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Popcorn Activities, Grades K-5

Turn a Popular Snack into a Tasty Teaching Tool with Lessons, Games, Quizzes and Other Resources

By Phil Nast, for NEA.org

Found In: language arts, science, social studies, preK-2, 3-5

Article Sections

Corn, or maize, is the only cereal grain indigenous to the Americas. It was first domesticated by Mesoamericans three to four thousand years ago. No one knows who first popped corn, but popcorn poppers have been found in Peru that pre-date Inca culture. Today, the sound of popping corn is as familiar as Fourth of July fireworks.

October is National Popcorn Month. The following lessons, games, quizzes, and other resources will help turn a snack into a teaching tool.

Lesson Plans

Get On-Board the Popcorn Train ( PDF, 43 KB, 6 pgs.)
Kindergarten students will participate in cross-curricular lessons using popcorn as a teaching tool. The stations are designed to be taught by grade 4 students.

The Popcorn Book Lesson
Students in grades K-3 read and use Tomie dePaola’s The Popcorn Book to study corn and complete math and language arts activities.

Popcorn Science
Students in grades K-12 perform five simple experiments to demonstrate what makes popcorn pop.

Popcorn: Multidisciplinary Unit
Students in grade 1 will participate in popcorn inspired cross-curricular activities.

Popcorn Geography
Students in grades 3-8 use corn kernels to create a "Top Corn-Producing States" map or graph.

Popcorn History
Students in grades 3-12 research and create a timeline of the history of popcorn.

Popcorn Economics
Students in grades 4-8 experience scarcity, relate the concept of scarcity to situations in school and their community, and learn that people make choices because of scarcity.

Additional Lesson Plans

Games & Quizzes (K-8)

Background Resources

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