#4128. Indian in the Cupboard

Reading/Writing, level: Elementary
Posted Sat Mar 15 11:49:28 PST 2008 by Janelle (Janelle).
St Peter Lutheran, Appleton, WI
Materials Required: 1 key for each student, journal
Activity Time: varies

This year to encourage creativity and writing, I handed out a key to each student along with the novel, The Indian in the Cupboard. I collected spare keys from my own home, relatives, and told the kids a week in advance to bring extra keys from home. I tied a piece of yarn around each key and gave each a simple journal to record their key's adventures. Their writing did not have to have anything to do with the book, but several times a week over the course of the book, I gave them time to write and to share their writing with the rest of the class. They all enjoyed this activity, often asking when they would be able to read the key journals aloud again. Many wrote outside of class, and some wore their keys wherever they went on a bracelet or necklace they had made.