Overview
The children will pop popcorn as they recognize and produce words that rhyme with pop, such as hop, stop, top, plop, and mop. 

Literacy Activities

Pop Popcorn

• Let the children drop popcorn kernels into the popper or into the hole in the pot’s lid. 
• Have the children say, “drop, drop, drop” and "plop, plop, plop" as they drop and plop popcorn in the popper.
• Watch the popcorn pop and hop out of the popper (or flick the paper popcorn out of the pot so that it ‘hops’ and ‘pops’). 
• Invite the children to say, "hop, hop, hop" and "pop, pop, pop" as the popcorn hops and pops. 
• Pretend to let the popcorn fill the room to the top and comment on how the popcorn pops and hops up to the top of the room.  
• When done, have the children yell "stop the pop!"
• Have the children tell you all the words they heard in the activity that rhyme with pop as they eat a few popped kernels.

More Practice

Read a target text to the children 

• Display the chant Popcorn Pops (see target text below) large enough for the children to easily see. 
• Read the text to the children, pointing to each word in left to right sequence.  
• Invite the children to repeat predictable phrases with you as you read the text again. 
• Help the children recall which words in the text rhyme with pop. 

Practice rhyming 

• Produce words that rhyme with pop 
  • Remind the children of the words they played with (hop, top, drop, stop, plop). 
  • Tell them you can think of other words that rhyme with pop (mop, cop, flop). 
  • Ask each child to think of a word that rhymes with pop. 
  • If a child doesn't respond in a few seconds, give him/her an option: 
    • "How about hop? Does hop rhyme with pop?" (Nod your head yes to let the child know that they rhyme)
    • "Do top and pop rhyme?" (Nod your head yes) 

Practice blending and segmenting sounds in words 

• Tap out sounds in words 
  • Have the children blend individual sounds into words by tapping their head (beginning), and toes (end) then clap to say the whole word (e.g. /p/ tap head, /op/ tap toes = pop clap hands) 
    • /h/ /op/ = hop 
    • /t/ /op/ = top 
    • /dr/ /op/ = drop 
    • /st/ /op/ = stop