One "Smart" Cookie?: Lesson 3 - Run, run, as fast as you can!

Eastern Connecticut State University Lesson Plan Format

Second Grade - Ashford School

Content Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy 2.4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

Prior Knowledge/Connections:

Students in this class have previously read variations of The Gingerbread Man as read alouds. These books include The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray, The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett, The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst, The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers by Lisa Campbell Ernst, The Gingerbread Bear by Robert Dennis, and The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka. They also read The Gingerbread Man 1976 Little Golden Book illustrated by Elfrieda.
Most students have had prior experience creating Vokis.

Student Learning Objective(s):

Students will be able to locate specific phrases that supply rhythm and meaning in variations of The Gingerbread Man.
Students will be able to create their own versions of the famous repeated lines from The Gingerbread Man through a Voki.

Vocabulary:

Essential Question: What are the benefits of including rhyme and repetition in a story?

Assessment:

As a group, students will locate the repetitive segments of text in the Gingerbread Man stories.
Students will be assessed through the repetitive speeches/cumulative tales they create for their Vokis.

Materials/Resources:

Technological resources:

Learning Activities-

Initiation:

On a scrap piece of paper, ask students to write down what they believe to be the most memorable line from The Gingerbread Man. After collecting the papers, ask students to share their answers. Ask students why they picked that line from the story.
Show students the following Voki:

Ask students why they believe the rhyming segments of a text are more memorable than phrases which do not rhyme.

Lesson Procedures:

Work together as a class to recall the repetitive phrases from the higlighted texts:

The Gingerbread Man: "Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
The Gingerbread Bear: "Run, run, try if you dare. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Bear!"
The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School: "I'm the Gingerbread Man, and I am trying to find, the children who made me but left me behind."
The Gingerbread Baby: "I'm the Gingerbread Baby, Fresh from the pan. If you want me, Catch me if you can."
The Gingerbread Girl: "I'll run and I'll run, With a leap and a twirl. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Girl."
The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers: "We're wild Animal Crackers, Hear our fierce roar. You can't catch us, We're off to explore!"

Tell students that they will now have the opportunity to create their own version of the Gingerbread Man's famous mantra.
Have the students access Voki.com on their computer. Show the students where to locate the gingerbread character on the website. Allow students to customize the character and create his/her own repetitive, rhyming phrase. Assist as needed.
Once the majority of the class has completed the assignment, have volunteers share their creation.

Closure:

Ask students to imagine each of the gingerbread stories without the famous repeating and rhyming lines. How would the stories be different? What do those lines add to the meaning and flow of the story?

Intervention:

Allow students who are unfamiliar with creating Vokis to work in a small group or be paired with an experienced peer.
For students who need help coming up with their rhyme, write down a few beginning lines for them to use as springboards.

Enrichment:

Students can extend the activity by rewriting the whole story, instead of just the repetitive phrases. Allow students to be creative with their choice of main character.

One "Smart" Cookie?