Gingerbread Class

1. Read “The Gingerbread Man” retold by Jim Aylesworth,to students. Prior to opening the story, encourage the group to pay special attention to the details of the story and the details that the illustrator uses in the pictures to bring the story to life. Allow time for discussion. Use the discussion as a springboard for students to create their own adventures for the gingerbread person to go on.
2. Students begin their Gingerbread stories with the creation of original illustrations. Provide a piece of Crayola® Construction paper for each student. Demonstrate how to tear little bits of the paper away, leaving the shape of a ginger cookie. When students like the shapes created, have them place their designs on pieces of recycled newspaper and create clothes for their figures. Allow students to use Crayola Twistables Slick Stix to color in any large areas of color; these glide right onto the paper and smooth the color with just gentle pressure! Stain Advisement: Slick Stix contain pigments that may stain clothing, fabrics and other household surfaces. Wear a smock to protect clothing and cover your work surface with newspaper.
3. The Slick Stix will need a few minutes to ‘set’. During that time, have students contemplate what special details they can make with on the Gingerbread people using Crayola Glitter Glue. Have students gently squeeze out small amounts of Glitter Glue along the edges for outlines. Set the Gingerbread people aside to dry completely. Allow time now for students to write the stories that will accompany their artwork.
4. Once complete, students may act out their stories as a classmate accompanies the ‘acting’ by reading the story aloud to the class.

LA: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

LA: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

LA: Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

LA: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

LA: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

LA: Write narratives in which they recount a well elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

LA: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade level topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

VA: Repurpose objects to make something new.

VA: Categorize images based on expressive properties.

VA: Interpret art by identifying the mood suggested by a work of art and describing relevant subject matter and characteristics of form.

Invite students to make a ginger family portrait like their own. Assemble them all in a ‘fancy’ set of frames or in printed frames as you bind them together in a portrait scrapbook!

Make several books that tell about different adventures around different parts of the world, or through different times in the calendar. Have a certain geographical area be the focus of one story, or have the adventures take place during one specific historical time period.

Students create a story based on what they do during a school break or over summer holiday. Have them map where their adventures take place and as students travel, add them & flags on a classroom map.