Lesson 4

Down at the Orchard

Objectives:

• Students will describe how an apple orchard looks.

• Students will draw a simple map that shows an apple orchard with the use of cardinal directions.

Time Required:

• Two Hours

Vocabulary:

• orchard

• cardinal directions

Materials:

• Internet

• Picking Apples and Pumpkins by Amy and Richard Hutchings. A timely tale of family outing, Picking Apples and Pumpkins shares the pleasures of autumn and the delights of fresh picked favorites, along with carving jack-o-lanterns and baking yummy apple pies. An apple pie recipe is included to ensure a truly delicious ending.

• Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell.  With great enjoyment of the autumn season, a small girl tells of her family's journey to a farm to pick apples and pumpkins. In simple language she gives the details of happiness from the point of view of a small child.

• KidPix

• Word Processing program

• Apple Orchard Map

Procedures:

• Visit the Apple Orchard with students, a virtual field trip.  This site describes the experience of visiting an apple orchard and picking apples.  It poses thought-provoking questions for students to answer.

• Read Picking Apples and Pumpkins by Amy and Richard Hutchings or Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell to familiarize your students with what an orchard looks like and how apples are picked at the orchard.

• Discuss what an apple orchard looks like and what can be found at an apple orchard.

• Review cardinal directions with students.  Play Simon Says using the cardinal directions ( Simon Says face east, Simon Say face south, etc.).

• Print and laminate the Apple Orchard Map or print on an overhead transparency.  Use overhead markers and have students follow the directions on the map to review the cardinal directions.

• Students will use KidPix to make a map of an apple orchard and write four sentences using cardinal directions identifying objects in the orchard (i.e.., The barn is north of the orchard; A green truck is west of the orchard; A yellow tractor is east of the orchard; The farmer is south of the orchard, etc.).  Note:  If students have problems writing their own sentences, write the sentences on the board and have them copy and type the sentence inserting the correct cardinal direction.  If you need to do this then you will have to draw a map on the board and they copy it on KidPik.

Evaluation:

• Students will be evaluated on the correct use of cardinal directions on the map of the apple orchard.

Extension Activities:

• Students will go on a field trip to an apple orchard.  Have students observe how the trees are planted, the size of the trees, etc.  Pick apples to bring back to school.  Use the apples for investigation activities, cooking projects, such as applesauce and apple butter, and art projects.

Home Learning:

• Review with students the sound of the letter A in apple.  Ask students to list other words with that same beginning sound.   For homework have students type words that begin with the "a in apple" and cut them out in an apple shape.  Have them create a simple tree shape and glue their apple "A words" to their trees.

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