Apples
Apples
This Curriculum is designed for students in elementary school who are Blind or Visually
Impaired with additional disabilities who are not following the standard course of study.
Unit Introduction
This unit is a good choice particularly if you live in a region of the country that grows apples.
Tailor this unit to the region you live in. For example, you could change it to cherry picking and
pick your own cherries if that is something special to your region. The idea is to focus on what is
going on around your students and to make it meaningful to them.
Unit Objectives:
 Recognize plants that we eat.
 Recognize that food comes from sources other than grocery stores (crops)
 Investigate the characteristics and habitats of many different kinds of plants.
 Compare and contrast how some plants are alike and how they are different
 Investigate and classify apples by different characteristics
 Discuss how food is a natural resource.
 Farmers grow apples to sell to companies that can/jar/freeze them
Introduce the Unit
Introduce the unit by presenting materials related to the unit on the table or on a tray.
Encourage students to explore the various materials visually and tactually. Ask the students to
either verbally identify the objects or to obtain objects upon request. Present print/braille labels
of each object presented. Encourage the students to read the words by using strategies to
sound out the words. Discuss what each object is used for. Challenge students to predict the
topic based on the objects presented. For students with low vision, encourage the student to
use their magnifying glass or provide various powered magnifying glasses and if available, an
electronic magnifier. For students who do not have usable vision, encourage them to tactually
explore the materials and provide them with additional descriptions of the materials.
Possible MATERIALS for this unit include but are not limited to:
apple baskets
apple butter
apple corer
apple fritters
apple juice
apple pie
apples
applesauce
cider
cooking pot
seeds
Vocabulary Building
Present students with pre-printed cards (using a simple, bold font such as Arial and in a large
font for comfortable distance viewing, add braille as needed) with vocabulary words related to
the unit. Present each word and assist as needed in sounding out the word. When possible, pair
objects or pictures (e.g., slide show, PowerPoint, photo, etc.) with each vocabulary word.
Provide a brief verbally description of each word.
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Apples
Possible Vocabulary Words for this unit include but are not limited to:
blossom
John Chapman
sweet
crisp
Johnny Appleseed
tart
fruit
orchard
healthy
plants
Vocabulary Web
Inform the students that these words have things in common and can be grouped together.
Present a simple web with headings of categories. Have students take turns coming to the front,
reading the word and placing in the category where it may belong. If the student has difficulty,
encourage them to request help (e.g., “I need help” programmed on a switch” and allow them to
select a peer to help them). Sometimes a word could belong in more than one category. When
this happens, allow students to select where they would like it to go, or write the word on two
cards and place it in both categories.
Possible Web Categories include, but are not limited to:
 parts of apple
 foods to make with apples
 types of apples
During this activity, students may generate words that are not printed on the cards. If the words
are related to the topic, write the word on a card and place it in the correct category on the web.
If the students think of additional categories, encourage them to use those ideas for further
study and research.
Pair Objects with words
As students explore the above materials, present print/braille labels to correspond with each
object presented. Explain that you have words of each of the objects. Present one word at a
time. Reinforce new vocabulary and word-attack strategies by modeling how to read unfamiliar
words. Point to the word without saying the name. Point out the beginning, middle and ending
sounds. Encourage the students to read the words.
Riddles
Help students develop familiarity and understanding of the materials and vocabulary by
presenting the students with riddles and encourage students to touch or verbally identify the
object:
 By name (ex. Find the apple corer.)
 By description (ex. Find the object that apples grow from.)
 By function (ex. Find the drink that is made from apples.)
 By texture (ex. Find the object that feels )
Feely Bag
Encourage students to reach inside a bag and try to identify above listed objects related to
apples. Once the students have identified the objects, extend the activity by encouraging them
to match the item to the printed word. Encourage students to have more time exploring the
details of the materials. Provide two of each item and have students match identical objects.
Fill-in-the-Blank
Present student with simple sentences using the objects. Omit the object words from the
sentence and encourage the students to collaboratively or independently complete the
sentences by selecting the word paired with the object that would complete the sentence.
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Apples
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
An _apple corer is used to take the core out of an apple.
Apple cider is made by juicing apples.
A cooking pot is used to cook apples to make applesauce.
Apples can be sweet, tart, or sour and grow on a tree.
An apple tree grows when a seed is planted.
Build Connections
Once the students have had time to discuss the topic, have the students discuss their
experiences related to the topic. Write the students ideas and experiences on a board or poster.
Culmination
Reflection & Further Study
Have students reflect on what they have learned during unit discussions and activities.
Encourage the students to share or write one thing they have learned. How can what they
learned be used in real life? Is there anything they want to learn more about?
Encourage students to gather more information about an area related to school that interests
them. Allow the students to individually choose an area of study, or provide a choice of preselected areas. Encourage the students to form questions about the topic. Assist the student in
writing or dictate the questions for them. Assist the student in using resources (online,
newspaper, menu, etc.) to locate the answers to questions and recording the answers. Have the
students reconvene and present their topic, questions, and findings to their peers.
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Apples
Reading Foundations
These activities, accessible to students who are blind and visually impaired and their sighted
peers, are designed to build students' phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition,
understanding and knowledge of concepts of print, the alphabetic principle, and other basic
conventions of the English writing system. Developing a strong reading foundation is a
necessary part of reading program in order to develop proficient readers. Choose from the
following activities, with the unit, to meet your students unique learning needs.
Activities To Develop Listening Skills
Apple Tart Sound Match
Create a sound matching activity by obtaining tart tins. Fill the tins with materials that sound
different when they are shaken. Create a duplicate set and encourage students to shake the
containers to locate a match.
Johnny Appleseed Says
Students practice directional and body concepts by playing "Johnny Appleseed" Says. (Johnny
Appleseed Says, put your fingers on your ears, etc). Move body in relation to objects. Stand
beside, step over, etc.
Have students place their fingers on your: ears, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, hair, hand, feet, brain,
heart, stomach, shoulders, knees, elbows, ankles, wrist. Make the activity more challenging by
having the student put hand on foot, elbow on knee, nose on knee, etc.
I'm Going on a Trip to the Apple Orchard
Sitting together as a group, have the students decide on a place to take an imaginary trip
related to the topic. The first student will share an item to bring (e.g., "I'm going on a trip to the
apple orchard and I'm bringing a basket'). The second student will repeat the last student's item
and then share their own (e.g., "I'm going on a trip to the apple orchard and I'm bringing a
basket and a ladder). Continue around the circle until someone forgets a previously mentioned
item. You can then choose to end the game, or start a new trip. Extend the activity by
encouraging students list items in alphabetical order.
Rhyming Awareness Activities
Rhyming
Identify words that rhyme with words about the unit. Make a chart with a few of these words at
the top. List words that rhyme.
Ex.
Jonagold: bold, cold, fold, hold, mold, sold, told, polled
Macintosh: squash, wash
Rome: chrome, comb, dome, foam, gnome, poem, roam, home
Braeburn: burn, churn, earn, fern, learn, stern, urn, yearn
It Rhymes With...
Using theme related materials, give rhyming riddle clues to students. Have them guess what is
in the container based on the rhyming clue. Alternatively, tell the students that you are thinking
of something that rhymes with "XXX".
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Apples
Ex.
I'm thinking of something that rhymes with: chapel - apple; chore - core; gasket - basket; sky pie; smart - tart; spider - cider; etc.
The Rhyming Game
You may remember this song like game from your childhood, typically sung using people's
names. Replace the names with unit related words.
Ex.
Apple, apple, bo-bapple, bananafana fo-fapple, me my mo mapple, APPLE!
Seed, seed, bo-beed, bananafana fo-feed, me my mo meed, SEED!
Core, core, bo-bore, bananafana fo-fore, me my mo more, CORE!
Object Rhymes
Find pairs of pictures or objects that rhyme. Place one set of the pictures/objects in a container
and all of the rhyming pairs in another container. Have the studetns draw out two
pictures/objects and ask them if the two word rhyme. If they don't, continue pulling out
pictures/objects from the second container until the student finds a matching rhyme.
Ex.
core - oar
basket - gasket/mascot
seed - bead
juice - goose/mousse/moose
applesauce - dental floss
pot – knot
Phonemic Awareness Activities
Hot Potato
Have the students sit in a circle. Provide them with an apple basket with objects from the unit.
Begin passing the basket around when music starts playing. After a few seconds, stop the
music. Have the student who is holding the basket reach in and pull out an object. The student
say the name of the object and then say the beginning sound of that word. Continue until all the
students have had a chance to name an object.
Blending Guess
Have students blend and identify a unit word that is stretched out into its basic component
sounds. Tell the students that you are going to say a word using "snail talk", a slow way of
saying words (e.g., /ssssseeeeeddddd/ for seed). Encourage the students to determine what
word is being said.
Syllable Count
Present students with vocabulary cards from the unit. Have students clap or tap out the
syllables in the words. Sort the words by the number of syllables in the word.
Ex.
apple (2), seed (1), basket (2), core (1), fritter (2), applesauce (3), cider (2), pot (1), etc.
Game Board Fun
Locate a game board with spaces to move and pawns. Create “playing cards” that are phrases
or sentences related to the unit. Have the students take turns reading the phrases and
sentences. Once the student has read the phrase or sentence, have him count how many words
their phrase or sentence had. This number is the number of spaces they can move on the game
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Apples
board. If a student is unable or needs help reading their card, they are only able to move the
number of spaces as words they could read. The game continues until someone reaches the
end.
Scrambled Fact Sentence
Present students with pre-written fact sentences related to the topic and area of study. Read the
sentences together in choral reading several times to improve fluency and word recognition.
Assist the students in cutting the sentence(s) into individual words, or provide prewritten/cut
sentences. Mix the words up (but ensure they are all still oriented correctly) and encourage the
students or groups of students to put the sentence together into its original order. Vary the
complexity of the sentences to challenge each student, but ensure success.
Encourage students to generate their own simple sentences related to the topic. Support them
in forming a variety of sentence types: declarative, interrogatory, exclamatory, or imperative.
Provide assistance in generating new sentences as needed. Some possible sentences include:
Declarative
1. An apple tree is brown and bare in the winter.
2. In the spring leaves and blossoms grow on every branch.
3. Johnny Appleseed planted many apple trees.
Interrogatory
1. Did you know apples can be red, yellow, or green?
2. What is your favorite food made from apples?
3. Have you ever tasted apple cider?
Exclamatory
1. I love apples!
2. The apple pie smells so good!
3. The apple cider tastes delicious!
Imperative
1. Put the pie on the table.
2. Don't eat too much pie.
3. Stop taking apples from my apple tree.
Phonics & Word Recognition Activities
Case Match Apples
Using apple die cuts, print the uppercase alphabet on one set of die cuts and the lowercase
alphabet on a matching set. Encourage the students to match the uppercase to the lowercase
letters.
Adaptation: Encourage student to match objects or pictures with the same beginning letter.
Apples From A to Z
Using the vocabulary cards, encourage students to locate the beginning letter of each word.
Assist the students in sounding out and reading each of the words. Work your way through the
alphabet locating words in alphabetical order. Group the vocabulary cards by the initial letter.
Compare the card piles and encourage students to determine which letter of the alphabet has
the most words. Which letter has the least amount of words.
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Apples
Ex.
Alderman
Braeburn
Cameo
Dayton
Earliblaze
Fuji
Granny Smith
Honeycrisp
Ingrid Marie
Jonagold
Katy
Liberty
Macintosh
Nittany
Orange Sweet
Pixie
Queen Cox
Red Delicious
Sandow
Topaz
Upton
Virginia Gold
Winston
Yates
Zestar
Extend the activity by encouraging students to alphabetize within groups of words that begin
with the same letter. Remind students of the strategy to alphabetize by the first letter, then the
second and so on. Adaptation: Locate objects/pictures of theme related items and present these
to the students paired with an auditory description. This is apple. Apple starts with the letter "a".
"A" says "aaaaa". Can you touch the apple? Encourage student to touch the picture of the apple
in order to advance to the next picture (may be presented on iPad)
Alpha Hunt
Given a letter to the student, encourage the student to find a vocabulary word that begins with
that letter.
Build-a-Word
Provide the students with vocabulary words from the unit along with needed letter tiles in
print/braille (I prefer to use the Word Playhouse tiles from APH). Encourage the students to
copy the word(s) using their letter tiles. Alternatively, present a choice of three letters for the
student to choose from as a letter is requested in order to build the word. Enhance the activity
by discussing the letter sounds each letter makes and words that begin with that letter.
Adaptation. Provide students with objects or pictures of unit related items. Discuss the sound
the initial letter makes and compare to other words that begin with the same sound.
Apple Word Family Sort (rimes)
Attach word family cards to the outside of apple baskets. Pair the baskets with an object/picture
that can represent that word family (Objects can represent the word even if they are
representations. Just be sure to explain the connection.). Provide students with a collection of
related word family word cards to sort into the corresponding baskets.
Ex.
-eed. seed, tweed, weed, exceed, speed, bleed, breed, deed, feed, need
-eel. feel, heel, kneel, reel, steel, wheel, carwheel
Word Jumbles
Display the word “applesauce” for the students. Provide each student or small group of students
with letter tiles or cards to form the word “applesauce”. Have students move letter tiles around to
try to create as many new words as possible. Encourage students to write down the created
words. ex.
Ex.
Applesauce. Apple, sauce, pal, sap, please, cap, lap, lace, cup, pale, peal
Macintosh. Mat, mint, mait, tin, shin, math, man, sat, sit, hit, match, hat, ham, can, tan
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Apples
Onset-Rime Partner Up
Create a set of cards using index cards or braille paper with apple related words and
pictures/objects/tactile graphics. Leave off the first letter or letter blend at the beginning of each
word and replace it with a Velcro dot. Provide students with letters and blends tiles to match that
will create the correct word.
Ex.
c-ore: bore, dore (x), fore, gore, hore (x), jore (x), kore (x), lore, more, nore (x), pore, qore (x),
rore (x), sore, tore, vore (x), wore, xore (x), yore, zore (x), chore, crore (x), etc.
Sort by onset
Provide students with apple baskets labeled with cut outs of theme related items labeled with
vocabulary words and onsets to focus on. Provide students with words written on apple cut outs
that use these onsets to place in the correct basket. Encourage students to read the word and
use it in a sentence before placing it in the correct basket. If students need help, allow them to
ask peers for assistance.
Gr-anny Smith.
Grab, grace, grade, graduate, gradual, grain, gram, grammer, grand, grandchild,
granddaughter, grandson, grandfather, grandparent, grandstand, granite, grape, graph, grasp,
grass, grasshopper, grate, gratitude, grave, graveyard, gravity, gravy, gray, graze, greasy,
great, green, greet, great, grey, grief, grill, grim, grime, grin, grind, grip, grisly, grit, groan,
groom, groovy, gross, grouch, ground, grow, growth, grub, grunt
G-olden Delicious.
Gab, gadget, gag, gain, gale, gall, gallop, gallstone, gamble, game, gang, gap, garden, garland,
garlic, garment, garnish, gas, gasp, gate, gave, gender, gel, gem, gender, general, gentle, tet,
giggle, gift, gill, ginger, girl, give, gob, gobble, god, goggle, gold, good, goose, gown, guest,
gum, gush, gust
Apple Words we know
Present students with vocabulary words they know from the unit. Cover the onset and provide
students with a variety of consonants and consonant blends printed on cards or use letter tiles
to create new words. Provide shakers or musical instruments for each student. Have students
take turns drawing consonants and blends from the draw pile. If they created a real word after
replacing the existing consonant or consonant blend, shake the shakers signifying it's a real
word. Encourage students to use the word in a sentence. Write the words in print (and braille if
needed) and place them on the word wall.
s-eed. bleed, breed, creed, deed, feed, reed, tweed
sk-in. bin, fin, pin, spin, tin, chin, grin, sin, thin, twin
p-eel. eel, feel, heel, reel, steel, wheel
Compound Apples
Discuss with students how compound words are made when two words are put together to form
a new word. Inform students that they are going to play a game with compound words. Provide
each student with part of a compound word. Have each student read their word out loud prior to
the activity. Next have students find a peer that has a word that can be added to the beginning
or end of their word to create a new word. Select known or common words related to the unit.
After students make a match, provide them with new cards.
Ex.
applesauce, applecart, applejack, honeycrisp, applecrisp
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Apples
Prepositional Shake
Prepare a basket for each student. Fill each basket with unique materials that sound fun when
they are shaken. Encourage students to chant or sing songs that direct them to shake present in
relation to their bodies.
Ex. Sing to the tune of "Shake Your Sillies Out":
We're gonna shake, shake, shake
Our baskets,
Shake, shake, shake
Our baskets,
Shake, shake, shake
Our baskets,
Shake them (preposition)our (body part)
(behind our backs, over our heads, between our legs, etc.)
Parts Of Speech
Mad Lib
Tell the students that you are going to make a silly story about Johnny Appleseed. To do this,
you will ask them to provide a part of speech. Go through the Mad Lib and ask students to
provide you with nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, exclamations, etc. Use an existing MadLib
or create your own.
Ex.
_(Proper Noun) was a (adjective) __ American who planted __(plural noun)_ and __(verb)_
apple (plural noun)_ to the pioneers in the mid-western United States. He spent __(number)_
years growing _(noun)_ trees.
Parts of Speech Sort
Provide a collection of adjectives, adverbs, verbs and adverbs related to the unit. Create a chart
and encourage students to read the words and place each word in the correct column.
Ex.
Noun (A noun is a type of word that represents a person, thing, or place.)
apple, basket, corer, apple pie, cider, seed, etc.
Verbs (A verb is a type of word that describes an action or a state of being.):
pick, climb, plant, carry, core, peel, etc.
Pronoun (A pronoun is a substitute for a noun.)
I, me, she, hers, he, him, it, you, they, them, etc.
Adjectives (An adjective is a word that describes a noun.)
shiny, red, green, smooth, sweet, yummy, round, etc.
Adverbs (An adverb is a word that tells “how,” “when,” “where,” or “how much”.):
anywhere, completely, joyfully, naturally, outdoors, etc.
Prepositions (A preposition shows how something is related to another word. It shows the
space, time, or logical relationship of an object to the rest of the sentence.)
across, atop, inside, round, etc.
Conjunction (A conjunction is a word that joins other words, phrases, clauses or sentences.)
And, as, because, but, or, since, so, until, while
Interjection (An interjection is a word that expresses emotion
oh, wow, ugh, hurray, eh, and ah
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Apples
Language Arts
Literature Related to Apples
Stories
A Busy Year – Leo Lionni
Autumn – Gerda Muller
I Am an Apple – Jean Marzollo
Johnny Appleseed – Aliki
Johnny Appleseed – Steven Kellogg
Ten Apples Up on Top – Dr. Seuss
The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree – Gail Gibbons
The Story of Johnny Appleseed – LaVere Anderson
The Apple Pie Tree - Zoe Hall
Poetry
After Apple-Picking – Robert Frost
The Cow in Apple Time – Robert Frost
Children's Songs
Apples and Bananas
Way Up High (Sung to the tune of "This Old Man")
Way up high, in a tree,
(Five) little apples smiled at me,
So I shook that tree as hard as I could
Down came an apple,
mmm, mmm good!
(Repeat and continue counting down until no more apples)
Informative Text Related To Unit
Brochures from local farmer markets or fruit farms
Writing Activities
Apple Artwork and Poem
Have students create artwork by stamping apple prints onto construction or art paper. Next,
have students write a poem or story about apples. Attach to printed paper.
Leaf Shape Book
Have students create tactual experience books by placing a variety of shaped leaves on each
page of the book.
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Apples
Mathematics
The activities identified here are designed to help students gain a thorough understanding of
concepts through hands on experiences with materials related to the current topic of study. All
students need to begin math understanding with real materials. Exploration of materials is
beneficial in supporting all student’s understanding in mathematical and logical thinking. This
will also reinforce concepts being taught throughout the unit and variety of materials to complete
math problems will add variety and help students transfer their skills. Select activities based on
each students unique learning needs.
Numbers & Counting
Order Numbered Tart Tins
Have students arrange numbered tart tins in numeric order. Use apple tart tins that are labeled
with print/Braille cards. Add tactual dots for students who need additional support.
Match Apple Seeds to Numbers
Have students place the corresponding number of apple seeds in the tins based on
developmental level.
Apple Number Match
Create an apple number match activity by creating 10 apple die cuts. Glue seeds on the apples
1-10 or use hot glue or dimensional paint to create raised dots. Attach a Velcro dot to the top of
each apple. Encourage students to place a corresponding Velcro number 1 to 10 to place on the
apples.
Apples On Top Number Sequence!
Create a number sequence poster by drawing or creating a tactual hat at the bottom of the
poster. Label apple die cut shapes from 1 to 10. Place 10 equally spaced Velcro dots from the
top of the hat to the top of the poster. Encourage students to order the apples on the hat from 1
to 10.
Apple Tree Number Match
Create a number match activity by drawing or creating a tactual apple tree on a poster board.
Glue or Velcro 10 numbered apples to the tree. Provide the students with matching numbered
apples or with apples with 1 – 10 seeds on them to match.
How many Apple Seeds?
Have students determine "how many" in created sets of seeds. Encourage students to write the
number that corresponds to the amount in a set on cards. Have students arrange the cards from
least to most.
Operations & Algebraic Thinking
Apple Addition & Subtraction
Ask students addition and subtraction questions using apples. For example:
If you have 4 red apples and I give you 3 more, how many apples do you have in all?
Apple Multiplication & Division
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Apples
Ask students multiplication and division questions using small apples. For example:
If you have 15 apples and want to share them equally with your 3 friends, how many apples
would each friend get?
Measurement
Measure and compare the length and weight of apple related materials. Provide students
apple related materials and products. Encourage students to measure the length and weight of
materials. Compare the materials and arrange from smallest to largest or from lightest to
heaviest.
Measure the volume of apples
How many apples does it take to fill various size baskets?
Data Collection
Apple Taste Test
Have an apple Taste Test. Cut up a variety of apples (sweet, tart, sour, etc.) and encourage
students to taste each kind. Complete a chart depicting an apple tree per type of apple sampled.
Have students identify which apples they liked and place an apple on corresponding tree(s).
Engage the students in a discussion about the different tastes and textures. Is the apple sweet
or tart, crisp or soft?
Have a chart with a number of trees representing each type of apple. Select types that have the
most or fewest. Discuss how results may vary if other classes completed the graph. Encourage
the students to read the completed graph and develop a summary sheet. What was the most
popular apple? What was the least popular? What was the taste and texture of the most popular
apple?
Apple Product Taste Test
Have an apple product taste test. Create a graph of likes and dislikes of apple products (dried
apples, apple juice/cider, apple pie, applesauce, apple chips)
Geometry
Apple Match & Sort
Have students match/sort apples, apple products, and apple related items. Sort various size
apples by size (small, medium, large). Discuss how apples are alike and different.
Apple Shadow Match
Have students match apple related objects to shadows (create 3D shadows) or raised line
drawings of the objects on cards.
Apple Categories
Classify and/or sort a variety of apples by tools, apples, and products.
Apple and/or Orchard puzzles
Locate a variety of apple or orchard pictures from calendars, magazines, and catalogs. Paste
the pictures onto tag board and then cut them into various piece puzzles for students to
assemble.
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Apples
Fractions
In Pieces
Divide circles and rectangles into two, three, or four equal parts. Identify them as halves, thirds,
and quarters. Assist students in determining equivalent fraction. Compare using greater than
and less than. Add and subtract fractions using models (or without if able). Use a rectangle
divided into 10 equal parts to solve 2/10+ 4/10 by shading 2 parts and 4 parts and then counting
the number of shaded parts.
Solve problems involving multiplication or a fraction by a whole number. Assist the students in
recognizing that a fraction is the division of the numerator by the denominator using unit
fractions.
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Apples
Science & Social Studies
Social studies and science is best taught when students can role-play or go on community
outings to have hands on experiences with environments in the community specific to the
current topic. Incorporating concrete experiences within the natural environment can provide
students with a greater understanding of their world. These science and social studies activities
naturally provides students with the opportunities to develop their tactual exploration and fine
motor skills through the exploration and manipulation of real materials.
Sensory Experiences
Color Concepts & Color Associations
Discuss the colors of materials associated with the unit. Are they always that color or can they
be different colors? What other materials are the same colors?
Sound Match
Fill boxes with grossly different sounds (bells, rice, blocks, etc.) Have students match boxes of
same noises.
Apple Colors Dry Transfer
Fill a bin or container with a variety of red, yellow, and green materials. Provide students with an
empty margarine tub or other container. Encourage the students to transfer the materials from
the bin to the margarine tub.
Science Experiments
Object Roll
In this activity, encourage students to roll or otherwise move an object in a given direction on a
path. Provide various surfaces on the path and have students determine what surface is
easier/harder to roll the object along.
Explore Apples
Cut open apple and study the core and seeds under magnifying glass or electronic magnifier.
Apples have five seed pockets or carpels. Each pocket contains seeds. The number of seeds
per carpel is determined by the vigor and health of the plant. Different varieties of apples will
have different number of seeds.
Have students identify and explore the different parts. Identify the core, the seeds, the stem,
and the skin.
Apple Seed Study
Save the seeds from each apple for a planting activity. Place each type of apple seed in a
separate labeled plastic cup or bag and set aside. Ask the students if they think they can grow
an apple tree from the seeds. Provide them with plastic cups or pint-size milk cartons for
planting, seeds, and potting soil. Label each planting container with the type of apple seed it
contains.
Speed of Spoiling
Have students cut open a variety of apples. Set out and determine if certain apples brown faster
than others. Have students gather and record data. Have students communicate findings in a
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Hands-On Units by Carmen Willings
Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
Apples
class chart.
Sprout Apple Seeds
All apple seeds except red and yellow Delicious will work. Dry apple seeds for 12 weeks. Place
a dampened paper towel into a sealable plastic bag. Place the seeds in the bag so that they rest
on the paper towel. Place the bag in the freezer for two months. Then take the seeds out of the
freezer and plant them in approximately one inch of potting soil. Use a planter that has good
drainage. Place in a warm and sunny spot and water regularly.
Apple Baking Memory Game
Place ingredients and utensils used in cooking activity on table. Have students close their eyes
as you remove an item. Can the students determine what is missing? Challenge students to
match object to printed word.
Apple Categories
Classify and/or sort a variety of apples by tools, apples, and products.
Apple Comparison
Identify similarities and differences in apples and apple products. Discuss that apples can be
bought at the grocery store, but grow on trees and can be found at orchards and farmers
markets and fruit stands. Compare different varieties of apples and discuss how some are
oblong while others are round. Some skins are smooth while others are a little rough, etc.
Compare different colors of apples, the shape of apples, how apples taste, where apples grow,
what you can make with apples.
Apple Seed Prediction
Cut a variety of apples in half to reveal the seeds. Encourage students to predict how many
seeds they will find in each apple. Do they think that different types of apples will have more or
less seeds? Will the seeds all be the same shape or color? Cut the half and show the section
with the seeds. Record their observations on a sheet of chart paper listing the type of apple,
number of seeds, and any other information that the students would like to include.
Seasons of My Apple Tree Project
Make hand/arm print trees (add texture to brown paint)
Winter: In the winter, it's cold, we get snow and the trees are bare. Add nothing;
Spring: In the spring, it's windy, things begin to grow and blossoms appear on trees. glue on
crumpled pieces of green & white tissue paper;
Summer: In the summer, it's hot, and apples begin to grow. Sponge paint leaf shapes - red
finger prints for apples;
Fall: In the fall, the leaves fall and apples are ready to pick. red, yellow, orange torn
construction paper on tree and surrounding ground.
Apple Products
Discuss the different places you can find and buy apples and apple products. Discuss what
products you can make with apples. Some ideas include pies, cakes, cookies, fritters, tarts,
crisps, and applesauce.
Interesting Facts
Apples ripen 6-10x faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated apples should be
kept at 35 to 40 degrees. Apples are a member of the rose family. Fresh apples float because
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Hands-On Units by Carmen Willings
Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
Apples
25% of their volume is air.
Varieties
Inform students that there are more than 750 varieties of apples worldwide. Have different kinds
of apples in basket. Discuss different kinds (different colors, shapes and sizes)
The top 5 apple producing states:
1. Washington
2. New York
3. Michigan
4. Pennsylvania
5. California
Some common varieties include:
Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith Braeburn, Rome, Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp,
Cameo, Jonagold, and Macintosh
Growing Apples
Show a map of the state and/or country to show best areas for growing apples. Discuss how
farmers plant the trees/orchards and they pick the apples in order to sell it to consumers.
Discuss with students that the government has guidelines for farmers of chemicals that are safe
to use on plants.
Explain that trees have life cycles. Show students an apple seed. Explain that apple trees grow
from apple seeds.
Social Studies
Apple Sayings
 Someone who is loved is sometimes called "the apple of my eye."
 Someone who causes harm is sometimes called a "bad apple."
 Supposedly, the "Adam's apple" (the lump on the front of a man's neck) gets its name
from a piece of the apple that Eve gave to Adam in the Garden of Eden, which stuck in
his throat, creating a bulge.
Apple Careers
Discuss careers related to unit – farmer, grocer, chefs. Identify how farmers help meet our need
for food. Point out that the average US consumer eats 19 lbs of apples each year, an average of
1 apple each week. Some benefits of eating apples include reducing heart disease, stroke
prevention and colon cancer prevention!
History
Archeologists have found evidences that humans have been enjoying apples since at least
6500BC. The apple tree originated in an area between the Caspin and Black Sea. Apples were
introduced to New York by the European settlers who brought seeds with them in the 1600s.
During the 1st century B.C., Roman farmers discovered that the best way to grow apples was to
cut branches, or scions, from a tree that produced healthy, tasty fruit and graft those branches
onto another tree with a strong root. Using this technique, the Romans developed seven
different apple varieties from the wild apple.
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Hands-On Units by Carmen Willings
Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
Apples
Johnny Appleseed
Tell the students about John Chapman who is better known as Johnny Appleseed. He lived
from Sept. 26, 1774 to March 18, 1845. He was an American pioneer who introduced apple
trees to large parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. He grew up on a farm with a large apple
orchard. When he was 20, Johnny strapped a bag of apple seeds to his back and headed west
to the Ohio Valley. When he arrived, he began a lifelong mission: going from town to town,
planting apple trees and sharing seeds with settlers. He became an American legend because
of his kind and generous ways, leadership in conversation and the symbolic importance he
attributed to apples. It is said that he wore a cooking pot on his head instead of a hat. There
have been many tales about him, including claims that he spent a snowy evening snuggled up
to a hibernating bear and that he had a knack for communicating with animals. No one can say
for certain how true these stories are, but Johnny Appleseed remains one of America's most
popular folk heroes.
Community Experience Or Visitors
Go on a community visit to an apple orchard or a farmers market if an orchard is not available.
Discovering that apples grow on trees in an orchard can help students understand where apples
truly come from. If your school does not permit you to take field trips, encourage parents to take
their children to an apple orchard or farm prior to the unit. Bring baskets of a variety of apples
for activities and exploration.
Discussion Following Real World Experience
Following the experience, encourage students to discuss what they saw, heard, touched and
experienced during the experience. Encourage them to provide details and describe people,
places and events during the experience. Play back audio record from the experience. As you
listen, pause it to have the students identify the sounds. Encourage them to communicate
feelings or ideas related to the experience.
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Hands-On Units by Carmen Willings
Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com