Using The Gingerbread Man story each child creates their own story (see gallery). The sentence frame with only one word to fill in is great for helping the children develop their writing. It allows them to concentrate on being able to sound out only one word and is less intimidating than doing a whole sentence.

We also write togther. This is where I model how to sound out and we print out the words together.

We read different versions of The Gingerbread Man story and discuss the similarities and differences. The children enjoy chanting along to the repetitive parts. They also learn a poem in class and take it home in their homework book. Being able to chant along with a book and poem is an important stage in reading. The students will often "read" their poem to their parents. This is the beginning. They are starting to mimic what readers do and soon they will be reading the actual words.