Beacon Lesson Plan Library
Run! Run! You Can't Catch Me!
Patricia Mader
Bay District Schools
Description
After listening to the story, "The Gingerbread Boy," students make a gingerbread cookie and decorate it. The cookies run away while being baked and students then have to find them by following clues that acquaint them with places around the school.
Standards
Florida Sunshine State Standards
LA.C.1.1.1
The student listens for a variety of informational purposes, including curiosity, pleasure, getting directions, performing tasks, solving problems, and following rules.
LA.C.1.1.4
The student retells specific details of information heard, including sequence of events.
SS.B.1.1.1
The student determines the absolute and relative location of people, places, and things.
Florida Process Standards
Effective Communicators
02 Florida students communicate in English and other languages using information, concepts, prose, symbols, reports, audio and video recordings, speeches, graphic displays, and computer-based programs.
Critical and Creative Thinkers
04 Florida students use creative thinking skills to generate new ideas, make the best decision, recognize and solve problems through reasoning, interpret symbolic data, and develop efficient techniques for lifelong learning.
Materials
-Any copy of the traditional tale, "The Gingerbread Boy"
-Cookie dough or ready-made cookies
-Cookie cutters
-Colored candies
-Various cake decorations, such as sprinkles, colored sugar, etc.
-Icing in two or three colors
-Red hot candy
Preparations
1. Have a copy of "The Gingerbread Boy" on hand to read to the class.
2. Prepare gingerbread dough or purchase readymade cookies that can be decorated.
3. Purchase decorating materials or have parent volunteers send in items.
4. Invite parent volunteers (as many as you think you will need) to help with the cutting and decorating of the cookies.
5. Prepare clues for the students to find. I like to use the outline of a gingerbread boy. You can even add gingerbread scent to the outline. The clues should help the students locate various places around campus - office, library, lunchroom, the music and art rooms, gym, computer lab, etc. For example, "Ha! Ha! You can't catch us! Maybe you can find us in the office!" or "Run! Run! As fast as you can! You might catch us in gym!"
6. Let the teachers and personnel in the places you have selected to visit know about your activity and approximately when you will be there.
7. Distribute the gingerbread clues.
8. You may need to make a chart of the cookies on the baking sheets so that you can be sure that each child gets to eat the cookie they decorated.
9. While you are searching for the cookies with the students, the aide or volunteers will be setting out the cookies for the children to eat when we return.
Procedures
1. Read the story, "The Gingerbread Boy." There are various versions of this story. Pick your favorite. Sometimes I read the story on the afternoon before and tell the students that we will be making our own gingerbread cookies tomorrow. Then we will retell the story in sequence the morning before we actually make the cookies.
2. Tell the students that they are going to make their own gingerbread cookies.
3. Have the students go to one of the tables set up to cut out and decorate their cookies with volunteers, teacher and aide.
4. Allow time for students to cut out and decorate their cookies. Place the cookies on baking sheets as they are finished. Make a chart of the filled cookie sheets so that you will know which cookie belongs to which student.
5. Take the cookies to the lunchroom to be baked. The students will help take the cookies so that they may locate the lunchroom.
6. When the cookies are done, the aide will go to collect the cookies. She will come back to the room and tell the students that our cookies have run away!
7. She has a clue that the cookies have left us to tell us where they have gone. For example, "Ha! Ha! You can't catch us! We've run away to the library."
8. With proper supervision, the students follow the clue to the library to find the cookies, but find another clue instead.
9. Continue following the clues until the students have been to as many places on campus as you want them to be able to locate, such as the office, library, lunchroom, art room, music room, gym, computer lab, etc.
10. At the last place you visit the clue should send the students back to the classroom to find their cookies ready to be eaten - legs first!
Assessments
This will be an ongoing assessment until the students are able to locate various places in the school on their own. As the class or a group prepares to leave the classroom the students will tell or show the teacher or aide how we will get to a specific place. As the students become more proficient at finding their way, the students will lead with less and less directions, until the students are able to locate places on their own. Adults will always accompany the class when out of the room, but students will be able to take the lead.
In addition, the teacher observes students as they retell the tale of "The Gingerbread Boy" in sequence. This will inform future instruction on this skill.
Extensions
This lesson can be extended into a map lesson. Prepare a simple map of the school. The students will help fill in the names of various locations around the school that we visited when we hunted the gingerbread boys. Ask questions such as, Which way do we go to get to the library? Is the lunchroom behind of or in front of the library? How will we get back to our room when we leave the gym? What room is beside the office? Have the class refer to the map when the class or group of students has to go to a specific place.
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