Thematic Learning Through Traditional Tales

Gingerbread cookies, houses, and stories bring warm winter memories. Gingerbread traditions have also made their way into kindergarten classrooms over the last few weeks, where students have been integrating this theme in reading, writing, science, and math.

Thematic learning is an important part of learning in kindergarten. This natural integration begins in the early childhood division, where curriculum, skills, and lessons are based around a topic or theme. This same planning goes into the kindergarten curriculum. Teachers are able to plan literacy, math, and science lessons that incorporate important grade level skills, but also tie together learning throughout the day, instead of just in one portion or one subject. This helps to solidify student learning and helps students make meaningful connections across various subjects.

The Kindergarten classes read many variations of the traditional Gingerbread Man tale, which strengthens reading comprehension skills. Throughout the unit, students compared and contrasted different versions of the story, expanding their vocabulary and leading to important discussions regarding subtle changes to story elements and plot. Students also engaged in text-to-text connections, predicting, retelling, and sequencing throughout the unit. 

Kindergarteners also put on their science lab coats by enlisting their five senses through gingerbread taste testing. Students smelled, held, tasted, and examined real ginger root, ginger ale (a clear winner), ginger snap cookies, and traditional gingerbread! Students strengthened their graphing skills by creating class graphs for their favorite food items. They even graphed which part of the gingerbread man each student took a bite of first! Learning centers for the week incorporated list-making where students practiced their independence in writing to create their own gingerbread recipes. As a sweet culmination, each child created their own edible gingerbread house snack as a story connection to their favorite variation, Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett.

Kindergarten students are now gingerbread tale experts. Run, run, as fast as you can to your local library to explore your favorite version of this traditional winter story!