Book Unit: Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

Gingerbread Baby Unit

Submitted by: Kelley DeBoer Grade Levels: 1-2.

An 11 lesson plan unit for Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett.

Lesson Outline:

  1. Gingerbread Baby’s Home
  2. Gingerbread Forest Map Skills
  3. Gingerbread Baby Student Books
  4.  Gingerbread Baby Ornaments
  5. Character Traits in Gingerbread Baby
  6. Gingerbread Baby Language Arts/Grammar
  7. Gingerbread Baby v. Gingerbread Boy
  8. Gingerbread Baby’s Point of View
  9. Gingerbread Baby Reading
  10. Gingerbread Baby Board Game
  11. Gingerbread Baby Final Activity

Lesson 1: Gingerbread Baby’s Home

The children will collaboratively create a home for the Gingerbread baby.

Materials:

  • Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
  • Sheets off a roll of brown bulletin board backing paper.
  • Fun tack or masking tape.
  • Construction paper of various colors.
  • Tempara paint
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Imagination and fun required

Lesson Plan:

  1. After reading Jan Brett’s story “The Gingerbread Baby”, have the children brainstorm the items the Gingerbread boy will need to live inside the house that was created for him.
  2. Cut out a huge oversized gingerbread house out of the brown paper. Post in the outside hall or on a large wall space within the classroom.
  3. Have the children work together to cut out and paint different types of candy to decorate the house.
  4. Make a large door that opens by lifting on the fold.
  5. Have the children draw and place inside the door the items they brainstormed the baby would need. Use your computer to print in large letters “Run Run Run as fast as you can….” Or for older children, have them rewrite the story in their own words.
  6. You can download the pattern for each student to make their own House to keep. Just go to www.JanBrett.com

Lesson 2: Gingerbread Forest Map Skills

After reading the Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett the children will create a large 3D table map of the journey the Baby traveled!

Materials:

  • Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
  • boxes/milk cartons of various shapes and sizes.
  • Construction paper.
  • Blue overhead projector sheets.
  • Toilet paper rolls

Lesson Plan:

  1. First help the children to create a map on the classroom white board or chalk board.
  2. Then have the children work in small groups to create the building and landforms found in the story. (Remember: No characters… it’s a map.) Blue overhead projector sheets give a nice feeling to the water. On the table lay out the landforms, buildings and trees.
  3. Make a compass and attach it to the map. Make a stick puppet of the Gingerbread baby. Have the students work in pairs. One student gives directions using north, east, south and west and the other students have to follow the travel directions.
  4. Copy this map onto paper and use it to go over map skills. It will be much easier for the students to work on paper after they’ve created the 3D map.

Lesson 3: Gingerbread Baby Student Books

Students will create their own paper for a story based on Jan Brett’s Gingerbread Baby.

Materials:

Lesson Plan:

  1. Students will tear up scrap paper into tiny pieces and place in a blender with water.
  2. Blend the paper and water until it is a milky white shade.
  3. Scoop the pulp out of the blender and remove the excess water by pressing through a screen.
  4. Press the mixture into a cookie mold or cut with a cookie cutter. Let it dry for several days.
  5. Now you have new paper shaped like the gingerbread ready for a writing activity!
  6. Let the children decorate one side, and write about the story on the back.

Lesson 4: Gingerbread Baby Ornaments

Create ornaments from the story, Gingerbread Baby, to give as holiday gifts.

Materials:

  • Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
  • patterns – download at www.Janbrett.com from the Gingerbread Baby Story
  • plastic margarine tops for making templates
  • applesauce
  • glue
  • cinnamon
  • cookie cutters

Lesson Plan:

  1. Trace and use the Gingerbread Baby patterns for templates. I like to use old plasic margin tops for templates.
  2. Mix together applesauce, cinnamon, and glue together until they make a thick type clay.
  3. Press into molds or roll flat and cut around the templates.
  4. Put a hole at the top while they are still wet.
  5. Let dry and add thin ribbon and bows to complete the gift.

Lesson 5: Character Traits in Gingerbread Baby

Children will use details of story to predict and create attributes for each character.

Materials:

Lesson Plan:

  1. Have students, draw, paint or use downloaded character pictures (www.Janbrett.com)
  2. Have students use both written and picture clues from the book to create character profiles.
  3. After the children have learned more about each character, have them act out the story as a puppet shown or drama.

Comments:

I love to make Gingerbread shaped cookies. When I make them for a classroom I actually use a sugar cookie recipe that I add brown food coloring too. Not many of the students I’ve taught like the taste of Gingerbread.

Lesson 6: Gingerbread Baby Language Arts/Grammar

Children will create a mobile of characters from Jan Brett’s book, Gingerbread Baby.

Materials:

Lesson Plan:

  1. Have each children draw and cut out the characters from the story. Visit JanBrett.com for pictures. Gingerbread Baby Character Masks can be found here: http://www.janbrett.com/gingerbread_baby_masks_main.htm
  2. Have them write a sentence on the back using a verb (action word) telling what each character was doing in the story.
  3. Have them attach string and tie to the hanger.

Lesson 7: Gingerbread Baby v. Gingerbread Boy

Children will compare and contrast Gingerbread Baby story with the original Gingerbread Boy.Materials:

Lesson Plan:

On the board/projector display the Venn diagram. Have the students fill in colllaboratively to show similarities and differences.*When I did this I modified the venn digram shape to be the gingerbread baby on one side and the Gingerbread boy on the other. The area where they held hands was use for common elements. I then ran off the diagram on paper so each student could bring home their own copy.

Comments:

I am currently working on writing down my ideas that I use for creative writing and enrichment and coordinating with children’s authors and favorite books.

Lesson 8: Gingerbread Baby’s Point of View

Students will retell the story from the point of view of the gingerbread baby, explaining why he didn’t want to be eaten and how he felt about the world he explored.Materials:
  • Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
  • 11×8 paper which has the outline of the gingerbread baby.
  • Draw lines on the bottom half for writing and leave the top clear for illustrating.
  • You will need several sheets for each child, so copy-copy-copy!
  • If you can find it, light brown copy paper adds a nice feel to the project.

Lesson Plan:

  1. Talk a little bit about a character’s point of view. I like to read THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS BY A. WOLFE.
  2. Discuss how his point of view is different from the pigs.
  3. Then list on the board the story of Gingerbread Baby from Mattie’s point of view.
  4. Next to it discuss how the Gingerbread baby saw the same events.
  5. Pass out the “Special Paper” you created and have the students write the story from the baby’s point of view.

Lesson 9: Gingerbread Baby Reading

Students will read from the book.
Materials:

Lesson Plan:

Retype or copy sections of the story, or you could use a student’s story summary from a previous lesson.  In small groups have the students highlight the word you are saying. I use this method for many stories to help “Lock In” sight words.

Lesson 10: Gingerbread Baby Board Game

Children will create a board game based on the book “Gingerbread Baby” by Jan Brett.

Materials:

  • Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
  • Candyland game to use as a sample
  • Tag Board
  • Paper cutter
  • Game pieces ( Collect from old games or use bingo markers)
  • List of spelling/sight words you want the children to learn.
  • Dice or cubes the children write numerals on.

Lesson Plan:

  1. Create a sectioned path showing the journey the baby took until he arrived at the gingerbread house. (One game board for each student).
  2. The object of the game is to get to the house first.
  3. Students roll the dice, land on sections, and draw cards. ( I made the children use the sight word they drew, in a complete sentence. You could use math facts, or most any concept you are studying.) Instead of dice a spinner could be substituted!
  4. The children can draw along the path to illustrate the journey or cut and paste the pictures available on Jan Brett’s web site.

Comments:

I like to make sugar cookie homes with my own children during the holidays. I fill the inside with wrapped candy and small toys. They break the house open on Christmas Eve to share the goodies with Santa. Even my big teenager thinks building the house is “COOL”

Lesson 11: Gingerbread Baby Final Activity

Have a Jan Brett party!

Materials:

Lesson Plan:

Writing time – Have the students each write a friendly letter to Jan Brett. I like to run off the friendly letter forms she has available. Have the students write about their favorite part of the story or ask any questions they are interested in knowing.

For reading time – Children can partner read any of her books.

Math – Write story problems using characters and ideas from her books.

Social Studies – Read her biography and locate on a map the place she lives.

Art – Draw a picture in the middle and then give clues on the border like Jan Brett does.

Science – Make gingerbread houses, cookies, or snow mountain cupcakes!

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