Two images: one of a kid with popcorn and the other of a kid with potato chips
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Alike and Different,

Which Bag Would You Grab? Popcorn or Potato Chips?

You can munch on fluffy white popcorn. Or you can bite into crispy potato chips. Which do you like best? Before you decide, find out more about these yummy snacks.

By Katie Mach
From the October/November 2023 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will describe how popcorn and potato chips are alike and different.

Lexiles: 440L
Featured Skill: Comparing Texts,
Vocabulary: crispy, kernels, burst, flavor
Common Core Standards
  • RI.1.3 Describe the connection between two ideas or pieces of information in a text RI.1.5 Know and use various text features to locate information in a text RI.1.6 Distinguish between information from words and information from images RI.1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas RI.1.9 Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic RI.1.10 Read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1 SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade-1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups L.1.4.A Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase
TEKS Standards
  • Social Studies
    (6) Economics. The student understands how families meet basic human needs. The student is expected to: (B) describe similarities and differences in ways families meet basic human needs.

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Popcorn

Where Does It Come From?

emmyljs/123RF.com

Corn grows on corn plants. Peel off the leaves to get to the tasty corn. The little yellow pieces are kernels.


How Is It Made?

 iStockPhoto/Getty Images

To make popcorn, you need dried kernels. Heat them up. They burst into fluffy popcorn. Pop, pop, pop!


What Does It Taste Like?

Shutterstock.com

Some people put salt on popcorn. Some like sweet caramel. Butter is a very pop-ular topping.


Potato Chips

Where Do They Come From?

Brent Stephenson/NaturePL.com

Potatoes come from potato plants. They grow under the ground. Dig up the potatoes and clean off the dirt.


How Are They Made?

Luis Diaz Devesa/Getty Images

First, you slice up a potato. Then fry the slices in oil or bake them in the oven. They get crispy. Crunch!


What Do They Taste Like?

Shutterstock.com

There are salty chips. There are cheesy chips. Chips can be almost any flavor.  Chip-chip hooray!


video (1)
Slideshows (1)
Activities (3)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
video (1)
Slideshows (1)
Activities (3) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)

More About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Compare and contrast

Science Focus

Characteristics of plants

Engineering and technology

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Implementation

Whole Group; Small Group

Pairings and Text Connections

  • From the Storyworks archive: “Paired Text: The Truth Behind Chocolate and Vanilla,” February 2023
  • Suggested books: The Couch Potato by Jory John; Let’s Pop, Pop, Popcorn! by Cynthia Schumerth

Before-Reading Resources

  • Video: Skill Power-Compare and Contrast (5 minutes) A fun how-to video on how and why we compare and contrast
  • Vocabulary Slideshow (5 minutes) crispy, kernels, burst, flavor

Suggested Reading Focus

Compare and Contrast (20 minutes)
  • Tell children that they will be comparing popcorn and potato chips. They will find out how each of these yummy snacks is made.
  • Starting with the first category (Where Does It Come From?), discuss how each snack is the same and different.
  • Compare the popcorn and potato chip photos. What can you learn by looking at the photos?
  • To finish, ask students to turn and talk to a partner to recall some ways popcorn and potato chips are the same. Have volunteers share their answers. Then ask ways popcorn and potato chips are different.

After-Reading Skills Practice

  • Skills: Compare/contrast (15 minutes)

Extension Math Activity

Skills: Graphing (15 minutes)

  • Using chart paper, create a “Popcorn or Potato Chips” bar graph. Ask students which they would prefer and note their choices on the bar graph.
  • Once the graph is complete, ask the following questions: How many votes did popcorn have? How many votes did potato chips have? Which snack had the most votes? How many more votes did _____ have than _____?

Text-to-Speech