: Popcorn
Trend task
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Approach: Independent Level: Year 4 and year 8 
access task
Focus: Writing instructions
Resources:Video recording on laptop computer, 4 pictures, 4 individual answer sheets
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Click here for exemplars

Questions/instructions:

This activity uses the computer. Hand out individual answer sheets and a picture to each student.


In this activity you will be writing instructions for making popcorn.We will start by watching a video about making popcorn.

Click the Popcorn button.

Now write instructions for making popcorn inside your answer sheets.
[Answer sheets showed the image as above, along with a list of things needed - butter, knife, popping corn, pot, spoon, stove, bowl. Following were six pictures, as adjacent, taken from the video in sequence, with blank spaces for students’ own written work.]

Popcorn sheets

[Click on pictures to enlarge.]




% responses
2006 ('02)
y4
y8

Instructions included:

get ingredients/utensils/ equipment ready
14 (19)
23 (15)
cut butter
49 (42)
73 (71)
put butter in pot
74 (73)
80 (77)
put pot on stove
37 (28)
51 (53)
turn element/stove on, heat pot
10 (11)
34 (18)
melt butter
56 (60)
83 (90)
measure two spoonfuls of corn
8 (8)
24 (23)
put corn into pot/hot butter
87 (78)
92 (92)
put lid on pot
38 (32)
62 (48)
wait for corn to start popping
51 (37)
63 (63)
check to see if corn has finished popping
69 (64)
84 (77)
take lid off pot
27 (18)
30 (17)
pour popcorn into bowl
36 (30)
66 (60)
turn off element/stove
3 (4)
16 (2)
Clarity of individual instructions:
very clear/excellent
10 (3)
18 (22)
mainly clear
34 (31)
49 (39)
moderately clear
38 (38)
29 (31)
unclear
18 (28)
4 (8)

Proportion of comments written as instructions in the present tense:

all
63 (60)
82 (82)
most
20 (17)
13 (14)
about half
6 (5)
2 (2)
some
1 (8)
1 (1)
none
10 (10)
2 (1)
Total score:
15–20
7 (7)
35 (29)
13–14
17 (9)
28 (25)
11–12
28 (19)
23 (24)
9–10
20 (28)
8 (13)
0–8
28 (37)
6 (9)
Subgroup Analysis:
Year 4

Year 8

Commentary:
About 40 percent more year 8 than year 4 students gave quite detailed instructions. Performance was a little higher in 2006 than in 2002 at both year levels. Girls scored higher than boys at both year levels but there were only minor differences in the performance of Pakeha, Mäori and Pasifika students.
MID RANGE EXEMPLARS:
 

YEAR 4:     
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1. Get a knife full of butter.
2. Take the butter to the cooking pot and drop it in.
3. Put the popcorn seeds in to the pot.
4. Put the cover on the pot and put it on the stove.
5. Check of the popcorn is ok. If it isn’t close the lid.
6. Open the lid and check again. If it is ready put it in a bowl.

Loading Images 1. Cutting the butter
2. then put the pot on the stove to mount the butter.
3. then heat up the pot for the popping corn.
4. put the lid on the pot to wait for the corn to pop
5. now open the lid off the pot to check the popcorn.
6. then after a while the popcorn will be ready.

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1. Put 1 scop of butter in a pot
2. Melt the butter in a pot
3. add the pop corm seed’s
4. cook for 15 to 20 minit’s
5. check the popcorn
6. then eat it !

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1. first get a pot with some buttter.
2. put the butter into the pot and cook it on the stove.
3. put popping corn in an let the popcorn cook
4. Keep it cooking and get a bowl out.
5. After it is cooked take it of the stove and stop the stove.
6. put it in a bowl and eat it.

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1. get all the Ingredients.
2. cut some butter and melt in pot.
3. When all butters melted add popcorn
4. then put pot on the stove
5. check if it is done
6. when finished eat it

YEAR 8:
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1. She cuts a little bit of butter and puts it in the pot.
2. She puts the pot on the stove and turns it on.
3. Once the butter is hot enough she gets a spoon and puts some poping corn in it.
4. She waits while she hears the poping sound.
5. She opens the lid to see if it is done....
6. and it is so she puts it in a bowl ready to eat.

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1. Cut butter and put in the pan.
2. Melt the butter under a stove.
3. Put 2 tablespoons of corn in.
4. Put lid over and wait.
5. have a look after poping and if it is still popping leave on the lid.
6. When it has stopped popping eat.

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1. Cut a slice of butter.
2. Put the slice of butter into a pot and spread it around the pot.
3. Wait till it turns bubbly and put your popcorn seeds in.
4. Then wait for a few mins.
5. Take the top of the pot of to see if it is ready if it is not ready leave it in for a bit longer.
6. Once its ready take the pot of and pour it into a bowl.

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1. First of you must have what you need, so get out
– 1 bag of poping corn
– 1 pot
– butter
– 1 bowl
– 1 knife
– 1 spoon
– 1 chopping board
2. Cut 1 gram of butter and put into pot. Then let butter melt in pot for as long as it takes.
3. Once butter melts, put half the bag of popping corn into the pot.
4. leave to pop for about 5 minutes
5. keep checking that the popcorn is poping.
6. When finished, put into a bowl and leave to cool down for 2 minutes. After cooling, eat and enjoy

HIGH RANGE EXEMPLARS:  

YEAR 4:    
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1. Put some butter in a pot.
2. Place the pot on the stove and turn it on.
3. When the butter has melted add pericop’s. [popcorn]
4. Wait for the pericops to pop.
5. Check the pericops.
6. Turn off the stove and put the popcorn in a bowl.

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1. Cut the butter with a knife and put it in a pot
2. Carry it over to the stove and turn it on
3. Wait till the buter is melted then put the popping corn in the pot with a spoon.
4. Leave it to pop
5. Check on it. Leave it to pop a bit more.
6. Check on it again. If it’s ready, turn the stove off. Pour it into a bowl. Leave it to cool. Then eat it !

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1. cut a slice of butter and put it in a pot
2. Put it on the stove and turn it on
3. Put 2 or 3 big spoons of popcorn seeds in the pot after
a few minutes.
4. Put the lid on the pot and leave it for a while.
5. After check if it is ok
6. Then open the lid up take it to a bowl and put it in and there should be some nicely made popcorn

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1. First, get a big slice a butter on a knife
2. put the butter inside a pan and put it on a stove and heat it. slide the butter to spread it over the pan
3. After the butter has melted, put popping corn in the pan
4. put the lid on
5. After you hear the corn pop, check if its ready, if not keep the lid on
6. When it is ready, lift the lid up and tip it into a bow.

YEAR 8:
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1. First of all you wash your hands with soap. Then you measure the ingredients.
2. Turn the stove on, put the butter in the pot and wait for it to melt.
3. Then once all the butter has melted put the kernals in the pot.
4. Put the lid on and wait, for the popcorn to start popping.
5. Lift the lid up slightly and check on them. Then put the lid down.
6. Wait for a little bit longer until all the popping stops. Lift the lid up and put the lid back on . Turn the stove to “OFF”. Put the popcorn in a bowl and enjoy!!

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1. Cut at least 25g of butter and put it into a large pot.
2. Place the pot on the stove and wait for butter to melt.
3. When butter melts add approx 2 cups of popcorn into the pot.
4. Put a lid on the pot and wait until you hear popping.
5. Check the popcorn to see if it is ready, if not leave on stove for a little longer.
6. After about 1 min check the popcorn once more, if the popcorn is ready turn the stove off and pour the popcorn into a bowl ready to serve.

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1. WASH YOUR HANDS. Cut a lice of butter and place it into
the pot.
2. Place the pot on the stove and turn on the element.
3. Once the butter has melted place the popcorn seeds into the hot butter.
4. Place on the lid and soon you should hear poping sounds.
5. Take off the lid to see if it has finished poping if not place lid back on.
6. Once it has finnished poping take the pot off the heat and place the popcorn into a bowl.

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1. Firstly get
– cooking pot
– a knife
– spoon
– bowl
– some popping corn and a stove
Now cut some butter off about 1cm thick.
2. Then turn the stove on and put butter into cooking pot and place on stove.
3. Wait untill butter has fully melted then you can add 1–3 spoons of popping corn.
4. Place lid on pot and leave until you hear a few popping noises.
5. Then check to see if your corn is all right and put lid back on.
6. Finally when popping slows to a pop every 2–5 seconds take off lid and put popcorn into bowl. Enjoy.

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