Faculty of Education

Backward Design Plan Template

Title: Let’s Build a Gingerbread House Subject/Course: Mathematics (Measurement)

Time: 3 Days
Level: 5, 5/6, 6

Lesson Description
Students will be using their measurement skills to build, design, and decorate a gingerbread house. Building of the
house will require measuring and converting of measurements from larger unit of measure to smaller unit of measure.
Students will have to ensure that their gingerbread house is 25 cm high, 21 cm wide, and 27 cm long. Their windows
have to be 3 cm by 3 cm and their door must be 6 cm high and 2 cm wide. Students are able to decorate their
gingerbread house however they would like but must include a creative name somewhere on the house.

Stage 1: Desired Results

Big Question (link to the real world)
- How do I build a gingerbread house that is 25 cm high, 21 cm wide, and 27 cm long?
Ontario Curriculum Overall Expectation
E2. Measurement: 
compare, estimate, and determine measurements in various contexts

Ontario Curriculum Specific Expectation

E2.1 
use appropriate metric units to estimate and measure length, area, mass, and capacity
E2.2 
solve problems that involve converting larger metric units into smaller ones, and describe the base ten
relationships among metric units

Key Concepts and/or skills to be learned/applied: Prior Knowledge Activation:

- Measurement - Converting of measurement (larger unit to a smaller
- Converting of measurement (larger unit to unit)
smaller unit)
Stage 2: Planning learning experience and instruction
Learning Goals: “clearly identify what students are expected Instructional Strategies:
to know and be able to do, in language that students can - Teacher explanation
readily understand.” - Hands on
Success criteria: “describe in specific terms what successful - Exploratory
attainment of the learning goals looks like” (Growing
Success p. 33).
1 – Learning Goal: Today we will… Choose instructional strategies purposefully and based
2 – Why: So that… on the learning goal.
3 – Success Criteria for this Lesson:
You know you understand when…
Materials/Student Groupings Differentiation
- Handout explaining assignment (attached - Some students may need help converting
below) their measurements as they are working with
- Cardboard decimals (IEP students)
- Scissors - Assist students in constructing their houses
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- Ruler whenever needed

- Hot glue guns/glue
- Pencils
- Decorations
- Students will be grouped with their table (covid
restrictions), however you can group them
however you would like in groups of 3-4
Assessment for Learning, Checking for Understanding & Feedback
- Asking students if their house has all the requirements
- Check their conversion of measurement prior to them starting to build their house
Stage 3: Learning Activity
Motivational Hook (_12_ MINS.):
- Read and introduce the activity to the students
- Allow 10 minutes for discussion in their group

Open (_15_MINS):
- Students first work on converting their measurements to cm. On the back of the handout or on a separate
piece of paper students will make a drawing of what they want their house to look like with on the
measurements included

Body (modeling, collaborative work, individual = gradual release of responsibility, synthesis) (_1-2 days):
- Students will begin to work on building their houses. They should start by measuring out their side pieces,
cutting them out and then gluing them to a base. Then they can work on building a roof, this can be done
however they would like. Students should then draw on their doors and windows according to the
measurements on the outline of requirements
- Once students have glued all their pieces, they can decorate their gingerbread houses however they would like!

Close (success criteria visited) (15__ MINS):

- Have students show their gingerbread houses to the rest of the class and measure to ensure the gingerbread
house is 25 cm high, 21 cm wide, and 27 cm long.
Stage 4: Reflection
Student Reflection of Learning (metacognition)

Teacher Reflection
- Excellent lesson and activity, students were engaged at every moment.
- Ensure to explain and refresh students on safety when working with tools such as scissors and hot glue guns

Let’s Build a Gingerbread house!

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As a group at your table, you will be designing, building and decorating a gingerbread house!
You and your group will need to decide on what kind of decorations and materials you will
want to include on your gingerbread house. This could be stickers, beads, markers, crayons,
or glitter; anything you will want to use to decorate your gingerbread house. It will also be
helpful if members of your group could bring in any cardboard you may have at home to
build your gingerbread house! Before getting started on your gingerbread house there are a
few requirements and things you must include on your house, so be sure to look over the list
below carefully!

 Your gingerbread house must be 21 cm long, 0.27 m wide, and 0.025 km high (not
including the roof)
 You must have at least two windows on your gingerbread house that are 3 cm long and
3 cm wide (these can be cut out or drawn on)
 You must include one door that is twice the width of the windows high and 1 cm less
than the width of the windows (these can be cut out or drawn on)
 Your gingerbread house must have a roof that is decorated in some way (colouring,
decorations, etc.)
 Your gingerbread house must include some sort of pattern (this could be a pattern in
decoration on a wall, or roof)
 And finally, your gingerbread house must have a creative name displayed somewhere
on your house

Now as you begin to think about how you and your group want to design, build, and decorate
your gingerbread house, remember the requirements needed for your gingerbread house, and
most of all be creative! We want to see everyone participating in their group and contributing
ideas! Have fun!