Did you know that Pennsylvania is known for Apples? It is ranked fourth in apple-growing states in the United States, with more than 21,000 acres of orchards producing 400 to 500 million pounds of apples per year. Apples are fruits that grow on apple trees. Each apple contains its seeds. Germination takes place when the seed coat breaks open and a root grows into the soil to collect water and minerals. A shoot will begin to push up through the soil and toward the light. The shoot will become a stem and eventually, the stem will thicken out and become a trunk. Each year an apple tree grows more and more branches. Apple trees do not begin making flowers or apples until they are about eight years old.
In this video, kids ask important questions about the life cycle of an apple and one of Pennsylvania apple growers responds from the orchard. This is the best way for children to learn all about the life cycle of an apple tree.
This video satisfies the 3-LS1-1 requirement for third-grade science proficiency.
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
3-LS1-1. Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
