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I am a HUGE fan of gingerbread books because they are so versatile and bring TONS of fun to your classroom! You can use gingerbread stories as an alternative to Christmas/ Santa/Elf. The academic skills and activities are endless! I usually spend 2 or more weeks using gingerbread classroom theme. One year we spent an entire month using these books because of the student interest! I love to do a classroom flip where I decorate my classroom door and turn my classroom into a “Gingerbread House”. My gingerbread unit consists of literacy and math centers, dramatic play, crafts and STEAM lessons. I hit academic standards using the gingerbread books. We usually end the unit by inviting our “reading buddies” to help build gingerbread houses! It’s a great time to focus on fine motor skills, use our 5 senses, following step by step directions, practicing listening skills, and working on team building skills.
There are ton of variations of gingerbread stories so comparing and contrasting is a common skill used. However, there are so many more skills you can cover. I compiled a list of skills I usually touch on during my gingerbread unit:
- Author/ Illustrator (picture above)
- Rhyming (Identifying rhyming pairs in the book)
Comprehension skills
- Characters (making and using puppets – I have the students use these puppets in my Puppet literacy center. Students can retell the different stories using the puppets)
- Character Traits
- Features of print (reading left to right, words with spaces, etc)
- Genres/folktales
- Making Predictions
- Moral of the story
- Point of view
- Retelling with key details
- Sequencing of Events
- Story map to review characters, setting, and plot.
- Vocabulary development
Writing Prompts & Grammar Skills
- Adjectives (describing the various gingerbread characters and tasting gingerbread cookies)
- Labeling gingerbread
- Gingerbread Can, Have, Are
- How to catch gingerbread writing prompt
- Where do you bite the cookie? prompt
- Lost/Reward Poster
- How to make a Gingerbread house/cookie
- Which gingerbread book is your favorite?
Other skills
- 5 senses
- STEAM – building a bridge or raft to help the gingerbread to safety
- Addition/subtraction
- Ten Frame
- Counting
Want to know which books are great for a certain skill and/or grade level?
I will link my Facebook Live here when it’s posted.
Don’t forget to grab these free note sheets so you can jot down ideas and books!
These gingerbread books are sure to be a HUGE hit in your classroom.
Click on any book to see them on Amazon.
Now for the hard part… Which book will you read first?