Kate Orbaker's literacy classes at Webster CSD’s Spry Middle School were treated to a brief introduction to apple genetics by Dr. Susan Brown, head of Cornell University's apple breeding program at the university’s AgriTech Orchard in Geneva, NY. The students used this information in a cross-curricular research project in science.
Dr. Brown talks genetics with eight graders at Spry Middle School.
Orbaker, who is from the fifth generation to grow up and live on the family fruit farm in Wayne County, names each of her classroom sections after a New York developed apple. This year’s sections are Autumn Crisp, Empire, Jonagold, SnapDragon, and RubyFrost.
“When that section's apple is ready in the fall, I bring in a bag of apples for my students to try,” Orbaker said. “The kids love it when I do this! Most have never tried the apple their class section is named after.”
Two of this year’s class sections were developed by Dr. Brown -- SnapDragon and RubyFrost.
“Whenever I bring in apples for my classes, the kids always ask me how someone develops a new apple variety and I tell them, ‘I don't know the ins and outs of how they take genes from different varieties to create a new variety.’”
This year Orbaker connected with Dr. Brown and invited the apple breeder to visit to her classes. That is why, on November 14, Dr. Brown was at Spry sharing her knowledge of genetics in apple breeding and answering questions the students had prepared.
This newfound knowledge was helpful for the research project in genetics that the students did in science class.