The Gingerbread Man: read-aloud with discussion questions
Read The Gingerbread Man aloud on the projector: 23 pages of big type with each word lit as it is said, 179 words (about a minute), level 5, grade 1, and 5 questions to talk about.
Page 1 of 23
A little old woman made a gingerbread man.
Keys: ← → or Page Up and Page Down turn the page, Space starts and pauses the voice, Home and End jump, F fills the screen. Tapping the right side of a page goes on; the left side goes back.
How to use it
- Press Full screen (F) to put the book on the projector.
- Press Read to me (Space), or read it yourself and turn pages with the arrow keys or a tap. Pick the Pace that suits the class.
- After the last page the questions come up on the screen. The same questions are below, with what to listen for.
About this book
- Level 5, Grade 1
- 23 pages, 179 words, about a minute aloud
- A classic tale, gentle
- A picture on every page
Related
About The Gingerbread Man
A 179-word telling in which the Gingerbread Man outruns everyone until he meets a fox who is too friendly. The refrain "Run, run, as fast as you can" invites the class to chant along, and the fox's three offers, tail, back and nose, show how a trick is built one step at a time.
A gingerbread man jumps out of the oven and runs from everyone. Then he meets a fox who is very kind… or is he?
Before you read
Say the refrain once, "Run, run, as fast as you can," and ask the class to say it back each time you point. Ask what might catch someone who is too fast to catch.
Words to preview
- gingerbread (JIN-jer-bred)
- spicy cookie
- oven (UV-un)
- hot box
- catch (KACH)
- grab
- sly
- sneaky
Questions to talk about
- Who tries to stop the Gingerbread Man before he meets the fox?Listen for: The old woman and the old man run after him, and the cow and the horse call out "Stop!" Ask what he answers each time.
- Why does the fox ask him to hop on his tail, then his back, then his nose?Listen for: He says it is to keep the Gingerbread Man from getting wet, but each step brings him closer to the fox's mouth. Ask what the fox really wants.
- How does the Gingerbread Man get away?Listen for: He is too fast: the fox snaps and he jumps off onto the bank. Some tellings end differently; here he runs all the way home.
- What did the Gingerbread Man learn?Listen for: That the fox was not his friend: a smile and a kind offer do not always mean kindness. The last line says he never hopped on a fox again.
- What clue on the page showed that the fox was sly?Listen for: His sly smile when he first appears, and his mouth opening very wide. Point to the words "sly smile."
Questions
How long does The Gingerbread Man take to read aloud?
It has 23 pages and 179 words, so about a minute at the Steady pace and a little less at Quick. If you stop to talk on the way, plan for more.
What reading level is The Gingerbread Man?
Level 5, Grade 1. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 5 sits at grade 1. A level is a guide for choosing, so look at the pages yourself.
Whose voice is it?
Your browser's own. Read to me uses a speaking voice already on the computer, so it sounds like that computer and works without a sign-in. Voices differ: some light each word as it is spoken, and some do not, in which case the highlight follows a steady pace instead. Some browsers use an online voice; if yours does, the browser, not us, sends the words of the page to its speech service. If no voice is installed, turn the pages and read it aloud yourself.
Do students need an account?
No. Nothing is asked of anyone and nothing is sent to us. Project the page, or share the link and let students open it on their own screens.
Is this the original text?
No. It is a retelling in Peabody's own words at this reading level, so it may differ from the edition you know.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. The voice is your browser's own. No sign-in, no ads.