Social Studies
--Geography
--History
----U.S. History
----World History
--Regions/Cultures
Grade
3-5
6-8
9-12
Brief Description
Research/create a timeline of the history of popcorn.
Objectives
Students will
improve their research skills.
create a timeline.
Keywords
timeline, media literacy, corn, popcorn, Native American, Indian, Thanksgiving, research
Materials Needed
library and/or Internet resources about the history of corn/popcorn (Internet resources provided)
art supplies for creating timelines
Lesson Plan
In this lesson, students use library and/or Internet resources to research the history of popcorn. Students might work in small groups to create timelines showing that history.
This lesson offers an opportunity to teach media literacy skills. Because students use a variety of different resources, they might find contradictory information. You can introduce the concept of media literacy by sharing with students the Web resource No Popcorn! -- The Question of Popcorn at the "First Thanksgiving". This article, from www.plimoth.org, the official Web site of Plimoth Plantation, states that there is no proof that popcorn was served at the thanksgiving meal shared by the Pilgrims and Indians. Other resources below, however, tell a different story. As students create their timelines, they might consider posting only information they can verify by more than one source.
If students do not have online access for this activity, you might print some of the following resources for them to use. If students are working in small groups, each student in the group could be responsible for reading one or two of the resources and sharing with their group what they learn (s):
Among the books you might share with students are Tomie DePaola's The Popcorn Book and Popcorn by Elaine Landau. Both books will provide valuable timeline information.
Encourage students to be creative as they make their timelines. They might work images of corn plants or popcorn into their timelines. They might even use actual corn kernels or popped corn.
Assessment
Students will rate each timeline based on completeness of research, display of information, neatness, and creativity.
Lesson Plan Source
Education World
Submitted By
Gary Hopkins
National Standards
FINE ARTS: Visual Arts GRADES K - 4 NA-VA.K-4.1 Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes NA-VA.K-4.3 Choosing and Evaluating A Range of Subject Matter, Symbols, and Ideas NA-VA.K-4.5 Reflecting Upon and Assessing the Characteristics and Merits of Their Work and the Work of Others NA-VA.K-4.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines GRADES 5 - 8 NA-VA.5-8.1 Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes NA-VA.5-8.3 Choosing and Evaluating A Range of Subject Matter, Symbols, and Ideas NA-VA.5-8.5 Reflecting Upon and Assessing the Characteristics and Merits of Their Work and the Work of Others NA-VA.5-8.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines GRADES 9 - 12 NA-VA.9-12.1 Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes NA-VA.9-12.3 Choosing and Evaluating A Range of Subject Matter, Symbols, and Ideas NA-VA.9-12.5 Reflecting Upon and Assessing the Characteristics and Merits of Their Work and the Work of Others NA-VA.9-12.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines
MATHEMATICS: Representation GRADES Pre-K - 12 NM-REP.PK-12.3 Use Representations to Model and Interpret Physical, Social, and Mathematical Phenomena
SOCIAL SCIENCES: Geography GRADES K - 12 NSS-G.K-12.1 The World in Spatial Terms
SOCIAL SCIENCES: U.S. History GRADES K - 4 NSS-USH.K-4.1 Living and Working together in Families and Communities, Now and Long Ago NSS-USH.K-4.4 The History of Peoples of Many Cultures Around the World GRADES 5 - 12 NSS-USH.5-12.1 - 10 All Eras
SOCIAL SCIENCES: World History GRADES 5 - 12 NSS-WH.5-12.1 - 8 All Eras
TECHNOLOGY GRADES K - 12 NT.K-12.5 Technology Research Tools
