Out of The Box Teaching: The Popcorn Project

Description This is an integrated curriculum idea, and covers Science, Maths and English. You could probably include other things too such as Society and Environment.

Year 5 to year 8.
Time: Probably several weeks.

This is obviously not a fully thought out lesson plan.

Bring some already cooked popcorn to class, as well as some unpopped popcorn. Allow the students to eat some popcorn, but first they must observe the popcorn, draw it, and, in groups, come up with theories to why one becomes the other. Share the theories with the other groups.

What questions do the students have about popcorn and the process that happens? As they discuss it, get them to write them down.

Bring out a popcorn maker, and help the students make it. Some of their questions might be answered now- which ones?

Introduce the scientific processes behind making popcornThis can lead to watching a video explaining how popcorn is made, or other processes that are similar or to do with the same theories.

Then the Popcorn Project becomes multi disciplinaryTell your class that you're going to raise money for a charity, or a school event. (This can be connected to popcorn. Perhaps connect it to a cause the students feel particularly strongly about that they've been exploring in Society and Environment. Perhaps they've already expressed a wish to help that cause. This can be it).

The class will be running a popcorn stall for a few days in the coming weeks, at lunch and recess time. You can take over many of your lessons preparing for the different aspects of this.

1. MathsHow much does it cost to buy corn to be popped? How much popcorn does that make? How much should we charge? How much is a reasonable serving size? What will we serve it in? How much electricity will the popcorn maker use? How much popcorn can the popcorn maker make, and in what time? When will we have to start making popcorn in order for it to be ready by recess and lunch? What's a fair serve- should it be weighed so everyone gets equal shares? What's our budget? What profit can we make? Who needs to be paid? How many customers are we expecting? What if they don't have exact change? How will we record our earnings?

Students can work this out and come to their own conclusions as a group. They will no doubt have many other questions too. You could play some business simulation games on the computer first.

2. EnglishYou'll need to advertise. This might involve signs pointing to where the stall will be, notes home to parents, quick talks to other students at their classes or at the assembly, and so on. What would be the most appropriate way to advertise? Which words will be the most convincing? How can pictures aid your cause?

You'll need signs saying what is for sale and how much it is, and what the cause is, at the actual stall. You might need signs saying 'single file please'.

If you're printing things out, are you going to include that cost in your budget?

You could read more about popcorn and more about the cause you're supporting. Students could read books about business.

3. ScienceObviously, you'll still be learning about the science of popcorn, and other examples.

4. Society and EnvironmentYou're doing work for charity, but you could also learn about the impact corn has on the world, the possibilities with corn (such as instead of packing foam). You could discuss fair pay for workers in shops, or factory workers making pre made popcorn, or the farmers who grow the corn, or discuss water use in the production of corn.

5. HealthHow healthy is popcorn and should that be connected to serving size? Why should we wash our hands and keep the area clean when we're serving food? If we added lots of flavourings to our popcorn, what effect would that have on health? Is popcorn better than chips?

6. DramaRole playing working in a shop, or running a charity, or farming or working in a factory.


Eventually, you hold the popcorn stall, then you can include the students in the donation process.