will apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems.2.PS.5 Use informal counting strategies to find solutions2.PS.7 Compare and discuss ideas for solving a problem with teacher and/or students to justify their thinking

Science Standard 1

Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.

Standard 2Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Key Idea 1S1.3 Develop relationships among observations to construct descriptions of objects andevents and to form their own tentative explanations of what they have observed.

3) Methods of Evaluation Students will be assessed by their completed illustrations but in their lap books. The method for assessment in this lesson will be a written KWL chart (photo 1) and the

facts stated on the Did You Know worksheet (attached). Students will be assessed by the written work they hand in.

The method of assessment for this lesson will be their finished written story. The students turning in their worksheets, observing while they work, and the answers and

reasons given during closure, will assess this lesson. The lesson will assessed by the drawings and labeling each student creates on their paper.

The method of assessment will be visually seeing students participating in helping to create the steps for making applesauce, as well as listening for all students to participate in singing the new poems.

Students will be assessed by completing the survey sheet, and participating in a class discussion.

This lesson will be assessed by listening to each student and checking for a sense of tune in their voice.

The method of assessment will be reading the students books to check for new information and details about the orchard.

4) Concepts and Facts What apple trees look like in each season How to recreate what the tree would look like in each season Learning what we already know about apples Facts about apples such as when and where they grow How to create a lap book What a legend is How to write a legend How to write a word by stretching out the sounds How to write a fiction story based on a book How a word problem is organized How to solve a world problem using multiple strategies How to explain how an answer is found How to count by multiples What’s inside an apple look like An apple is a whole with parts The parts of an apple How to label the parts of an apple How to make applesauce step by step Learn to sing two new poems Illustrate the meaning of the poems How to complete a survey The different characteristics of an apple Guessing a type of apple based on what you know Where apples grow and how Facts about harvesting apples such as, using a freezer in the winter How to pick apples That there are many varieties of apples How apple cider is made

5) Vocabulary and Definitions Stem- The part of the apple that attaches it to the tree.

Core- The center of an apple containing the seeds. Flesh- The part of the apple we eat, underneath the skin. Harvest- The period of time when farmers grow their crops. Orchard- A piece of land planted with fruit trees. Legend- A story that has been retold for many, many years, which sometimes has

historical truth. Legends usually do not have true facts. Bitter- A sharp taste which is not sweet.

6) N/A

7) Lesson Plan on initial use of KWL Chart Full lesson attached (Did You Know?) See Photo 1

8) Other lesson plans attached.

9) Integration of unit in the classroom includes apple door tags (cover photo), as well as a bulletin board displaying student’s work and activities throughout the unit. (See photos 2 & 3)

10) In the beginning of the unit, parents were informed in a newsletter that their student would be starting an apple unit and going on a field trip to the apple orchard. Towards the end of the unit, another newsletter was sent home with a summary of that week’ activities.

Jupiter Room Newsletter!

Week of October 9th-12th

Dear parents/guardians,

This week, as your child’s student teacher, I had the great experience of teaching on my own! We had an amazing time together as a class and did a lot of fun activities. As part of our apple unit, we have dissected an apple and learned what was inside. We also had an apple tasting where we took a survey while trying four different apples, and guessed what kinds they were. We also started reading groups this week and have a theme of corn, and the season of fall. Janet brought in corn stalks and we were able to shuck our own ear. It was a lot of fun to

explore! In math, we worked with colored counters to create a variety of addition problems. We have all been doing great work!

Second grade has been very fun, and busy so far! I am sad to say that next week will be my final week. Your child has taught me a lot, and it has been more than a pleasure working with them!

Have a great weekend!

Jena ColonJanet Giewont

11) Parents were involved in our apple unit by joining us on our field trip to Little Tree Apple Orchard. Parents that met us there helped carry lunches, helped students pick apples, and supervised the students.

12) Community Resources- Little Tree Apple Orchard Field Trip (full lesson attached)

13) N/A

14) Photos attached

15) Resources

http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/socstand/home.htmlhttp://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/pub/mststa1_2.pdfhttp://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/socstand/home.htmlhttp://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/home.htmlhttp://liveandlearnpress.com/apple.pdf

16) Bibliography of Teacher Books

Albert, M. Ed., T. (1992). Apples across the curriculumn . Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company.Calkins, L. M., & Mermelstein, L. (2003). Launching the writing workshop. Heinemann.

17) Bibliography of Children’s Books

Fowler, A. (1994). Apples of your eye. Canada : Children's Press, Inc.

Ganeri, A. (2006). From seed to apple. Heinemann-Raintree.

Koontz, R. (2010). Apples, apples everywhere!; learning about apple harvests. Picture WindowBooks.

Priceman, M. (1996). How to make an apple pie and see the world. Dragonfly Books.

Steven , K. (2007). Johnny appleseed. Mullberry Books.

18) N/A

19) When I first chose to do an apple unit, I was unaware of the amount of activities and lessons I could do with it. By the end of the unit, I was in love with it. I am thrilled with how all of my lessons turned out, and I believe that it has helped me grow as a teacher in many ways. During my teaching, I was catching myself connecting lessons together without even planning to, and I think that is very important for a teacher to do. I was most proud of the apple lap book, of folder, that I had the students create (photos 8 & 9). The book tied together almost everything that we did, and the students loved it! It made me feel good when students would ask every morning if we would be adding things to our folders.

I think that this theme is perfect for second grade because there are so many hands-on activities that could be done while incorporating a number of other content, such as writing lessons. Going on the field trip was also highly beneficial to the students learning, as they were able to actually see where apples grew and hear facts from an expert. In the future, I hope to teach this unit again with a lot more knowledge and continued student engagement.

20) At the completion of my unit, I can tell that all, if not most, students have met many of the objectives. They were able to get through all the activities and worksheets, and loved to talk about what they learned at the apple orchard. I got a sense that students learned a lot more when they were engaged in the lesson and were excited to do so many things with just an everyday fruit. It was great to see how much the students already knew about apples, but also, what they wanted to learn about them. They became very interested in how the apple trees change throughout the seasons.

If I was to implement this lesson again, I would want to take more time during the day for the activities since a lot of them spilled over into the next day. I would also want to add a daily theme, like apple sayings, that students could work on in the morning. I can tell that this unit has a lot of possibilities and I’d love to explore them!