Lesson Plan

Gingerbread Baby Lesson Plan

  • Grades: PreK–K, 1–2

About this book

Grade Level Equivalent: 2.6
Lexile Measure: 430L
Guided Reading Level: L
Age: Age 3, Age 6, Age 8, Age 4, Age 7
Genre: Fables, Folk Tales and Myths
Subject: Cooking, Cleverness, Family Life, Creativity and Imagination, Magic and Supernatural

Overview

Students love Gingerbread Baby, and have even more fun baking and eating him. Students love the fact that the Gingerbread Man does not get eaten in the story. Ironic since they love eating the cookies!

Objective

Students will "apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements." --Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks

Materials

  • Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
  • 2/3 cup shortening
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • pinch salt
  • 3/4 cup molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • icing, raisins, nuts, and candies to decorate the cookies
  • a couple of mixing bowls
  • a spoon for stirring
  • assorted measuring spoons and cups
  • cookie sheets
  • wire rack

Set Up and Prepare
Because the dough has to chill for an hour before it can be rolled out, it is best to plan on having this activity running throughout your morning. Make arrangement with cooking staff to use their oven.

Directions

Have students wash their hands.

Cream together the shortening, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger, and salt. Add egg and mix. Add molasses and mix again. Mix together flour, baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl. Sift. Add to the creamed mixture and stir until well blended. Chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll out dough 1/4 at a time to 1" thickness or slightly thicker on a lightly floured board. Cut with a cookie cutter and transfer to a greased (or non stick) cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Before baking, decorate with raisins as you like.

Place in oven for 8 - 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Decorate the cookies using icing, raisins, nuts, and candies.

Supporting All Learners

For young students, tubes of colored icing work well for decorating the cookies.

Lesson Extensions

Try making a cardboard Gingerbread Man and decorating him with craft materials.

Related Resources
The Gingerbread recipe is from http://www.dltk-kids.com/recipes/gingerbread_cookies.htm
http://www.janbrett.com
http://books.scholastic.com/teachers/authorsandbooks/authorstudies/authorhome.jsp?authorID=13&collateralID=5110&displayName=Biography

  • Part of Collection:
    Jan Brett Author Study
  • Subjects:
    Reading, Cooking, Arts and Crafts, Measurement
  • Skills:
    Reading
  • Duration:
    2 Hrs
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