Classrooms that encourage students to wonder and explore promote deep rooted learning. This can often be done through the use of themes and topics that include informational text. To share with you what I mean I am going to explain my resource on Johnny Appleseed.
Note the adorable crafts that can be completed anytime throughout the theme. They are ideal for bulletin boards or showcasing student writing.
- The resource is filled with informational text about Johnny Appleseed and about apples. I love the mini books provided because together or in small groups the books can be read and as you are reading key facts and vocabulary can be highlighted. For the reluctant reader the book can be read again and again with the highlighted areas giving them As students are writing or recalling detail this text can be extremely helpful and something they have right in their hands. Read to parent, read to self, read with partner, read with group…just read and know that as they are reading they are learning key facts.
- Talk about wonder…The Little Red House is a marvelous story with no pictures about a little boy who looks for a little red house. Along the way he meets several friends who all suggest places to look. Throughout the students are using their imagination. Where could it be? In the end it is an apple with the star inside. Again more to discover. Does every apple have a star inside? Why?
- Poetry is always fun to add to the theme. Students should be encouraged to read and memorize the poem. They can add hand motions and expression. Then have them illustrate what happened.
- Remember the tune “There was an old lady who swallowed a fly”? Well same tune just thelife cycle of the apple tree with lots of repeats. There was a young man who swallowed a seed!! That wiggled and wiggled and grew inside him. What a fun way to learn about the life cycle of the apple tree. Again use those highlighters to highlight key steps. The activities that follow are perfect for review.
- There are so many wonderful pieces of literature about apples and Johnny Appleseed. Fill your room with them! This resource includes comprehension activities to follow. There are fiction and non fiction stories.
- There are 18 colorful vocabulary cards for posting. They will help with reading and word work. Each word includes a picture for support.
- Writing is plentiful. Students will be completing graphic organizers for gathering facts (again pull out those mini books) and final write pages leveled for different stages of writing. I have also included a cover for class writing as if your class is like mine their favorite book choice are the ones we wrote.
- Word work… abc order, definition, making words, word search, rhyme. Vocabulary are the fast facts of reading and understanding. There are center activities as well for parts of speech.
- Math includes addition activities and odd/even. There are two center activities for your math station. My favorite is reading Ten Apples Up on Top. Put the student picture at the bottom and have them color and number (words) stacking one to ten.
- For exploring there is science. Explore the apple in detail. Will it float? Why?
This is how I see getting students to wonder and explore. You are not feeding them right or wrong answers but having them use their critical thinking skills to discover answers. I know your students will be engaged and learning the entire time!!
WOW that’s a lot of activities for apples and best of all each activity is related to Common Core Standards.
I hope you will “pick” this packet!
