Overview
The children will hop to a popcorn shop and read and write words that end in -op, such as pop, stop, hop, and top.

Literacy Activities
Hop with popcorn kernels

• Before the activity, place the shop signs (found below) at stations around the room and set up the Popcorn Shop with a pretend or real popcorn popper.
• Help the children read the written direction to "Hop to a popcorn shop" and explain that they will hop to find a shop that will pop popcorn.
• Give the children a popcorn box (found below) or a cone with a few real or pretend popcorn kernels.
• As the children hop to find a popcorn shop, invite them to chant, "Hop, hop, hop to a popcorn shop!"
• Comment on how the popcorn kernels hop as the children hop.
• Tell the children to put a top (a lid or hand) over the popcorn container so the kernels won't hop out.

Stop at different shops

• Have the children hop to the Top Shop and then to the Mop Shop and stop to read the shop signs.
• Ask the children if they think that the Top Shop or Mop Shop would pop and sell popcorn.
• When the children can't buy popcorn at a shop, encourage them to hop to the next shop as they chant, "Hop, hop, hop to a popcorn shop!"
• When the children reach the Popcorn Shop, have them read the sign and exclaim, "Stop! Stop! Stop! We're at the Popcorn Shop!"
• Have the children plop down in the area that is set up as the Popcorn Shop.

Pop popcorn at the popcorn shop

• If using a hot air popper, let the children drop a few kernels in the popper before you turn it on and encourage the children to say, "Pop!" each time they see popcorn pop.
• If cooking microwave popcorn, let the children hop and say, "Pop!" as they hear the popcorn pop.
• If pretending to pop popcorn, let the children drop a few kernels into the pot, cover with a lid, jiggle the pot to make the pretend popcorn hop and pop, and invite the children to hop and say, "Pop!"
• Help the children fill their popcorn boxes with real or pretend popcorn until you say "Stop!"

Hop back from the popcorn shop and let the popcorn hop   

• Have the children make a top for the box with their hand or a piece of paper.
• Comment on how the top will keep the popcorn from hopping out.
• Let the children hop back to a designated spot.

More Practice
Identify, blend, and manipulate sounds

• Using the word-building cards (found below), let the children make different -op words by changing of the beginning or ending consonant or the vowel.  
  • Change the beginning consonant: hop→ pop; top→ mop; pop→ top
  • Change the vowel: top→ tip→ tap
  • Change the ending consonant: hop→ hog; pop→ pot; mop→ mom
• For each of the words the children make, have them state the individual sounds they hear and then blend those sounds back into the word.

Read target words and patterns introduced in the activity

• Read the Hop to the Popcorn Shop target text (found below) to the children.
  • Engage the children in reading the text with you.
  • Read the text with the children again but fade support. 
  • Have the children underline and read the words in the text that end in -op. 
• Present the -op activity from the Hideout: Early Reading app on an iPad.
• Have children use the app to pop virtual popcorn and read and build -op words.

Write about the activity using target words and phrases 

• Review the words used in the activity (e.g., hop, pop, stop, shop, top, mop) and then help the children write the words on paper or on the picture of popcorn (found below).
• Provide a word wall with the target -op words listed and ask the children to use these words to write about how they got to hop to shops and pop popcorn.
• Let the children use a word wall to write about their experience using one of the following story starters:  
  • "We got some popcorn kernels in a popcorn box. But the popcorn was not popped. So . . ." 
  •  "Today we got to hop to lots of shops. We got to hop to . . ."