One of my favorite theme units is The Gingerbread Man.
We read different versions of the story. Then we build a picture graph chart after 
each reading and compare the different characters in each story. We also do a Venn diagram.
This year I am going to ask parent volunteers to come in and help decorate gingerbread houses!


Run, run, as  fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!

Books We Will Read
The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
The Gingerbread Man by Paul Galdone
The Gingerbread Boy illustrated by Scott Cook
The Gingerbread Boy by Richard Egielski
The Cajun Gingerbread Boy by Berthe Amoss
The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth
The Gingerbread Man by Karen Schmidt
The Gingerbread Man by Eric Kimmel
The Gingerbread Man by Barbara Baumgartner
Maisy Makes Gingerbread by Lucy Cousins 
The Gingerbread Boy by Harriet Ziefert


Sequencing the Story

       ~Using gingerbread-shaped chart paper, students will dictate the sequence of events. 
Write their sequencing response on chart paper. 

      ~Write the sequence of events on sentence strips.  Mix up the sentence strips 
as you put them in the pocket chart.  Have the students put the sentences in order.

     ~Copy pictures of the story on tag board and laminate. Put in the literacy center.  
Students can arrange the pictures in order.  Then, write a sentence about each picture. 

Journal Writing
~Why do you think the Gingerbread Man ran and ran?
~How did the old lady and old man feel at the end of the story?
~How would you catch the Gingerbread Man?
~The Gingerbread Man talks to the Fox.  What would you do and say to the fox?
~Do you think the Fox should have eaten the Gingerbread Man?  Why or why not?
~What if the last animal he saw when he was running was not a Fox but a dog.  
~What did you think would happen in the end?

                  
We create a class big book version of the Gingerbread Man.
 "Stop, stop!" said ________.
But the Gingerbread man said,
       "Run, run, run, as fast as you can,    
   You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
****The children really enjoy reading this book over and over!


Copy the Gingerbread Baby story masks from Jan Brett's Website.
Then, the children will retell the story using the masks.


Math Activities
~Character Graph: Make a graph using all the characters from all the stories.  
Find out which characters appear in the most versions. 
 ~Favorite Version Graph: Ask each child what his/her favorite version of the story 
was and graph the results.
~Buttons on the gingerbread man: Cut out 10 large gingerbread men from brown 
construction paper and laminate.  Each gingerbread man is numbered 1-10. 
 Have various buttons available for the children to put the correct number 
of buttons on each man.
~Give each child a gingerbread cookie.  Make a graph showing which part of the cookie 
was eaten first ... head, right foot or arm, left foot or arm.
~What part did you bite first?
~Why did you choose that part?
~What was the most popular part to be eaten first?
~What was the least popular part to be eaten first?
~Why do you think the results came out the way they did?


Measuring
Cut a large number of Ellison Gingerbread Men.  
 Working in groups, have students estimate and measure the following:
~How tall is my Gingerbread Man? Measure with raisins, marshmallows, red cinnamon 
candies, unifix cubes, teddy bear counters, etc.
~How tall is the _______?
Use multiple Gingerbread Men to measure how tall various things are:
a student, a desk, a book, a shelf, easel, etc.
~How long is the _______?
~How many Gingerbread Men is it to the _______?


Family Project
Send home a large construction paper gingerbread man with each student.  
Together with their families, the children will decorate the men and return 
them to school.  We put them out in the hall for everyone to enjoy!

Gingerbread Man Glyph
Give each child a simple drawing of a gingerbread man. 
If you are a girl, color his nose red.
If you are a boy, color his nose brown.
 If your favorite dessert is ice cream, color his eyes blue.
If your favorite dessert is cookies, color his eyes brown.
If your favorite dessert is cake, color his eyes green.
~Design your glyph with at least six different things to color,
then have the children cut their finished Gingerbread Men out and put them in the hall, 
with a key that explains what the different colors mean.  


Gingerbread Man Hunt
 First, we prepare a large Gingerbread man using mix.
We roll it out and cut the cookie, then we take it to the oven to bake. 

Then, later when we return to the oven to pick up our gingerbread  man, he's gone! 

The note on the oven says:
Dear Boys and Girls,
Look for me around the school,
And inside of books,
I'm famous for running away
And for my delicious looks!

School Office
The office is a busy place.
Mrs. Jane,  the secretary has a friendly face.
She types with her left,
Writes notes with her right.
When the phone rings,
She takes the call
Without using any hands at all!

Assistant Principal's Office
This is Miss Perry's office.
She is so very nice!
But she was so busy
That I had to run on somewhere else!

Principal's Office
This is the Principal's office.
Miss Jackson is nice you know.
She told me not to run anymore,
But to walk wherever I go!

Nurse's Office
Mrs. Robinson, our nurse is our friend 
And I'll tell you why.
She'll check your ears
And she'll check your eyes.
She'll fix the hurt that makes you cry.
I have to run now -- can't say good-bye!

Custodian
This is Mrs. Powell's room.
Do you see the mop and broom?
She empties the basket
And locks the door.
Mrs. Powell is kind and good.
Can we help her?
We should!

Cafeteria
This is the lunch room.
Mrs. Wanda likes us a bunch!
She always makes sure 
We have a good lunch.
If we're very polite and
help keep it clean,
And use soft voices
Our school will be keen!


Library
Mrs. Key is our school librarian,
Who loves to read us a good book
She told us, "You'd better look!
He's somewhere near a reading nook!"

Finally, we find him in the school library with this note attached:

Dear Boys and Girls,
I've run and run
I need some rest
I think Mrs. LaBoon's class is the best!
Love, The Gingerbread Man
 

Gingerbread Man Ornaments

Make a dough from applesauce, adding enough cinnamon to thicken it into a thick paste. 
Press flat, about 1/8 inch thick (thicker slabs crack more easily while drying). 
Cut with a cookie cutter, and use a straw to punch a hole near the top.  Lay flat to dry
on wax paper for several days.  Glue on decorations, if desired.  Hang with shiny red ribbon.


Gingerbread Man Web Resources

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Gingerbread Poems

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Updated Sunday, November 25, 2007