This guide is a flexible reading enhancement tool for use by parents and teachers. It can be used with one child, a small group of children, or an entire family or class.
Ñ The "Preparation for Reading or Listening" section in this guide suggests procedures for introducing the material and creating a stimulating environment for learning.
Ñ Children can read the book in one sitting or they can read and discuss one portion at a time.
Ñ The "Background Information" section in this guide provides more details about the material presented in the book. This information can help you guide discussion and answer questions children may ask.
Ñ The "Follow-up Activities" section in this guide links the content of the book with several subject areas. Select the activities that best fit your needs.
Ñ An apple tree grows and changes with the seasons.
Ñ An apple tree is made up of these parts: roots, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit. Each part of the tree has a purpose.
Ñ In spring, flowers cover an apple tree. Within a few weeks, the petals fall away. Apples grow from the flowers. By autumn, the apples are ripe and ready to eat.
Ñ Leaves make food for an apple tree. In autumn, the leaves stop making food and fall from the tree.
Reading comprehension depends in large part upon prior experience and motivation. The procedure suggested in the following section allows children to share knowledge and experiences before they begin the book. It also stimulates interest in learning more about the topic presented in the book.
Ñ Starting Out╤Show the child an apple and ask the child to explain where it came from. After eliciting the appropriate response, tell the child that he or she will be learning about apple trees and how they grow.
Ñ Sharing Experiences╤Allow the child to share what he or she already knows about apple trees. Ask questions such as, "Have you ever picked apples?" and "How do you think an apple tree changes from season to season?" You may want to broaden the discussion to include other kinds of trees and their seasonal cycles.
Ñ Setting Goals for Reading or Listening╤Discuss what the child wants to know about apple trees. Keep a list of the child's questions for reference when the child has finished reading the book.
Ñ Previewing the Material╤Let the child browse through the book to get a general idea of the content. The photographs may inspire more questions to be added to the list before reading begins.
The seasonal changes of the apple tree provide a stimulating subject for observation and study. The cyclical processes of reproduction and growth appear vividly in the form of spring flowers and autumn fruit. Less visible, but no less important, are other processes that ensure survival and growth.
Parts of a Tree
The main parts of the apple tree are the roots, the trunk, the branches, the leaves, the flowers, and the fruit. Roots anchor the tree in the ground and absorb water and minerals from the soil through tiny root hairs at the ends of the roots. The trunk and branches support the tree and give it shape. Water and sap travel through veins in the outer layers of the trunk and branches. These layers, called the cambium, are made up of living cells. When the cells lose their vitality, they become part of the tree's central region, called the heartwood. The heartwood provides support for the tree. Leaves make food for the tree. Flowers and fruit are essential to the process of reproduction.
Pollination and Fertilization
Pollination and fertilization, which take place in the late spring, are the apple tree's reproduction processes. Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the stamen of one apple flower to the pistil of another. Bees, attracted by the apple flowers, transfer pollen from one flower to another as they search for pollen and nectar.
When pollen lands on the pistil, a pollen tube begins to form. It extends down to the ovary at the base of the pistil. When the pollen tube reaches the ovary, fertilization takes place. The petals and the stamens wither and fall away and the fruit begins to develop. As the fruit grows, only the withered sepals remain. They can still be seen at the end of the fruit.
Photosynthesis
Plants are the only living things capable of manufacturing their own food. The process by which leaves make food for a plant is called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a complicated process using carbon dioxide from the air, energy from sunlight, and water from the ground to make sugars that nourish the tree. Chlorophyll is the chemical in the leaves that absorbs the energy of the light and changes it into chemical forms. Carbon dioxide is absorbed through tiny openings, called stomata, on the underside of leaves. Water and minerals are absorbed through the root hairs and carried up through the tree to the leaves. During photosynthesis, the leaves produce sugars, which in the form of sap go to the rest of the tree. The sap carries the sugars and other carbohydrates necessary for apples to grow. About 40 leaves are needed to support one apple.
Where Do the Apples Go?
By autumn, apples are ready to pick. Most of them are picked and consumed by people. The United States is one of the world's largest producers of apples, with the yearly apple harvest totaling about 195 million bushels. Apples that fall to the ground provide food for animals. The animals help transfer seeds, which pass through their digestive systems. Apples that remain on the ground decompose. Under proper conditions, the seeds may produce new apple trees.
Leaves in Autumn
Decreasing sunlight and cooler temperatures signal the tree to slow the process of photosynthesis. The tree prepares for winter. Chlorophyll, which gives leaves their green color, begins to break down. In many kinds of trees, reds and yellows begin to appear as the chlorophyll breaks down. These colors are always in the leaves but are usually masked by chlorophyll.
Winter Rest
During the winter, the tree's activity is minimal. Food stored in the roots, trunk, and bark during the summer nourishes the tree in winter and will be used to start the tree's processes again in spring. Also developed during the summer are buds. They form on small branches called spurs and contain tightly packed leaves and flowers. Spurs are especially visible during the winter, when the tree is bare. When warm weather comes, buds on the spurs swell and burst open.
Winter rest is an essential part of the apple tree's life cycle. The buds require a period of cold before they will flower and grow.
Life Cycles
Most apple trees continue their seasonal cycles for about 40 years. They first begin to produce fruit when they are about seven years old. Today, most apple trees are reproduced in a process called grafting. This is because apples from trees grown from seeds tend to vary in appearance from tree to tree. Trees propagated by grafting produce very uniform fruit.
The following optional activities link the content of the book with several subject areas. The activities are designed to help both readers and nonreaders acquire and practice skills in various ways. Do as much of the activity as is appropriate to the interest and ability level of your child or children.
Ñ Review the questions the child asked before reading the book. What questions have been answered? Have the child discuss answers and plan ways to find answers to some of the remaining questions.
Ñ Visit the library and find books that will answer specific questions.
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Subject Areas: Science, Art
Skills: Reviewing information, applying concepts
Ñ Have the child turn to the diagram of the apple tree in the book. Have the child point out the parts of a tree and discuss the function of each part.
Ñ Remind the child that a tree is a plant and that many parts of a tree can also be seen in smaller plants. Show the child a small potted plant. Remove the plant from its pot and shake off the soil so that the child can see the roots. Look carefully at the roots, the stem, and the leaves. Have the child identify the corresponding parts on the diagram of an apple tree.
Ñ Then have the child draw a tree and label its parts. Display the child's finished drawing on the wall or refrigerator. Ask the child to describe each part of the tree.
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Subject Area: Science
Skills: Applying information, classifying
Ñ Cut open an apple and let the child examine it to see what he or she can discover. Remind the child that the apple protects the seeds and that new apple trees may grow from the seeds. Then tell the child that most plants have seeds and that each kind of plant makes its own kind of seed.
Ñ Cut open a variety of other fruits, and allow the child to examine the seeds. Compare the seeds and discuss how they are alike and different. Make a chart with the headings "Seed" and "Plant." Paste the seeds on one side of the chart, under "Seed," and identify the plant from which each seed comes under the "Plant" heading.
Ñ To extend the activity, take a field trip to collect and identify other seeds to add to the chart.
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Subject Areas: Language Arts, Music
Skills: Applying information, creative thinking
Ñ Johnny Appleseed, whose real name was John Chapman, was an American pioneer who has become a legendary figure. He became known as Johnny Appleseed because he distributed apple seeds and sprouts in central and northern Ohio during the early 1800s. Songs and stories have helped keep the legend of Johnny Appleseed alive.
Ñ Visit the library to find some of these songs and stories, and share them with the child. Discuss how Johnny Appleseed got his name and why he was important.
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Subject Areas: Science, Art
Skills: Classifying, applying information
Ñ Have the child look at the apple tree leaves pictured in the book. Tell the child to look closely at the shape of the leaves. Point out that every kind of leaf has its own shape.
Ñ Next, give the child a small bag and take the child on a leaf-collecting expedition. Encourage the child to collect at least three or four leaves of different shapes.
Ñ When you return from the expedition, have the child press the leaves by placing them inside a heavy book and putting the book under a heavy weight. To prevent staining, place the leaves between paper towels before putting the leaves in the book.
Ñ The pressed leaves can be used in a variety of ways. They can be mounted on construction paper and gathered into a leaf book. Older children might use a reference book to identify the leaves. Leaf prints can be made by placing the leaf under a piece of white paper and then coloring lightly over the paper with a soft pencil or crayon (the leaf should be placed vein side up). The child can trace the leaves, write his or her name on them, cut the leaves out, and display them.
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Subject Areas: Math, Art
Skills: Classifying, mathematics
Ñ At the center of large index cards, write the numbers one through ten╤with one number per card. Have the child draw the right amount of apples on each card to correspond to the number on that card.
Ñ Use the cards as flash cards for addition and subtraction problems.
Ñ For greater variety, you might want to create four sets of cards and have the child draw different items on each set: apples, seeds, flowers, and leaves.
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Subject Area: Science
Skills: Observing, applying information
Materials Needed: Celery, food coloring
Ñ To show how water travels up through the apple tree, conduct a demonstration using food coloring and celery. Trim the ends of the stalks. Then place the stalks in a clear container of colored water (the water should be dyed a dark color, such as red or blue). Allow the child to observe the celery each day for several days, and then discuss what happened.
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Subject Area: Science
Skills: Observing, applying information
Materials Needed: 8 apples, 1/2 cup water or apple cider, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 cup sugar or honey, a pan for cooking, paper cups
Ñ Ask the child to think of foods that are made from apples. Help the child see that apples are an important food. Tell the child that he or she will see how apples are used to make applesauce.
Ñ Pare and core the apples and cut them into quarters. Put the apple slices in a pan with the water. Cover the apples and cook until tender. Mix in the nutmeg and sugar or honey. Cook one minute longer. Mash the mixture together until it is smooth enough to eat. Allow the applesauce to cool before serving.
This Activity Guide may be reproduced by the original purchaser for use at home or in the classroom. Copyright ⌐ 1993 National Geographic Society, Washington, D. C. 20036.
