“The Gingerbread Man”
Lesson 1
Family/Education Intended Outcome # 5 (F): Tell a story to your child.
Theme
Parents as First Teachers
Objectives
Learners will…
…be able to tell an age-appropriate story, “The Gingerbread Man,” to their children using oral, written and visual
means.
…increase parent-child literacy activities in the home.
…clarify personal values regarding culture and language in raising their children in the United States.
Role
Family member
CASAS Competencies
7.4.3
Utilize devices or processes for remembering information.
6.5.2
Use strategies to develop a positive self-image and self-esteem.
Concepts and Issues
Materials Checklist
Oregon Even Start
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Story-telling traditions
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Parents as first teachers
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Personal values regarding teaching culture and language
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“The Gingerbread Man” Blackline Master pages (L1-4ff)
Colored paper for book cover
Pictures for puppets (p. L1-5)
Heavy paper or card stock for copying puppets
Popsicle sticks
Scissors and glue or tape
A Guide for Family Literacy E.S.L.
L1- 1
“The Gingerbread Man”
Activity
Prepare
materials.
Beginning (SPL 0-2)
Intermediate (SPL 3-5)
Lesson 1
Advanced (SPL 6+)
Photocopy the pictures for the story
(pp. L1-4). Add a cover, fold in half and
staple. Make 1 book for each learner.
Make one set of puppets for teacher
(p. L1-5).
Elicit text
Give each learner a copy of the book. Using
“Language Experience Approach” (See LEA,
Glossary), elicit vocabulary from learners for
each page and write a simple sentence under
the pictures (an overhead projector works
well for this). Learners copy the sentences
into their books. Do not elicit text for last
page.
Learners can provide more vocabulary
and more complex sentences.
Learners work in small groups or
pairs to compose the text.
Practice
Ask learners to repeat and practice each page
as you work through the book. Teacher can
supply the rhyme: “Run, run, as fast as you
can. You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread
man!”
Continue as for Beginning Level.
Continue as for Beginning Level.
Pair practice
Students read the story several times to
different partners.
Puppet story.
Use the puppets to tell the story to the
students. Then ask the class to tell you the
story as you hold up the puppets. Provide lots
of repetition so learners become comfortable
with the text.
Oregon Even Start
A Guide for Family Literacy E.S.L.
L1- 2
“The Gingerbread Man”
Activity
Beginning (SPL 0-2)
Make puppets
Give a copy of puppets to each learner. Cut
out and glue a popsicle stick to each picture.
Pair practice
One learner reads or tells the story while the
other uses the puppets.
Work with text:
Sentence strips,
Cloze (see
Glossary)
Intermediate (SPL 3-5)
Lesson 1
Advanced (SPL 6+)
Make sentence strips from story text, but
cut the sentences apart according to
subject/predicate. Ask learners to
reassemble the story. Make a cloze
exercise and ask learners to fill in the
words that are missing.
Same as Intermediate
Home activity
preparation
Learners take the books and puppets home
and use them to tell the story to children in
their first language, English or both. Parents
ask children to create an ending for the story.
Discuss children’s preferences regarding
language use. Clarify learners’ values and
goals regarding transmission of native
language and culture. Discuss strategies
to integrate these in family life.
Same as Intermediate
Several days
later: share with
Learners share story endings with classmates;
reflect on what they learned about your child.
Learners share children’s endings for
story; then discuss other possible endings
and any similar stories in native culture.
Discuss storytelling as a cultural
tradition. Invite learners to tell the
class a story from their culture,
including how they learned the story.
Integrate with
children’s class.
Ask early childhood teacher to use the
puppets to tell the story. Older children can
act out the story.
Continue as for Beginning Level.
Continue as for Beginning Level.
Decorate. Hunt.
Make and decorate gingerbread men cookies
or paper cut-outs. Hide a “Gingerbread Man”
in the classroom or in another room. Go on a
hunt to find him. When he has been found,
return to classroom for cookies with adults.
class.
Oregon Even Start
A Guide for Family Literacy E.S.L.
L1- 3