Apple Tree STEM

Laura Cipriani

Subtask:  STEM – Junior and Senior  Timeline:  5 minute introduction, 30-25 

Kindergarten  minutes activity 

Expectations Addressed: 

4.5, 1.2: listen and respond to others, both verbally and non-verbally for a variety of purposes 
in a variety of different contexts 
4.5, 1.4: sustain interactions in different contexts 
4.5, 1.6: use language to communicate their thinking, to reflect, and to solve problems 
4.5, 15.2: investigate some concepts of quantity and equality through identifying and 
comparing sets with more, fewer, or the same number of objects 
4.5, 15.4: demonstrate an understanding of counting concepts of stable order, and of order 
irrelevance 
4.5, 17.2: communicate an understanding of basic spatial relationship in their conversations 
and play, in their predictions and visualizations, and during transitions and routines 
4.6, 4.1: use a variety of strategies to solve problems, including problems arising in social 
situations 

Learning Intention:  Success Criteria: 

The intention is to provide the students  ·​ ​Are they able to work as a team? 
with the skills to construct an object using  ·​ ​Are they listening to one another’s 
limited supplies, and have them work as a  suggestions and offering solutions when 
team to figure out a way to balance the  necessary? 
apples and popsicle sticks on the toilet  ·​ ​Are they using the materials properly 
paper roll.   and wisely? 
·​ ​Are they able to count how many 
apples they were able to balance on 
the popsicle sticks? 
·​ ​Were they able to problem solve when 
something didn’t go according to 
plan?  

❏ Modelled  Assessment:  Opportunities for Descriptive Feedback: 

X Shared 
❏ Guided 
❏ Independent 
Practice 
❏ Other 
 ·​ ​Numeracy skills  ·​ ​Atfirst, specifically for the ELL 
on counting  learners, provide a picture or 
how many  visual of an apple tree so they 
pompoms  know what is expected of them 
they were  in the activity 
able to 
balance 
·​ ​Teamwork and 
problem 
solving 
·​ ​Spatial 
awareness 
·​ ​Demonstration 
of leadership 
and 
assistance 
with other 
students 

Resources:  Differentiation:  Accommodations/Modifications 

(ELL/IEP): 

Teachers Pay Teachers  ·​ ​Show students  ·​ ​Pair

up students in Sk/JK, so that 
a picture of  the SKs can help out the JKs 
the  complete the task  
completed 
activity so 
they know 
what it will 
end up 
looking like 

Beginning/Engagement:  Explain to the students that we are going to build something 

today. We will be building an apple tree that can hold 10 apples. 
Give them the materials (toilet paper roll, 10 pom poms, and 
popsicle sticks). Have one JK and SK working together for this 
activity, if possible so that they can help each other out 
effectively. Reinforce the rules on STEM: The Maker is the Breaker, 
Use your own materials, everybody builds! 
Middle:  Go around the room and see their methods and strategies for 
making the branches of the tree, and how they are able to work 
their way through balancing the apples on the popsicle sticks. 
Ask the students what their strategy is, and write it down for 
observation.  

Wrap-Up:  Close the lights, hands on top. Remind everyone of the time, and 
that we should put all the toilet paper rolls in the bag, all the 
popsicle sticks in the container, and all the pompom balls in the 
container as well. Once they have done that, have them sit on 
the edge of the carpet for further instruction. 

Reflections: