Sweet Success: Woodland Middle School Students Transform Gingerbread into Real Estate Gold

Friday, December 19, 2025

Sweet Success: Woodland Middle School Students Transform Gingerbread into Real Estate Gold

This week, Woodland Middle School’s annual Gingerbread House Real Estate Project reached its tasty conclusion. The cross-curricular event challenged 8th graders to blend economics, geometry, and descriptive writing into one cohesive, sugar-coated business venture.

For the past two weeks, students have been working across Science, Math, Social Studies, and ELA departments to design, "build," and market unique gingerbread properties. The project culminated in an open-house event where staff and parents acted as prospective buyers, testing the students’ sales pitches and market knowledge.

A Multi-Disciplinary Blueprint 

The project required students to apply classroom concepts to real-world scenarios:

• ELA: Guided by teachers Erin Kelsey and Dawn Kopman, students utilized persuasive adjectives and sensory details to craft enticing property descriptions.
• Mathematics: Students calculated square footage and determined competitive listing prices.
• Social Studies: Classes explored the evolution of the housing market and historical economic trends.
• Science: Students followed engineering flow charts to ensure their "constructions" were structurally sound.

To add a layer of professional authenticity, three local realtors and mortgage brokers visited the classrooms, offering expert advice on what truly makes a property sell in today’s market.

Closing the Deal 

During the final showcase, "clients" (parents and staff) received scenario cards outlining their family’s specific needs and budget. After touring the edible estates—featuring amenities like chocolate bathtubs and candy cane fountains—successful negotiations ended with a signature on the dotted line and a "SOLD" sign placed on the property.