Jonathan Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, was born in 1775.

Jonathan Chapman, born in Massachusetts on September 26, 1775, spent a lifetime traveling the Midwest spreading apple seeds and seedlings to build apple orchards and nurseries across the country. From as early as the age of 25, records show Chapman traveling from Pennsylvania to Ohio transporting and trading apple seeds and acquiring farmland to develop his orchards. Years before the Homestead Act, Chapman was able to secure 1,000 acres of farmland through local homestead agreements, which he used to develop his farming projects. In the 1860s, the official Homestead Act of the United States provided land to settlers in exchange for their permanent residence there and willingness to farm.

EconEdLink
In Bringing the Market to the Farm (6–8), students learn about community-supported agriculture (CSA). Most people get their fruits and vegetables from the grocery stores. Increasingly, there are alternatives for consumers to get agricultural products, and instead of the producers (farmers) bringing their goods to the market, more consumers are heading to the farm. Students identify the costs and benefits related to CSA farms and demonstrate how an actual CSA farm works.

The Economics of the Family Farm (9–12) helps students learn about the status of farming as a career, investigate the management of a family farm and examine one recent farm crisis in this lesson from EconEdLink.

ReadWriteThink
Writing Reports in Kindergarten? Yes! (K–2) introduces three different reports that young students can write, including one about apples.

ARTSEDGE
In Exploring American Tall Tales (5–8), students read traditional American tall tales and then write their own tall tale, addressing a current event or issue.

In Tall Tales Today (5–8), students explore the common elements of folktales and tall tales while learning how these tales built the spirit of American people.