1-2-3 Come Do Some Apple-Themed Vocabulary Building With Me

Apple-themed week, continues with some interesting vocabulary building activities.  Part of all of the themes that I did with my Y5's, included the vocabulary that they needed to learn that would help them understand apples, pumpkins, butterflies etc. 

The science aspect of what we studied, provided a plethora of new words.  Having children label the parts of an apple, is a quick, easy and fun way to reinforce a few of them. 

To visually show the "peel" or "skin" of an apple, I made this "craftivity" as a flip open.  The "skin" is flipped off to reveal the inside of the apple.

Students add a bit of color, cut and glue the words, or write them.  If you look closely at my sample, you can also see the front that says: Kelli's apple, as an interesting way for students to write their name. Click on the link to view/download the Label An Apple Craft.

Another way I reinforced vocabulary was for students to write the words.  To cover yet another standard, I often had them put the words in alphabetical order. 

I designed a sweet apple knOWLedge bookmark, with a list of apple related words on it, plus a worksheet on the side for students to write the words in alphabetical order.  Click on the link to view/download the apple vocabulary bookmark. 

Word finds are also fun for students.  These not only reinforce vocabulary, but help increase spelling skills.  This one features 18 apple-themed words. Click on the link for the apple word find.

No matter what grade I taught, I always encouraged my students to use adjectives in their writing to make things more vivid, and to incorporate them orally when they were describing something.  

Having children think up words as they use their senses to feel, taste, and smell an apple, also helps increase vocabulary. 

As they share the words that they come up with to describe their apple, list them on the board. 

Use the  apple adjective worksheet before or after your brainstorming.  I've included a completed sample that you can also share. Click on the link to view/download the apple adjective activities.

As a part of our science requirements, we also studied the 5 senses, which fit in perfectly with adjective use.  I challenged my students each month to increase their use of adjectives by using all of their senses when describing something. 

To make this easy, I designed a simple and quick worksheet for them to fill in each month.  I called these Sensory Word Anchor Charts.  Each month I chose a different word that would be appropriate for that time of year. 

For example, for September, I used an apple.  Click on the link to grab a copy of the monthly sensory adjective writing. 

Finally, another way to build vocabulary and increase writing skills, is by teaching antonyms and synonyms for the words that your students use and are learning. 

In keeping with the apple theme, I made up antonym apples with synonym leaves.  Cut them into puzzles to play all sorts of matching games. 

The apples provide 132 words to help build student vocabularies.  There's also a blank apple template to fill in with whatever, plus 80 synonym leaves with 2 blank leaf templates. 

Encourage students to make up some of their own antonym apples and write in synonyms too.  For more practice with antonyms, be sure and check out my list of 290 antonyms.  I've included a cover in this packet, so that students can make their own antonym word booklets.

Thanks for visiting today. Time to clear the clutter on my desk and in my mind.  I'm off for a walk to soak up some sunshine, with the tail-wagging Chloe. (My black poodle pup!)  The air smells so fresh from the down pour last night.  Wishing you a happy day.

 "If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach them the way they learn." -Ignacio Estrada

1-2-3 Come Sequence The Life Cycle Of An Apple With Me!

I liked to do several life cycle "craftivities" for our apple unit.  After several hands-on activities, the sequence eventually got into everyones head.  Cutting and glueing are wonderful fine motor skills that need plenty of practice, so I made several ways for you to use the life cycle of an apple printables.

For a quick and easy table top activity, run off the “Sequencing the Life Cycle of an Apple” worksheet.  Make sure you print a color copy for your demonstration model.  Students cut off the bottom and then cut and glue the individual pictures to the matching ordinal number position at the top of the paper. Before hand, point out to students, that the pictures are numbered.

When everyone has completed their project, use the “teacher cards” on your word wall or pocket chart, to reinforce and review the life cycle (science) as well as the new vocabulary. This is a great time to cover ordinal numbers as well.

If you’d like to involve math, have students choose a partner and take turns rolling a die.  Whatever number they roll, is the piece that they cut and glue.  If they roll a six, they lose their turn.  The first child who completes their apple life cycle, or the one who has the most squares glued on when the timer rings, is the winner.  All children should complete their paper.

To involve a bit more cutting, plus listening and following directions skills, pre-cut red, yellow and light green construction paper into 11 by 4 inch strips.  Give students a color choice.  They cut “slits” on their ordinal number template; the “doors” will then flip up.  So that children don’t snip off their “fllip-up’s” remind them to STOP cutting when they run out of a line to follow.

Students rub a line of glue along the top of their ordinal number rectangle (this is the title portion) and glue it to their piece of construction paper.

Children press on the folds to crease them, so that they easily flip up.  Students glue the appropriate picture under each flap.  When everyone is done, to make sure that students have the correct order, review the life cycle.

Click on the link to view/download The Life Cycle of an Apple activities.

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"All of the things we achieve are things we have first of all imagined." -David Malouf