CHARLES LEHMAN
Hi! I’m Question Mark.
Before you read, practice saying these words:
- popular
- kernals
- steam
- whole grain
Illustration by Jeff Harvey
Lexiles: 410L
Guided Reading Level: K
DRA Level: 16-18
Featured Skill:
Reading Fluency,
Vocabulary: popular, kernels, steam, whole grain
Topic:
Social Studies,
Common Core Standards
1) Question Mark: Hi. I’m here with popcorn, my favorite snack.
Popcorn: Thank you. I am very popular!
2) QM: How long have people been eating popcorn?
P: People have loved me for thousands of years. Long ago, people in South America started popping me.
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3) QM: How did you get your name?
P: I am the seed of one kind of corn plant. When you cook me, I go POP, POP, POP!
4) QM: Yes, you are loud. But what makes you pop?
P: I start as kernels, or hard seeds. There is a little bit of water inside each kernel. Then an adult adds heat.
5) QM: Wow! What happens next?
P: The water inside me turns to steam. The steam pushes on my hard shell—and POP! The soft part inside of me pushes out.
6) QM: How high can you pop?
P: I can pop up 3 feet in the air. That is over your head!
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7) QM: Does all popcorn look the same?
P: I come in two shapes. I can be a butterfly shape or a mushroom shape.
8) QM: Both kinds taste good. But is popcorn healthy for you?
P: I am a whole grain. That’s healthy!
9) QM: What is the best time to eat popcorn?
P: Anytime! Some people used to have me for breakfast. Now people have me for a snack. I’m really popular at the movies.
10) QM: I was thinking about going to the movies today.
P: Great! Can I come?
QM: Yum. I mean, yes. Thanks, popcorn.
Activities
(1)
Skills Activities
About the Article
Science Focus
States of matter; Cooking science; Nutrition
In-Person Lesson Plan
1. BEFORE READING
Preteach Vocabulary (3-5 minutes)
- Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This article’s featured words are popular, kernels, steam, and whole grain.
2. PRETEACH NAVIGATING THE PAGE (3 MINUTES)
- Point out the numbers in the interview. Explain that kids will read the questions and answers in the order of the numbers. It will be important to pay attention to this when they get to the end of a column.
3. READ THE INTERVIEW MULTIPLE TIMES (15-30 MINUTES)
- If you live in a district where kids can partner up, pair kids up to read the interview a few times out loud.
- Tell kids that they should read with expression. How should questions sound when you read them out loud? What are the personalities of the characters?
- First Read: Each partner should quietly read the interview to himself or herself. This is to get the meaning and the feel of the interview.
- Second Read: Now the pairs will read their parts out loud to each other. The child playing Question Mark can hold a pencil like a microphone (with the eraser-end up) while asking questions.
- Third and Fourth Reads: Kids will be amazed at how much more fluently they read this each time. They just got so much practice with reading fluency!
NOTE: On our website, you can hear this interview read aloud, with each word highlighted along the way. Kids can listen to it to hear fluent reading modeled for them.
- If you live in a district where kids can’t be partners right now, you can be Question Mark, and you can call on different students to play Tub of Popcorn in small-group instruction. Ideally, each student will get a chance to read a part more than once.
Remote-Learning Lesson Plan
1. BEFORE READING
Assign Vocabulary Slideshow (10 minutes)
- Assign students the online vocabulary slideshow to preview independently. This article’s featured words are kernels, steam, and whole grain.
2. READ THE INTERVIEW
Here are three ways to use this feature if you are doing remote learning.
Remote Option A: Live Synchronous Instruction (15-30 minutes)
- Share the article on your screen. Point out the numbers in the interview. Explain that kids will read in the order of the numbers.
- You can play the part of Question Mark, using your pencil as a microphone. Call on different students to read Tub of Popcorn’s answer.
Remote Option B: Family Fluency Activity (15-30 minutes)
- Have kids practice reading the interview aloud with a family member several times.
- When they are ready, they can read the interview out loud with their family member and record a video of it on a phone. The person playing Question Mark should hold a pencil as a microphone.
- Then they can each post their interview to the learning management system you use. For a fun way to build your classroom community, have kids watch each other’s interviews.
- Kids can also email you their filmed interviews.
Remote Option C: Kids Zoom With a Partner
- Assign kids partners and roles (one child is Question Mark, the other child is the Tub of Popcorn). Give them a week for partners to Zoom with each other and practice reading their parts multiple times. They can film the final time and share it with you.
- This would take more coordination with caregivers, but it would also be a fun project and a sweet way to offer kids a social connection during this isolating remote time.
Both In Person and Remote
AFTER READING
ELA Focus: Vocabulary (15 minutes)
- Have students complete the “Popcorn Crossword Puzzle” skills sheet to reinforce the vocabulary words used in this article.
- You can distribute the printed sheet if you’re in school and assign the online page if you are remote.
Craft Extension: Make a Microphone (20 minutes)
- We will have a Question Mark interview in every issue. Kids can make microphones from balls of tinfoil and toilet paper rolls to use for the interview. Just stuff the tinfoil ball into one end of the toilet paper roll. You can keep these all year long!
Enrich the Learning: Paired Text Opportunities (time amount varies)
Making text-to-text connections builds knowledge and comprehension. We layer Storyworks 2 with many ways for your students to make connections.
Pairable Text The Mini Read: “This Animal Smells Like Popcorn” (pages 2-3).
Text-to-Speech