YOU CAN'T CATCH ME, I'M THE GINGERBREAD MAN!
- fromlargemountains
- Dec 19, 2015
- 6 min read
Kindergarten/Grade 1
Run, run, run as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!
What better way to teach Standard and Nonstandard Measurement than by actually experimenting with measurement?
Length Forest Art Project
We started the unit by going to the forest and looking for sticks of various lengths. We talked about comparing which ones are shorter, and which are longer or taller. Each of the students were to go out and find 10-12 sticks of various lengths, but shorter than their forearms to bring back to the class. When we got back to the classroom, students were given a paper with a framed border where they lined up their sticks with the longest on the bottom and the shortest on the top with a few spare long sticks for the border. When it was approved by one of the teachers, they could glue it down, ask for a pom-pom, and leave it to dry. We were left with these beautiful trees that showed different length sticks we found using nonstandard measurement.
Baking Using Standard/Nonstandard Measurement (and Science Investigations)
The following week we had a lesson on what is standard and nonstandard measurement, using baking and measuring length to explore these to concepts.
First I had one of the students lay on the floor, and we counted as I measured how many of my feet long he was. After, I had a student come up and we counted as she measured how many feet long he was. We compared my feet to her feet, he was 5.5 of mine and 7.5 of hers, and students explained why this might be confusing if we were trying to describe his height to someone else. We then used a measuring stick to see how many centimetres long he was, and the students recalled when they had measured a visiting baby with the measuring stick (From the Roots of Empathy program). They concluded that the measuring stick uses measurements that anybody would understand and be able to compare to. We finalized our definitions of what standard and nonstandard measurements mean based on this demonstration.
I then had students sit with their math partner and work on a gingerbread measuring page. They used cube manipulatives to measure how many cubes long each part of the gingerbread person was. The teachers circulated and guided students in using a ruler to compare the length in cubes to centimetres.
While they worked on this, I had students come up one at a time to measure using measuring cups and spoons to add ingredients to make standard-measured gingerbread men. After measuring this, the students would add the same ingredient using a nonstandard measuring cup (one just out of the cupboard, using the cap of the spice, etc.) and we saw that we sometimes added much more than we had with the standard cups, and sometimes added way less than with the standard cups. We made predictions on how this might effect the way the nonstandard gingerbread man would taste. Later in the day, we had two students help a couple of the teachers to mix, roll, and shape the gingerbread men onto cookie sheets. They reported back to me that while the nonstandard gingerbread man was in the oven, his belly was bubbling, he was moving around, and they predicted he was going to come to life like in a book we had read at lunch that day called "Gingerbread Man Loose in the School" by Laura Murray.
The next day when we got back from forest, Zita came in after visiting the staff room with a note from Gingie, the nonstandard gingerbread man. It was addressed to a student who read it aloud to the class. He told us he was afraid of being eaten, and had decided to hide. He left us a hint on where we might find him with a curriculum question to answer before we left o I used this as a conclusion to our learning about holidays and diversity, healthy eating, and measurement learning.
The note read:
Dear ______________, please deliver this message to your classmates:
Today I woke up in a nice and toasty oven where I was so excited for the day! But then I heard some teachers talking about wanting to eat some gingerbread men! Quiet as a mouse, I snuck out of the room and headed to a quieter place to hide from the teachers who wanted to eat me!
I hope you enjoy your little standard gingerbread men, because you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!
-Gingie
I asked the students if we should use our investigation skills and hypothesize where we might find him. We looked at a map of the school, and deduced that he must be in the library since it is a quiet place he could hide. Very quietly, we slipped on our marshmallow feet,
zipped up our honey lips, and snuck down the hall to the library.
Sure enough, we found footprints and another note from Gingie, with another clue on where to find him! The note read:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear ______________, please deliver this message to your classmates:
While looking for a good place to hide, I found some good books on different holiday traditions around the world! I learned that other cultures do not eat gingerbread men during the holiday season. Can you and your classmates list some of the different traditions you’ve learned about? Well, I’m going to find someone who can change the rules here and make eating gingerbread men banned from the school! Run, run, run as fast as you can, you can’t eat me, I’m the gingerbread man!
-Gingie
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
After answering his question, we took out our map and hypothesized where he must be! We headed on down to the principal's office to see if she had seen him. He had done it again! We found the principal and a note he had left with her. It read:
Dear ______________, please deliver this message to your classmates:
Mrs. Frey promised that she won’t eat me, and then we started talking about our favourite foods. I like foods that are healthy and keep me strong and quick for running. What kinds of healthy food do you like to eat? Now I think I will head upstairs to some other big people like me!Run, run, run as fast as you can, you can’t find me, I’m the gingerbread man!
-Gingie
We answered his question, and consulted our map to think of where he might be where he could get food. There are a couple places in the school where food is kept, but we decided to check the multi-purpose room, as we had not yet been there.We found yet another note from Gingie, that read:
Dear ______________, please deliver this message to your classmates:
Now that I’m all full, I’m going to go get some exercise! I know you will never find me in my next hiding spot! This room is so big, you will not be able to figure out where I am!Run, run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!
-Gingie
We concluded that he must be hiding in the gym, so two students snuck in (there was a class in there so we didn't want to interrupt with 20 students), and the note told us to wait until after lunch to open it up and read the next clue. The students were buzzing as they went out for recess, hypothesizing where he might be, questioning why they saw crumbs in their cars last night - had Gingie come home with them? - and why was their backpack zipped up when they left it unzipped!? After lunch, they were eager to read the final clue:
Dear ______________, please deliver this message to your classmates:
All right, I’m getting tired of running away. I will give you one last clue, but only if you can tell Miss. L what you learned about baking using nonstandard measurements. I’m going to find my other big friends, and together we will spend some time with our little buddies. Run, run, run as fast as you can, you’ve learned so much, so come find the gingerbread man!
-Gingie
All the students were excited to go up to our big buddy classroom to ask them if they had seen him. They had a surprise waiting for them - Gingie, and the little standard gingerbread men were waiting there to be decorated and eaten. The students matched up with their big buddies and decorated their little men, and everyone tried a bite of Gingie to see how he tasted with ingredients that did not follow the recipe properly. This solidified their understanding of what standard and nonstandard measurements are, and why it is so important to follow recipes with standard measurements.
This unit was done in collaboration with Zita McDonough and Hailey Bergstrom.
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