![]() ![]() “What are their facial expressions, body language or actions telling us?” “What do the illustrations tell us about the character?” “What do the illustrations tell us about the setting that the words do not?” I use these guiding questions focus students’ attention on the illustrations and to teach them how to look for clues that give them information that the words do not: I changed my ways after realizing I wasn’t doing my students justice by not spending time focusing on the illustrations in a text and teaching them to gain information about the story. As a second grade teacher, I often overlooked it. I have to admit that I used this strategy a lot as a Kindergarten and first grade teacher. Using Illustrations To Understand A Storyīy studying the illustrations, readers can add to what they already know about the characters, story elements, and plot. ![]() I project the colored versions for modeling and use the included blackline version and cover for the student booklets. We use large class charts for students to write on and booklets for students to compare the story elements.Ĭlick Here to get this free story elements booklet for your students. ![]() Comparing these makes for learning interesting new things about different cultures and creates insightful observations by students. The story elements in these books are quite different from one another. One of the things I love about comparing versions of The Gingerbread Man is the fact that there are many books available with a wide variety of cultural perspectives. I added this digital version so students could write the central message of their favorite book using their tablets. Take this a step further by having students not only decide what the central message is, but to explain how they know, and to think about the lesson the character can learn. Don’t believe everything you are told, especially by a stranger.Bragging, teasing, and taunting will not make you friends.Never run away from your family and people who love you.What lessons does the author want the character to learn? Examples of Central Messages in Gingerbread Man Stories I approach teaching the central message by having students use character clues to decide what the author is trying to tell them through the character’s experience. Nonetheless, the central messages in The Gingerbread Man are easily identified and ones that all children can relate to. I find that young children don’t yet have the life experience to draw on when trying to determine a moral in a fable or the life lesson of a fairy tale without a struggle. Often times, trying to hone in on the message or life lesson the author is trying to convey requires a leap in thinking for primary readers. Teaching students to identify the central message can sometimes be tricky. I’ve listed all of the books I like to use at the end of this post and all are available as video read alouds on You Tube.ĭetermining the Central Message of The Gingerbread Man Let’s look at some of the ways you can use these books to determine the central message, analyze a character, identify non-literal language, and to understand why an author uses repetition in a story. The Gingerbread Man, and all of its versions, lend themselves so well to addressing a multitude of reading standards for first, second, and even third grade. I want to share with you some ways you can take your readers deeper into these well loved stories and how comparing versions of The Gingerbread Man can turn your readers into thinkers.Ĭomparing Versions of The Gingerbread Man They require targeted teaching and support. These skills don’t often come naturally, even to our most fluent readers. ![]() We want our students to read closely and to connect, to question and visualize, and to make inferences that give meaning to the words on the page. We want our young readers to not only use the strategies we’ve taught them but to think deeply about what they are reading. As primary teachers, a key focus of our reading instruction is on building comprehension. ![]()
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