Oranges: A Taste of California Sunshine

Provided by: Center for Ecoliteracy |Published on: December 9, 2022

Lesson Plans

345

Scientist Reviewed ↗

Synopsis

In this hands-on lesson, students will read, observe and taste-test navel oranges, attempt to locate their orange among others after careful observation, and write descriptive paragraphs.
Students will also learn about Eliza Tibbets and the history and importance of California's navel orange industry.

Related Teaching Resources

Subjects: Science, Social Studies

Authors: Center for Ecoliteracy

Region: North America, USA - West, United States, California

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

The step-by-step directions provide all of the information needed to walk through this lesson, including learning objectives, vocabulary terms, reproducibles, assessment questions, and additional resources.
This lesson includes printable materials that are colorful, engaging, and provide supports to help aid comprehension of the material.

Additional Prerequisites

This lesson includes a somewhat lengthy materials list, so be sure to prepare ahead of time.
Teachers will need to bring enough oranges for each student or pair, referring to the "Selecting Oranges" section for tips on choosing the best fruits for this lesson.

Differentiation

Since this lesson includes a writing task, consider providing writing supports might be most appropriate for your students, such as a checklist, writing rubric, or a writing graphic organizer.
As extension activities, refer to the suggestions in the lesson plan, such as conducting comparison tasting or having students research how drought and climate change may impact California's citrus industry.
If time allows, consider having students cut out the "What Makes It Unique?" handout ahead of time to avoid disrupting the flow of the lesson.
Before students write descriptors on their "What Makes It Unique?" cubes, brainstorm examples of words or pictures that they might use to describe the unique characteristics of their oranges.
Other activities that might supplement this lesson include these enrichment activities and these posters about other California-grown fruits and vegetables.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

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Resource Type and Format

About the Partner Provider

Center for Ecoliteracy

The Center for Ecoliteracy advances the teaching and modeling of sustainable practices in K–12 schools. The organization builds partnerships and the capacity of K–12 schools to support healthy, sustainable school communities and food systems change in schools. The Center for Ecoliteracy leads systems change initiatives, publishes original books and resources, facilitates conferences and professional development, and provides strategic consulting. The organization works at multiple levels of scale, with local, regional, state, and national programs.

Scientist Reviewed

This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.

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