How to Teach History and Science of Popcorn

Popcorn, a favorite snack for many, offers an interesting way to teach history and science to younger children. Popcorn has a long and detailed history. You can use popcorn for many interesting science experiments. In this lesson you will write a timeline about popcorn history, design a flyer advertising popcorn, and perform a science experiment using popcorn.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Popcorn
• Popcorn maker
• Oil
• Salt (optional)

1. Read a book about popcorn with the students aloud. Good choices include "Popped Culture: A Social History of Popcorn in America" by Andrew F. Smith, "The Popcorn Book" by Tommie DePaola and "What Makes Popcorn Pop?" by David Woodside. Discuss some of the concepts with the children and write some facts on the board or a large piece of paper.

2. Have the children create linear timelines of the history of popcorn (see Resources). A linear timeline lists events in chronological order by date. It can be written horizontally or vertically. Ask each child to choose six historical events to put in the timeline, including the month, day and year listed for the event.

3. Invite the children to create ads about popcorn, each with a slogan and a paragraph describing why popcorn is great to eat. A slogan is like a headline that catches a customer's attention. An example: Eat Popcorn, Its Brain Food.
   The headline should go at the top of the page. The paragraph beneath should be at least four sentences long. The students can use book or Internet sources to get information. Have the children illustrate the ad after they finish writing.

4. Make popcorn. You will need a safe popcorn popper with a cover, 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels, 1/2 cup oil. You may also want to have some salt on hand. If possible, use a popcorn popper with a cover the students can see through.

5. As the popcorn pops, explain that the popcorn kernel is surrounded by a hard starchy shell. When the kernel is heated, the moisture inside it turns to steam and eventually burst the starch wall. Hand out samples to the class. Show them the hard corn kernel and the white popped popcorn. Talk about the differences between the two different forms.

Resources

• The Popcorn Board
• Wyndot Popcorn Museum