TITLE:  THE GINGERBREAD MAN TRAIL

AUTHOR:  Rosemary Valdez; San Juan Elementary
         San Juan Pueblo, N.M. 86566

GRADE LEVEL:  K-2

OVERVIEW:  This activity is used at the beginning of the
year to help children acclimate to the school surroundings
and to match school employees with their jobs.

PURPOSE:  The purpose of this lesson is to present a fun,
memorable way for children to learn where the secretary,
principal, nurse, janitor, cafeteria, playground, and other
grade levels are located and at the same time matching a
face and job with each of these locations and its importance
to the functioning of the school.

OBJECTIVE(s):  The objective of this lesson is to introduce
the community of the school and its environment, who is
involved with the school and where each of these people and
functions are located.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
Various versions of the Gingerbread Man story
    camera
gingerbread man pattern
map of the school environment
recipe for gingerbread

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1.   Read as many different versions of the story, "The
     Gingerbread Man."  Discuss how the Gingerbread Man on
     his journey met many different animals and people.
2.   Children should be acclimated to their room
     environment, and begin to discuss the environment
     outside of the room.  Take pictures of each person and
     their respective work areas, or the area outside that
     the children need to be familiar with.  Introduce these
     people at whatever pace you feel in comfortable.
     Discuss each job and its importance, or each are and
     its use.  As you finish the discussion, place a picture
     on the appropriate spot on the school map you have
     drawn.
3.   When you have finished discussing and mapping the
     school environment, invite the people you have been
     studying to come in and talk with the class.  (The
     students enjoy meeting and talking with these people.)
4.   Finally, have the children draw a picture of their
     favorite school helper and say why they chose that
     person.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
The culminating activity is done through cooking.  With the
children's help, make a giant gingerbread man.  Make
arrangements to have him cooked in the school's kitchen.
Students help you take him to the kitchen and be placed in
the oven.  (At this point you need to arrange to have
someone go to the kitchen and take the gingerbread man back
to your room while you are on your tour of the school.)

When it is time to go and get your gingerbread man, the
cooks inform the children that they went to check on him and
when they opened the door the gingerbread man popped out and
ran into the cafeteria, so begins your tour of the school.
(Please be sure to inform in advance the people and rooms
you will be visiting that you are coming and let them know
where to direct you and the students next.)

When you have visited all locations and have found that the
gingerbread man has gotten away, you return to your room to
find the gingerbread man waiting for you.  The next and last
step is obvious...you eat him.

Following your snack, go back and retrace your steps using
your map.  This activity has worked well in my class.  It is
one that the children love to recall and later on in their
school years continue to remember.