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Rafe Esquith: Five Tips to Help Children Develop Their Natural Gifts

#2260. Boxcar Children Dictionary

Literature, level: Elementary
Posted Sun May 20 16:40:34 PDT 2001 by Ann Chapman (giraffelover1@mac.com).
Elizabeth Wilhelm ES, North Las Vegas, Nevada USA
Materials Required: catalogs, magazines, glue or paste
Activity Time: continuous throughout the reading of the book
Concepts Taught: dictionary skills

Keep a chart of all the things the boxcar children used to substitute for real items and places. For instance the refrigerator was a hole in a rock behind a waterfall, sand was used as scouring powder, a stump for a step, the dump for a store, tin can with a stick tied to it with wire (it's fun to make this), clothesline or dryer was a rope tied between two trees. On 8.5" x 11" paper turned sideways, write the word--scouring powder, store, step, ladle, etc. Divide the page beneath the title in half. On one side put lines at the top for them to write a definition. Then they will find the picture of the actual item in a magazine or catalog, cut it out and paste it on the side without the definition. On the side with the definition, they will draw a picture of what the boxcar children used. They will arrange it in alphabetical order. This activity encourages exposure to print media, dictionary skills, alphabetizing, handwriting skills.