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September 26
John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, was born in 1775.
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| Grades | 3 – 8 |
| Calendar Activity Type | Historical Figure & Event |
Did you know that Johnny Appleseed was a nickname given to John Chapman? There are many nice folktales written about him, but we have no proof that these things really happened. One thing that is true about John Chapman is that he planted apple trees!
As you share the details of John Chapman's life and his travels, use the Timeline Tool to organize the details that you find in the books and websites that you check. As you work through the details, ask students to look for details that are fact and those that are exaggeration. If desired, use the Venn Diagram tool or Mobile App to organize the information (especially if you are using the stories of Johnny Appleseed as part of a tall tales unit). As extensions, you might track Chapman's journeys on your classroom map or have students use the Theme Poems Interactive to create poems about apples or about Johnny Appleseed. For additional help, see the more tips about Theme Poems and the more tips on the Timeline Tool.
- Johnny Appleseed Was Born
From the Library of Congress America's Story from America's Library, this site provides a short biography of John Chapman in the context of other historical events.
- Apples and More
This University of Illinois Extension site includes links to apple facts, recipes, history and legend, and educational material.
- The Story of Johnny Appleseed
Second graders from Austin, Texas contributed the writings and drawings about Johnny Appleseed found on this webpage.
Grades 3 – 6 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
American Folklore: A Jigsaw Character Study
Groups of students read and discuss American folklore stories, each group reading a different story. Using a jigsaw strategy, the groups compare character traits and main plot points of the stories. A diverse selection of American folk tales is used for this lesson, which is adaptable to any text set.
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Theme Poems: Writing Extraordinary Poems About Ordinary Objects
Students select a familiar object online, build a bank of words related to the object, and write theme poems that are printed and displayed in class.
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Sequencing: A Strategy to Succeed at Reading Comprehension
Did Paul Bunyan gouge out the Grand Canyon before or after he dug the Great Lakes? Students create a life-sized timeline showing the sequence of events in this tall tale.
Grade K | Lesson Plan | Unit
Writing Reports in Kindergarten? Yes!
This lesson encourages young students to see themselves as writers with a message to convey. Three types of reports are provided to show what kindergartners and emergent writers can do.
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Thundering Tall Tales: Using Read-Aloud as a Springboard to Writing
Imagination and application are key to this tall tale lesson in which students take what they know about tall tales to spin a yarn of their own.
