An apple a day....or for the whole week

To introduce non-fiction reading to the students, we are focussing on apples.

We are using a variety of different non-fiction sources to look at the different features found in these types of books, such as labels, captions, photos, bold words, table of contents and glossaries.

As the students heard the information, they were intrigued by the facts that they learned.

Ask your child how many different types of apples there are (over 7000) and if they know any names of apples (we could name 10 varieties).  You could also ask where the blossom that started the apple on the tree is found on an apple (do you know?) or what insect is needed in the orchard to make sure that apples can grow.  The students were so intrigued by this new learning and I know they would love to share.

They are creating a lap book to demonstrate their new learning, and focusing on recording their observations, the way that a scientist would.

Today they used their long term memory to name the five  senses  that they learned about in Grade One.  Could your child name them?  The students all got to taste three different types of apples: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith.  Using their senses, they shared their thoughts

which I recorded on the whiteboard.  They used these words in their own observations which then got  pasted into their lap books.  You'll see those soon!

Reading a Recipe

One of the areas that is often included in the Grade Three Provincial Achievement Language Arts exam is reading a recipe.  All the primary teachers help the students understand the unique way that a recipe is written.  This year I found a wonderful recipe on the "First Grade Parade" blog.  It was to make applesauce.  The students all got a chance to use a special spiral peeler to peel the apples, then we read the recipe, found the ingredients, followed the directions, measured and waited until it was done.  It was a hit!

 Everyone was encouraged to try a little taste.  We talked about the smell of the applesauce as it was cooking in the crock pot, and then the taste when we got to eat it the next day.

Those who loved it, really loved it.  Others, not so much!

We created a web, with the words in black being the words that describe the smell, and the words in red added to describe the taste.  Fancy Nancy would be impressed with the word 'spectacular'!

Here's the recipe from "First Grade Parade", just in case you have a few apples that need to be sauced!