Framingham State University

Early Childhood and Elementary Lesson Plan

Name: Tessa Ryan Subject/Grade: 1st Grade Date: September 16, 2021
Title of Lesson: Gingerbread Person Traps
Content/Skills Connection: ____X___ English Language Arts ______Math __X___Science ______Social Studies
____X___ Arts ______ Health ______Social/Emotional Learning
MA Curriculum Framework Standard(s):

1.K-2-ETS1-2. Generate multiple solutions to a design problem and make a drawing (plan) to represent one or
more of the solutions.
RL.1.9. Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.

MA Professional Standards for Teaching: _____ A _____ B _____ C _____ D _____ E

Student Grouping: __X___ Whole group __X___ Small group ______ Partner ___X___ Individual
Materials:
● List of available materials for when students create their trap
● Premade list of small group members
● Premade anchor charts for each gingerbread story read
○ Each chart is divided into 4 sections: the characters in the story, the setting, the problem, and the
solution for each gingerbread story read
● Piece of paper to draw their trap
● Gingerbread person trap worksheet
● Crayons/Pencils/Markers

Accommodations/Sheltered English Adjustments:

● Students will be pre-assigned a role in the group based on what will suit them best: (Students will
already be familiar with these small group roles)
○ Materials Manager: Gathers what is needed
○ Note Taker: Writes down ideas on planning sheet
○ Summarizer: Summarizes trap idea to another group at the end of the lesson
○ Time Keeper: Keeps everyone on track with the time that is left
● Worksheet with key words and visuals to help facilitate discussions
● Timers available for students
● Premade turn and talk pairs
● Premade small group members

Enduring Understanding/Goal: Students will work together in small groups in order to develop and create
(create) a plan to catch their gingerbread person. Students will draw (apply) a picture of their trap, decide
(evaluate) what materials to use to build their trap, and explain (understand) why they think their trap will be
successful by relating it to the gingerbread man books we have read throughout the unit.

Objectives and Assessments

Objective 1: Students will be able to work together in small groups to develop a plan that will
successfully catch their gingerbread person.
 Framingham State University
Early Childhood and Elementary Lesson Plan
Assessment 1: Students will be able to work together in order to complete their gingerbread person
planning sheet.

Objective 2: Students will be able to show a model of their plan.

Assessment 2: Students will draw a picture of their trap that includes labels.

Objective 3: Students will be able to present their gingerbread person trap planning sheet to another
group.
Assessment 3: Students will be able to describe their plan to another group by showing their drawing,
saying what materials they are planning to use, and explaining why they think this will be a successful
trap.

Procedures
Anticipatory Set: (5-7 minutes)
(1) Students will take their seats on the rug in order to start the lesson.
(2) Teacher will start discussion for students: “Class, we have read a lot of gingerbread stories this month
and have talked about the different parts of those stories (referring to the anchor charts hung up). These
stories have all been about the gingerbread person escaping, and trying to run away while the other
characters try to catch them. Sometimes, the characters are successful in catching them, sometimes they
are not. I want you to turn and talk to your rug buddy and talk about a time that the characters were
successful, and a time that the characters were not successful.”
(3) Students turn to their rug buddy to discuss the question for 2 minutes.
(4) Students will then share and we will discuss the question together as a class.
(5) Teacher will tell students the objective for the day: “Today, we are going to try to plan a successful trap
that will catch our gingerbread person that we colored and cut out yesterday!”

Lesson Progression (step by step progression): (30 minutes)

(1) Together as a class, the teacher will model the trap planning worksheet for students and explain the
different parts. The students need to design a trap that will be able to catch and fit their gingerbread
person they cut and colored yesterday. The teacher will show students examples from past years of traps
that previous students have made in order to get their ideas flowing!
(a) Part 1: the planning sheet will have a spot for notes, materials they will need, and a description
of why their plan will work. (group work)
(b) Part 2: everyone will be given a piece of paper for their drawing. Everyone is going to sketch their
final idea. (individual work)
(2) The teacher will explain that each person in the group will be given a role, but everyone is going to help
with the planning.
(a) Roles: Materials Manager, Note Taker, Summarizer, Time Keeper
(3) The teacher will project onto the board a picture and list of the materials that will be available tomorrow
for when students actually create their traps.
(4) Students will then work together in their small groups to come up with their plan and complete their
planning worksheets.
(5) The teacher will be walking around to each group to monitor and ask questions.

Closure: (5 minutes)
 Framingham State University
Early Childhood and Elementary Lesson Plan
(1) Students will regroup with the class once the time is up.
(2) Each small group will be partnered with another small group.
(3) Each group will present their plan and why they think it will be successful to their partner group. Each
group will take about 2 minutes to present their plan and sketches.
(4) The teacher will tell students that tomorrow, we will use these plans in order to actually create our traps
for our gingerbread people.

Extensions/Practice:
This is meant to be one of the last lessons of a gingerbread man unit study for first graders. The next day,
students will come into class where the materials brainstormed the day before are out and available for them.
Students will use their trap planning sheet, gather materials, and build a trap that can fit their gingerbread they
made from a couple days prior. Students will work together as a group to create their trap. Students will then
demonstrate and explain how their trap works to the class. That will conclude the unit on gingerbread man fairy
tales.

Resources used in planning:

● Massachusetts Frameworks for Science and Technology Engineering (2016)

● Massachusetts Frameworks for English Language Arts and Literacy (2017)
● Estes, T. H., and Mintz, S. L. (2016) Instruction: A models approach. Enhanced Pearson e-Text with
loose-leaf version. New Jersey, Pearson.

For Bloom’s Taxonomy Referral:

https://www.usd450.net/files/BloomsChart-K-2.pdf
https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/

Reflection:
The gingerbread unit is one of my favorites that we do every year. We do a version of this lesson plan every year
and the students always love it. I always love how creative the students get, and how engaged they are in this
hands-on lesson. Students are typically drawn to our fairy tale unit, especially when it comes to our gingerbread
stories. We usually spend about a month or so reading different versions of the gingerbread man and also
comparing and contrasting each of those stories. As we read a story, we write a quick anchor chart on each one
that lists the characters, setting, plot, and solution. After reading about many different ways the gingerbread
people are caught/aren’t caught, students are very eager to take what they have learned and try to create their
own trap. I always love the lessons where we can include aspects of STEM into it. I have always found this to be a
very successful, fun, and engaging lesson for the students I work with.
 Framingham State University
Early Childhood and Elementary Lesson Plan

Assessment

The knowledge I am assessing for my students in this lesson is comparing and contrasting experiences of

characters in stories. At the point when this lesson is being conducted, students have already read

multiple gingerbread story books and have discussed each book’s characters, setting, problem, and

solution. Now, students are using their knowledge from these stories to differentiate which gingerbread

stories were ones where the gingerbread man was successful/unsuccessful and why.

Here are 3 ways in which students could be assessed for this lesson:

1. The original assessment on my gingerbread activity lesson plan is essentially part 1 of a

performance assessment for students. Students are working together in groups in order to create a

plan to catch their gingerbread person. In the first part of the lesson, students work together to

draw a picture of their trap, decide what materials to use to build their trap, and explain why they

think their trap will be successful by relating it to the gingerbread man books we have read

throughout the unit. Part 2 of this lesson was meant to be the day where students are able to

actually build their traps with their groups. I wanted students to create something (as it is the

highest level of bloom’s taxonomy) as their assessment. I understand that every single lesson

cannot have a performance assessment such as this one, but I like to include assessments such as

this one when we are at the end of a unit.

Some benefits I see of this type of assessment is that it is very hands-on and

engaging for students. I also like how every student in the group has a role. I planned the activity

so that there is a notetaker, materials manager, summarizer, and time keeper in each group. Every
 Framingham State University
Early Childhood and Elementary Lesson Plan
student will know what’s expected from their roles. Thinking of the disadvantages of a lesson like

this, I can see some students not contributing to the group as much as others, even with the

assigned roles. With any group project, there is that possibility. Therefore, before an assessment

like this one, students need to know what is expected by working in a group and practice that.

Also, a lot of the time when students build different things for their assessment, they can get

frustrated when what they’re building does not work out. However, overall, I think this is an

assessment that students would enjoy.

2. Another type of assessment that I would consider is a writing assignment where students evaluate

what worked and didn’t work from the gingerbread stories in order to write their own. Students

could write their own gingerbread story where the gingerbread person is successful, and gets

away safely. Throughout this unit, students read gingerbread stories with different main

characters, such as the gingerbread girl, the gingerbread ninja, the gingerbread boy, and so much

more. Students could have the opportunity to test their creativity in order to write a gingerbread

story with their own special gingerbread character.

Some benefits of this type of assessment are that students get to practice creative writing.

In first grade, the writing that we do is almost always true stories about ourselves. Therefore,

students never really get that time to show all that they’ve learned through a creative story. Some

disadvantages of an assessment like this is that some students might struggle with the writing

piece. An alternative to this could be that students create a book online with a site such as

storyjumper. Using storyjumper, students could record their voice with their pictures instead of

writing.
 Framingham State University
Early Childhood and Elementary Lesson Plan

3. Another assessment that could be used is a debate. Students could get into groups (similar to the

first assessment) and each be given a book that was read throughout this unit. Students would

have time to read through the book again if they wish, and then decide together whether or not the

gingerbread person in the story was successful or unsuccessful. Students will decide how the

gingerbread person was successful if they were, and students also have to decide what the

gingerbread person should have done differently if they were not successful. Students will go up as

a group to debate and present their ideas to the class. The students would have similar roles as

they would in the first assessment.

Some benefits of an assessment like this is that it’s mostly oral, which students seem to

have an easier time with. Also, this lesson still promotes those higher levels of thinking from

bloom’s taxonomy which would really engage students. A disadvantage of this kind of assessment

would be that some of my students get really shy when they come up to the front of the room to

speak. Therefore, if I have students that are not comfortable speaking to the class, I would need to

have another alternative to assess them by.