The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Let’s Trap the Gingerbread Man

Let’s Trap the Gingerbread Man

A 5th Grade STEM Lesson

Khristina Sorge

July 2023

Notes for Teachers

This lesson can be incorporated into language arts as well.

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Construction tends to work well in groups of 3-4 students.

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I recommend setting a timer for groups to be able to reference as they are building to keep them focused and working with a sense of urgency. Typically, 15 minutes for construction works well.

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List of Materials

• The Three Little SuperPigs and the Gingerbread Man book or video read aloud at this link
• Trap Supplies (popsicle sticks, yarn, tin foil, cardstock, masking tape, any misc. construction materials you want to include)
• Wooden Gingerbread Men
• Post-it Notes or Exit Slips

Arizona Standards

Science

5.P3U2.5

Define problems and design solutions pertaining to force and motion.

ELA

5.RL.3

Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

5.RL.6

Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

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Science and Engineering Practices

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• ask questions and define problems
• develop and use models
• plan and carry out investigations
• analyze and interpret data
• use mathematical and computational thinking
• construct explanations and design solutions
• engage in argument from evidence
• obtain, evaluate and communicate information

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Objective(s):

Today we will construct a possible trap for the gingerbread man using the scientific engineering process.

Today we will determine how the addition of the trap would impact the personalities of the characters in the story.

Today we will explain how the addition of the trap would change the interactions of the characters in the story.

Agenda (45 minutes)

Read Aloud The Three LIttle Superpigs and the Gingerbread Man

Compare/Contrast to previous versions of the Three Little Pig stories we have read. (*Optional)

STEM Hands-On Activity: Construction of the Traps and Testing of Designs

Debrief: Impact to the characters

Read Aloud

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Read Aloud

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

• In a group of four, create a trap that will assist the Three Superpigs to catch the gingerbread man in a much more efficient and effective way.

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Assessment

Test your traps:

• Does the trap capture the gingerbread man?
• Does the trap close and prevent escape?
• Were you able to improve your trap design based upon new ideas?
• If yes, how much?
• What further modifications would make the design work even more effectively?

ELA Assessment

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How would the trap being part of the story change the hero/villain dynamic in the story?

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How would the trap being part of the story change the personalities of the superpigs? the gingerbread man?

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Would your trap change the outcomes and events of the story? How?

Differentiation

Allow students an opportunity to present their trap designs for testing and then give them an additional five minutes of construction time to incorporate ideas they learned from other groups or to re-attempt their design in a new way.

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Have a set of resources ready for students who need more help with generating ideas and covering trap building. YouTube can be used as a resource along with books.

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Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

The options are endless for different parameters you can place on the construction of the traps. For example, give students the additional criteria that there must be some sort of pulley system or way for the trap to open and close.

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A fun extension could be to challenge students to help the gingerbread man escape any trap. What would they build or what special superpowers would the gingerbread man need to have?