Lesson Plan: Plonk! It Is Autumn!
LESSON PLANNER
A guide for using our resources
Learning Objective
Children will identify things that fall off trees in autumn.
Vocabulary: blossom, gather, scatter
Science Focus: seasonal changes, plant life cycle
LESSON BOOSTERS
Simple, spectacular ideas to boost your lessons.
Paired Text: Chicken Little by Rebecca Emberly and Ed Emberly
Paired Text: Chicken Little by Rebecca Emberly and Ed Emberly
- Plonk! An acorn falls on Chicken Little’s head. Is the sky falling? This classic tale is a perfect companion to the issue.
Prereading Activity: Autumn Guessing Game
Prereading Activity: Autumn Guessing Game
- Collect items from a tree such as acorns, pine cones, leaves, sticks, and so on. Put them in a paper bag.
- Before reading, pull the items out one at a time. Let kids explore them and make a list of their names. What do they all have in common? (They come from trees.)
Scavenger Hunt: What Starts With A?
Scavenger Hunt: What Starts With A?
- A is for apple! Together, find and circle each word in the issue that starts with a. You can use different color markers for uppercase and lowercase a’s.
Hands-on Activity: Apple Science Snacks
Hands-on Activity: Apple Science Snacks
Skill: investigating and observing
Materials: apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, blender
- Turn snack time into science time with two super-easy apple snacks!
- For air-dried apple slices, core and slice apples to make rings. Thread the slices on strings, leaving space between each slice. Hang horizontally in a dry spot until the slices dry out and get chewy (this may take up to a few days, depending on the environment). Let kids observe the changes as the apples dry, and then have the dried apples for snack!
- For no-cook applesauce, peel, core, and chop 12 apples. Put them in a blender with 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup water, 1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Blend until smooth and enjoy!
