Gingerbread Baby

A WebQuest for 1^st Grade

By Mrs. Baldwin

Introduction

Introduction

You’ve seen books that are both written and illustrated by the same author. Jan Brett is an author/illustrator of many children’s books. We will be reading and looking at several of her books this year as part of an author study and getting to know more about her through her books and her web site. http://www.janbrett.com

Jan Brett often likes to write and illustrate animal stories because of her love of animals. She uses several animals in her popular re-telling of Gingerbread Baby, a fun version of the famous folktale, The Gingerbread Man. This famous folk tale actually originated in North America. However gingerbread and gingerbread houses come from Germany. You will listen to a reading of Gingerbread Baby. You will also read another version of this folk tale and find out if the two stories are similar and if they are different.

Task

You are going to meet the author Jan Brett by watching her video on her website. You are going to listen to a reading of Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett. You will also listen to or read another version of The Gingerbread Man. You will compare and contrast the settings, characters, and events in each of the two stories. You will then use what you have learned to create a storyboard. You will write advice to the gingerbread baby, boy or man.

Process

1. Meet Jan Brett in her video from her website. Write a question that you would like to know about her or her writing or her books.

2. Listen to Mrs. Baldwin read Jan Brett’s Gingerbread Baby.

3. Fill in the webquest answer sheet about this story with the class.

4. In your small group that you have been chosen to work with, now read or listen to another version of this folktale (The Gingerbread Boy, by Paul Galdone, The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth., The Gingerbread Man by Nancy Nolte, The Gingerbread Man retold for Lucky Book Club, or The Gingerbread Man retold by Brenda Parkes and Judith Smith).

5. Fill in another webquest answer sheet about this version with your small group. Choose a person to record this information on this answer sheet.

6. Now look over your 2 webquest answer sheets to fill in a venn diagram sheet about the two stories. What is similar? What is different? Have a 2nd person from your group record for this page.

7. Decide with your group, which story version you preferred.

8. Make a storyboard about the story showing the characters, setting and events from the book that your group liked the best.

9. Choose one person to present your venn diagram page to the class.

10. Choose one person to present the storyboard to the class.

11. To conclude, write a letter to the Gingerbread baby, boy or man telling him what you think he should have done when he got to the river and why you think so!

http://www.janbrett.com/friendly_letter_gingerbread_baby.htm

Evaluation Rubric

	Emerging	Practicing	Amazing
Attended and participated in meeting Jan Brett through her web video.	Needed reminders and support to attend and participate in the video meeting of Jan Brett.	Actively attended and participated in the video meeting of Jan Brett.	Actively attended and participated in the video meeting of Jan Brett and shared insightful comments and questions that showed understanding and critical thinking.
Attended and participated in the read aloud of Gingerbread Baby and the accompanying answer sheet.	Needed reminders and support to attend and participate in the read aloud of Gingerbread Baby and the accompanying answer sheet.	Actively attended and participated in the read aloud of Gingerbread Baby and the accompanying answer sheet.	Actively attended and participated in the read aloud of Gingerbread Baby and the accompanying answer sheet and shared insightful comments, that showed understanding, and critical thinking.
Attended and participated in the group reading of The Gingerbread Man and worked on the accompanying answer sheet.	Needed reminders and support to attend and participate with the small group reading of The Gingerbread Man and the accompanying answer sheet.	Actively attended and participated with the small group reading of The Gingerbread Man and the accompanying answer sheet.	Actively attended and participated in the read aloud of The Gingerbread Man and the accompanying answer sheet and shared insightful comments that showed understanding and critical thinking.
Attended and participated in the completion of the group venn diagram .	Needed reminders to support the completion of the group venn diagram.	Actively attended and participated in the completion of the group venn diagram.	Actively participated in the completion of the group venn diagram and shared insightful comments that showed understanding and critical thinking.
Attended and participated in the completion of the group storyboard.	Needed reminders to support the completion of the group storyboard..	Actively attended and participated in the completion of the group storyboard.	Actively participated in the completion of the group storyboard and shared insightful comments that showed understanding and critical thinking.
Attended and participated in the written advice to the gingerbread baby, boy or man.	Needed reminders to support the completion of the written advice to the gingerbread baby, boy or man.	Actively attended and participated in the completion of the written advice to the gingerbread baby, boy or man.	Actively participated in the completion of the written advice to the gingerbread baby, boy or man and shared insightful comments that showed understanding and critical thinking.

Conclusion

Now that you have enjoyed reading Jan Brett’s version of Gingerbread Baby and also another version of The Gingerbread Man, you will be more familiar with the story elements of setting, character, and events. You will also be more familiar with the author, Jan Brett.