How to Use Apples to Teach Educational Lessons
There's a saying that goes: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," and even the idea that of all things to give, students should give their teacher the gift of an apple. In addition to using an apple to teach about things like health and sharing, you can also use an apple to teach students vital lessons in math. Something as simple as a few apples can make learning fun and motivate young students to want to learn.
Things You'll Need
- Apples (preferably real instead of make-believe)
- Red construction paper
- Scissors
- A copy of the USDA food pyramid
- Sheets of lined paper
Instructions
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Counting
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1
Teach students how to count using whole apples or pieces of an apple. Start off the first day learning the number one and use an apple to signify one item. Have the students write the number one and choose a student's written number to place in front of the apple.
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2
Learn about the number two the next day and add a second apple to signify two items. Have the students write the number two and choose a student's written number to place in front of the second apple.
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3
Repeat steps one and two for days three, four and five. By the end of the week there will be five apples total, and children should have learned how to count from one to five--recognizing the numbers and what amount represents each number.
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4
Cut up the apples into pieces on the last day, allowing students to eat the fruit.
Giving and Sharing
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5
Get red construction paper and have students cut the paper into circles. Put the red apple circles in a special place where students know they can always go to get one.
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6
Instruct students each morning to write one positive thing they'd like to share about another student on an "apple." Students should write their name on the front, and on the back each student writes another student's name along with the message.
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7
Collect all the apples and at the end of the week explain how healthy it is to share good thoughts about another person. You might say, "Just like apples keep our bodies healthy, nice words keep our emotions healthy." Then distribute the apples or read them aloud.
Nutrition
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8
Talk to students about the fruit group in the United States Department of Agriculture's food pyramid. The USDA's food pyramid is a general guide of the foods we should eat daily, including all the food groups (See References for a link to the pyramid).
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9
Challenge students to eat at least one apple each day, and record on a sheet a paper the date and time that they eat an apple on those days.
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10
Motivate students to get others eating healthily too after they've mastered eating an apple a day for at least a week or two, by getting as many of their friends and family members to eat an apple a day as well.
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11
Hand out copies of a list numbered from one to 50 (or more) and have students fill in a line for every person they get to eat an apple each day. On the last day of the week choose the winner who has the most names on his or her list.
Fractions
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12
Teach the fraction one whole on the first day using one whole apple. On the second day, teach one-half by cutting a whole apple in half. You can do this in front of the whole class, or put the students into groups and give each group an apple or give all the students an apple.
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13
Repeat steps one and two on the third day, but this time cut the apple into three pieces and show how one piece signifies one third of the apple. Each day the fractions increase so you'll repeat the actions accordingly.
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14
Eat the apples each day you complete a lesson and students have learned the new fraction for that day.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Make sure the apples are washed clean and edible.
Cutting is a task that you must monitor. To be safe, use plastic knives and help younger children who cannot cut on their own.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit red apples image by vnlit from Fotolia.com
