Teacher Resources

Dear K -3 Teachers:

There are several things you and your students can expect from your day at the orchard:

• A day of hands-on, educational fun led by experienced guides
• A day to explore how people, nature, and technology interact at an apple orchard
• Engaging activities and demonstrations focused on orchard insects; groundwater, aquifers and irrigation systems on an orchard; an apple grader; and an old-fashioned apple cider press
• A hayride, a beautiful outdoor setting for a picnic lunch (not provided) and play time at the lower orchard
• Lesson Activity Stations that have been designed specifically for Minnetonka Orchards and that are aligned with the Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts Standards set forth by the State of Minnesota (please see below)
• Thematic questions presented to the students that lead them each towards earning an “Orchard Operations Specialist” certificate
• Wonderful Apple that is tree ripened is given to each kid as a snack.

 

If you click on the teacher resource page link you will find a special section offering several links to both short and more extensive lessons and activities that relate in many different ways to the educational content presented at the orchard.  They are appropriate to teach either before or after your visit to the orchard. You will also find a section with several direct links to quick and easy activities such as crosswords, coloring sheets, mazes, and short readings.

Insect Investigation Station Objectives: Through interactive discussion, guide-presented information, and a hands-on memory game at the “What-An-Insect-Board!”, students will 1) learn the names of some of the common insects encountered at the apple orchard 2) learn about how insects can be pests or beneficials, including methods the orchard farmers use to make the most of beneficial insects and the ones they use to handle pests 3) learn about predatory and symbiotic relationships among insects 4) learn some general facts about what the insects look like, eat and do on the orchard.

MN Science Standards Met:

K            IV. LIFE SCIENCE B. Diversity of Organisms

1            IV. LIFE SCIENCE F. Flow of Matter and Energy

2            IV. LIFE SCIENCE F. Flow of Matter and Energy

3            IV. LIFE SCIENCE C. Interdependence of Life 

MN Language Arts Standards Met:

K-3        V. READING AND LITERATURE C. Vocabulary Expansion

Irrigation Station Objectives: Through discussion, observation and hands-on manipulation of demonstration equipment, students will become familiar with (1) the existence of groundwater in aquifers and (2) the orchard’s use of a drip irrigation system to obtain and distribute water to the apple trees. 

MN Science Standards Met:

K            III. EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE B. The Water Cycle, Weather and Climate

1            III. EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE B. The Water Cycle, Weather and Climate

2            III. EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE A. Earth Structure and Processes

3            III. EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE B. The Water Cycle, Weather and Climate

MN Social Studies Standards Met:

K-3         V. GEOGRAPHY C. Physical Features and Processes

Below is a coloring sheet for your Children