Get a free trial until June 30, 2026!
New members get access to our science units, hands-on activities, mini-lessons, & more!

New members get a free trial through June 2026!
Back > Share
Back > Share

Why are some apples red and some green?

Power of Flowers Unit
Lesson 3 of 2
Trait Variation, Inheritance, & Artificial Selection
4.8 (12557 reviews)
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
Video trouble?

Discuss: How could you grow your own sweet apples?

Here's one idea we had

Video trouble?

Discuss:

In what ways are you different from your siblings?

Video trouble?

Discuss: How could you grow an EVEN SWEETER apple, using the seeds from your new apples?

Here's an idea we had

Video trouble?

Discuss: How did we get from small crab apples thousands of years ago to large red and green apples today?

Reveal answer

Video trouble?
Video trouble?
🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?

Extend this lesson

Assessments

Reading

Assessments

View all extensions
Sign up now for more great lessons!
Sign up
# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration which you just completed.
# Extra Activity: How Many Seeds?

Cut an apple in half horizontally, and you'll see five seed compartments arranged in a star. How many seeds are in each compartment?

Your students will find out in this activity from the Willett Garden of Learning. Students predict the number of seed they will find in each apple, then work in groups to count seeds and compare the results.

Apple growers use seed counting to find out how successful the bees in their orchard have been. Empty seed compartments mean that some of the apple flower's eggs were not pollinated. Some farmers think that apples with more seeds are bigger or juicier. Ask your students what they think, after observing their apples and counting the seeds. (You'll find more information about apple seed counting here.)

# Math Extension: # Graphing the Apple Taste Test

Use sticky notes to make a bar graph showing students' apple preference. Draw a horizontal axis and a vertical axis on a large piece of paper. On the horizontal axis, make four columns, each the width of a sticky note. At the bottom of each column, write the name of an apple variety.

Give each student a sticky note and have them place it neatly in the column of their favorite apple. The notes will form the bar of the graph.

For more on graphing with sticky notes, visit Schoolhouse Diva.

# Language Arts Extension: # Once Upon an Apple

Apples often play an important role in fairy tales, myths, and folklore. In a class discussion, ask students if they know any stories in which apples are important. Possible examples are Snow White and William Tell. You'll find other examples from around the world at The Fairy Tale Cupboard.

Ask students to write a story that begins: "Once upon a time, I found a magic apple in my lunchbox." Encourage them to describe what the apple tasted like—and what happened when they ate it.

# Web Resource: Apple Varieties

If your students are intrigued by the Apple Taste Test, there are many other apple varieties to sample. You'll find them listed by name (with a description of each) here.

If you want to find a apple orchard that your class could visit, check Orange Pippin for one near you.

Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration
Box of apples by John Phelan
Red head brothers by Eddy Van 3000
Wild apples by John Severns
Apple trees by Peter Fristedt
Bird eating berries on tree by jeffreyw
Twins by Ruth Lozano
Apple seeds by fir0002 | flagstaffotos.com.au
Apples by Scott Bauer
Brother/sister by Rod Waddington
Row of apple trees by Jeff Kubina
Half eaten apple by Joe Lodge
Siblings by Juhan Sonin
Honeycrisp apple by Jon Fingas
Pine trees by Luca Biada
Single apple tree with flowers by Alexander van Loon
Half eaten apple on tree by Shane McGraw
Rooster, hay, pitch fork by Hartwig HKD
Holding half eaten apple by Imgur
Pile of apples by Sarah Horrigan
Holding apple by Imgur
Bright red apple by Imgur
Favorite apple tree by Matt
Close up on apple seeds by Mark Probst
Kinds of pears by Agyle
Citrus by Anthony Albright
Siblings 2 by The Good Doctor
Other
Turkey in front of door by H. Kopp-Delany
Credits
Why are some apples red and some green?
Power of Flowers Unit
Lesson 3 of 2
Trait Variation, Inheritance, & Artificial Selection
4.8 (12557 reviews)

Featured Reviews

“The taste test! Students said it was the most fun experiment they had ever done. ”
· Jen · Teacher
“The students loved tasting and describing the apples. It not only supported their science learning but also ELA and descriptive words!”
· · Teacher
“This is the only way to teach science. Every single child in on board and learning.”
· · Teacher
“The students felt like scientists when they were rating the sweetness/sourness of each apple. They had wonderful conversations about their favorites!”
· Amanda · Teacher
“My students enjoyed it. We had a blast taste testing all the different types of apples. Truly a fun and exciting experiment with the students. Thank you for providing amazing video's and science experiments that get the kids excited. ”
· Anna · Teacher
“Kids really enjoyed this lesson. I could hear them comparing their taste with their classmates, explaining why they chose a certain apple as their favorite. Thanks for making science easy for teachers and fun for students.”
· Juanita · Teacher
“So great and engaging! Students all know what selection means and how it works. The experiment was definitely on of their favorites so far!”
· Jamie · Teacher
“The students were very involved and excited when testing the apples. Very engaging!”
· Natalie · Teacher
“I taught this lesson for an observation from my principal. Lesson's activity was very interactive and engaging. Good math extension as well.”
· Kimberli · Teacher
“The kids loved the apple tasting. I want to tell you that almost every time I have talked to a parent about their student in my class, they are telling me how much their kid is enjoying Science. Also, the students (even non-reading students) are learning all the concepts. Thanks for your great videos!”
· Marna · Teacher
“The class liked tasting the apples. We went further and made a graph for each apple. Each team made up a question for their apple graph.”
· Janice · Teacher
“We enjoyed the taste test very very very much!! XD ”
· Laura · Homeschooler
“The students loved eating the apples! I now have students telling me the different types of apples that they have in their lunch bag.”
· Kimberly · Teacher
“Kids had a great time classifying the apples and explaining selection”
· Ellen · Teacher
“My students loved tasting the apples. The discussion questions made them feel successful because they understood what they needed to talk about.”
· Nancy · Teacher
“The apple taste-test went off without a hitch, and the kids loved it. I absolutely love that these lessons are slowly dipping their toes into evolutionary biology, and they don't even know it.”
· Brandon · Teacher
“The kids loved the activity and I loved the additional activities. I wish I could teach science all day long.”
· Marla · Teacher
“Loved it, as did the students. Quality science discourse is greatly improved by the questions provided. Thank you.”
· Gail · Teacher
“This lesson explains selection perfectly. The students gained a very strong understanding of this concept. ”
· Maggie · Teacher
“Students loved the videos and the taste testing was appropriate. They really understood the word "selection" and related it to the other science we have been studying (How living things change our environment. Also, the Zone of Darkness has been a hit and my students have connected it to all the other units. ”
· Dixie · Teacher
“My kids love the exciting videos. I love the stop and discuss slides as well as the follow up assessments and reading passages / activities.”
· Jessica · Teacher
“The students loved the apple tasting. Some have never had or eaten Honey Crisp apples before this activity. They seemed to really grasp how selection can make apples either sweeter or more sour.”
· Andrea · Teacher
“All of it! Very user friendly, content rich, engaging, etc.! Love the suggested links to integrate it into other subject areas!”
· Riley · Teacher
“My son LOVED it. It was very interesting and informative. ”
· Christine · Homeschooler
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
This is an archived Mystery Science resource. Archived resources are not updated to reflect current scientific understanding or best pedagogical practices.
In this lesson, students learn how the food we eat is a result of selection. In the activity, Apple Taste Test, students taste four different varieties of apples to learn about the traits (color, texture, and flavor) of apples that humans have artificially selected to encourage.
Preview activity

Assessments

I have a Mystery Pack

Apple Taste Test worksheet
If you use different apple varieties than the ones we used, you can change the apple names in the first column of the worksheet. 		30 copies
Cutting Board
1 board
Knife
1 knife
Apple Variety 1 (ex: Granny Smith)
Each student needs a small piece of apple. You may need more or less apples, depending on their size.
Details
2 apples
Apple Variety 2 (ex: Red Delicious)
Each student needs a small piece of apple. You may need more or less apples, depending on their size.
Details
2 apples
Apple Variety 3 (ex: Golden Delicious)
Each student needs a small piece of apple. You may need more or less apples, depending on their size.
Details
2 apples
Apple Variety 4 (ex: Honeycrisp)
Each student needs a small piece of apple. You may need more or less apples, depending on their size.
Details
2 apples
Paper Towels
30 sheets
Plastic Plates (10")
4 plates
Toothpicks
30 toothpicks
Prep Instructions

You need 4 different varieties of apples that have different colors, textures, and flavors. We recommend Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Honeycrisp. But you can also use other varieties such as Gala, Fuji, or Jazz. Each student needs a small piece of each apple. This means that for a class of 30, you’ll probably need two apples of each variety, but it will depend on the particular size of the apples available.

Prepare Apples for Tasting

Before class begins (or during the video), use your paring knife and cutting board to slice each apple and remove the core. Cut each apple into small pieces so that each student can have a taste. Place all pieces for each apple variety on a plastic plate. We recommend placing the sticker from the apple variety on the rim of each plate to help you remember which apple is which.

Graph the Apple Taste Test (Optional)

For an optional math extension, you can use sticky notes to make a bar graph of your students’ apple preferences. Instructions can be found in our Extensions on Graphing the Apple Taste Test.

Standards

Jump to

Exploration

25 mins

Hands-On Activity

25 mins

Share this lesson

Student link

Google Classroom

Email parents

Slow internet or video problems?
Credits
 
Flowers Lesson 3: Why are some apples red and some green?

How did the lesson go?
Terrible OK Good Great Terrific!

How can we improve it?

If you'd like our team to reply to you, please Contact Support instead.

Thanks for your feedback! If you have a question or need help, please contact us. Please consider sharing your review:

Sorry the lesson didn't go well. We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.

Thanks for letting us know. We’ll wait to ask you for feedback until after you've actually taught it.

Thanks for the feedback! We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.

Is the video not playing properly?

Please follow these steps:

  1. Very rarely a video will fail to completely load in your browser. Try to reload this page to see if that fixes the problem.
  2. If reloading does not help, try our other video player .
  3. If the video still fails to play, open this video in a new tab and please let us know you’re having trouble. We want to fix this issue for you.

This episode is locked

This lesson is not included in your limited access.

View pricing

This episode is locked

Your membership is expired. The archive of past Mini Lessons is not included in your limited access.

View pricing