Smart Cookies

First grade is full of smart cookies.  In addition to comparing and contrasting different gingerbread stories, we did all sorts of learning with the gingerbread theme.  One of our learning centers was to sort the cookies by beginning sound.  In writing, we used adjectives and transition words (first, next, then, last) to write a piece on how to eat a gingerbread cookie.  Then, in spelling, we made words from the letters g-i-n-g-e-r-b-r-e-a-d. For art, we made gingerbread ornaments and giant gingerbread faces.  In math, we worked on fact families and missing addend problems.  For example, I have 15 gingerbread cookies.  8 are in the cookie jar.  How many are still in the oven?

Gingerbread even made its way into science.  In one of the gingerbread stories, the fox tricks the gingerbread man by convincing him to ride on his back across the river.  In this science experiment, our key question was: What would happen to the gingerbread man if he "swam" across the river himself?  We made predictions then tested our hypothesis.  The students observed and recorded what was happening to the gingerbread man in water at 20 minutes and one hour.  They concluded that water makes the gingerbread soggy and it will break apart.  Great work, scientists!