Apple Lesson Plans for Second Grade and Above – Thematic Apple Ideas for Upper Elementary

As an upper-grade teacher, I often lamented about all of the fun thematic activities in the early elementary grades. Students got to learn about Fall, apples, and pumpkins while dove deep into our social studies and science. Some days I just wanted to take a break and learn all about apples. These Apple Lesson Plans informational articles and comprehension activities are specifically designed for third-grade through fifth-grade and focus students on more in-depth concepts and scientific ideas about apples.

Why study about apples in upper elementary grades?

September is a great time to study apples in the classroom. Apples are a great example of seasonal produce that can be used to teach kids about nutrition and how food grows. Apples can also be used to teach a variety of science topics such as botany, photosynthesis, and the water cycle. But most importantly, studying apples provides students with hands-on experience with an accessible and engaging subject. Through activities such as apple picking, pressing cider, or making homemade applesauce, elementary students will have fun while learning about one of nature’s most popular fruits!

What is Included in these Apple Lesson Plans for Upper-Grade Students?

I developed this teaching resource to focus on more complex academic concepts and tier-three vocabulary words. On the reading comprehension pages, students are asked to respond via short answer, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple-choice questions. Each section has an informational reading passage (except math), a reading comprehension page, and a related activity.

Apple Informational Articles

Included in the resource are informational articles about these topics and content areas:

• Biography / Legend: Who Was the Real Johnny Appleseed?
• Social Studies: How Do Apples Get From the Orchard to the Grocery Store?
• Science: Why Do Apples Turn Brown?
• Science: What Is the Life Cycle of an Apple Tree?
• Science: How Do We Taste Apples?
• Language Arts: How to Make Applesauce in a Crockpot
• PLUS: 4 Sets of Math Word Problems differentiated for grades 2-5.

Each Apple Reading Passage Has:

• Vocabulary Cards with real images
• Vocabulary Activities
• Audio Support via a QR Code
• Comprehension Questions – Short Answer, Fill-in-the-Blank, Multiple Choice
• Related Activity

Apple Activities Include:

• Writing a Legend
• Farm-to-Table Process Timeline with Problem/Solution
• Five Science Experiments using the Scientific Method designed for small groups
• Life Cycle Order plus Writing
• Taste Test with Upper-Grade Graphing Activities

Article #1: Legend & Biography – Who Was Johnny Appleseed?

The first informational article is about the Real Johnny Appleseed. It includes five paragraphs that explain the legend of Johnny Appleseed and give details about the real man, John Chapman. It discusses how John Chapman created apple nurseries and helped the settlers have food as they moved west.

The activity for this section is all about legends. Students learn what a legend is and write their own. Included is a graphic organizer and writing pages.

Article #2: Social Studies – How do Apples get From the Orchard to the Grocery Store?

Apple lesson plan number two is great for social studies. It talks about how apples get from the orchard to the grocery store and focuses on what happens at the apple processing plant as well as how apples are transported between places.

The activity for this section is a process timeline where students explain what happens at each step in the process. They also brainstorm some problems that could occur and solutions to those problems.

Article #3: Science – Why do Apples Turn Brown?

The third section is all about why apples turn brown. The focus is on the academic language and scientific concepts around oxidation and chemical reactions.

Included are five different science experiments all about apple oxidation. Each science experiment changes one part of the process. Have each small group perform an apple experiment then come together to discuss the findings. As a class, figure out what happens with different liquids, different apples, different temperatures, and more!

Article #4: Science – Apple Life Cycle

The fourth Apple lesson plan is the easiest article and activity. It is about apple life cycles. This reading passage is shorter and the activity should be more familiar to students. I have included more academic vocabulary and give students a word bank to support the use of the higher-level, tier-three vocabulary.

Article #5: Science – How do We Taste Apples?

Article five correlates well with Fourth Grade NGSS. It’s all about taste buds! The informational article discusses the sense of taste and how we can sense the difference between tart and sweet tastes.

The activity in this section is a taste test. The data-gathering worksheets are designed for older students and include a scale as well as an open graph where students need to create their own X-axis.

Article #6: How to Article – How to Make AppleSauce

In this informational article, students read a recipe about how to make applesauce in a crockpot. The recipe includes measurements for the ingredients, steps to make the recipe, and anecdotal text that adds voice engagement. Like all of the previous articles, this one comes with vocabulary cards and activities as well as a reading comprehension page.

The activity in this section is executing the recipe. You can make applesauce in the classroom!

Apple Math Word Problems

In the last section are sets of word problems. The word problem sets include:

• Addition & Subtraction
• Multiplication & Division
• Two-Step Word Problems with all operations
• Fractions

There are 10 word problems per section. An answer key is included.

Apples aren’t traditionally taught in upper-grade classrooms, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be! These apple lesson plans span a variety of content areas and are great for an apple-themed week or even a few days!

How to Purchase the All About Apples Resource

This robust Apples Thematic Unit can be purchased on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Books About Apples