LESSON 5
POPPING CORN

1. One autumn night, when the wind was high,

And the rain fell in heavy plashes,

A little boy sat by the kitchen fire,

A-popping corn in the ashes;

And his sister, a curly-haired child of three,

Sat looking on, just close to his knee.

2. Pop! pop! and the kernels, one by one,

Came out of the embers flying;

The boy held a long pine stick in his hand,

And kept it busily plying;

He stirred the corn and it snapped the more,

And faster jumped to the clean-swept floor.

3. Part of the kernels flew one way,

And a part hopped out the other;

Some flew plump into the sister's lap,

Some under the stool of the brother;

The little girl gathered them into a heap,

And called them a flock1 of milk-white sheep.

STUDY GUIDE

A. Word Definition

plashes:drops.

three:three years old.

looking on:watching.

kernels:the small yellow seeds which cover an ear of corn.

embers:pieces of orange-glowing wood or coal.

pine:a type of evergreen tree.

plying:poking.

plump:straight down.

heap:pile.

B. Study Notes

1. Groups of animals are called by specific terms. For example, a group of sheep is called a “flock.” A group of birds is also called a “flock, ” but a group of cows is a “herd, ” a group of fish is a “school, ” and a group of dogs is a“pack.”

C. True or False—Write a “T” or “F” next each sentence to show that it is true (T) or false (F).

1. _____ The boy was sitting on the floor.

2. _____ The floor was very clean.

3. _____ The boy poked the kernels with a stick.

4. _____ The girl collected the popped corn into a group.

5. _____ It was snowing outside.

D. Discussion Questions

1. Have you ever popped corn in a fire?

2. Do you enjoy cooking? If yes, what food do you like to cook? If no, what food do you like to eat?