The Indian in the Cupboard: Lesson 1

Plan:

- As a starter activity, ask the students to summarise the entire book in one sentence. Emphasise to them that they need to get to the very core of the story, what is at the heart of this novel? Encourage them not to just sum up the plot but to think more deeply about the key ideas explored within it.

- Introduce the blurb to the class. How similar is it to their summaries of the book?- Ask the class to write down as many words as possible that describe the book.- Open a discussion on themes. What are the main themes of the novel? Do any of the words

the students wrote down before count as themes? Why or why not? What do they think the moral of the story might be?

- Now explain to the class that we are going to have a think about the history and context of this book. Ask the class to write down everything they know about Native Americans.

- Watch the video on Native Americans. Ask the class what this video can help tell us about the book. Introduce some facts on the Iroquois people (Little Bear’s tribe).

- Introduce the idea of stereotypes. Tell the class that this novel has been controversial for its reliance on stereotypes. Why do they think that might be? Talk about the term ‘Indian’ as opposed to ‘Native American’, think about the way Little Bear speaks and discuss what the students would change to make it less reliant on outdated stereotypes.

- As a finishing activity, ask the students to put themselves in Omri’s shoes. What would they put in the cupboard if they could bring absolutely anything to life and why? Each student should present their ideas to the class and the class should vote on which idea is best. This character will be used for homework.

Homework:

- Write an extra scene in the book where the character we decided on in the lesson is brought to life. Think about how they might interact with Omri and Little Bear; what kind of trouble might they cause? This should be 200-400 words long.

The Indian in the Cupboard: Lesson 2

Plan:

- Introduce the idea of genre to the class by watching the video together. - Place a list of genres on the board and ask the students to identify which genre they think

The Indian in the Cupboard is. Introduce the idea of “low-fantasy” and discuss. - Read an extract from the text, analysing some of the language used as you go. Now ask the

class to pick a different genre (i.e., horror, comedy, mystery, romance) and to consider how the scene would be different in that genre. Discuss this using the genre of horror.

- The students should rewrite the passage in a different genre of their choice, thinking about how it changes the novel. They should then share their ideas as a class.

- Now tell the class we will be discussing plot. Introduce a story arc structure on the board. What parts of the book do the class think fit in each section. What do the students think is the climax of the book and why?

- Watch the scene from the film where Little Bear shoots Boone. How does the author create tension in this scene? How is this scene foreshadowed earlier in the book? Do they agree that this is the climax of the book?

- What do the class think are the central conflicts within The Indian in the Cupboard? Discuss the idea of conflict and draw up a list on the board (i.e., conflict between reality and fantasy, between Native Americans and cowboys, between historical periods)

- Assign one type of conflict to each student and ask them to find an example of this conflict from the book. How is this conflict eventually resolved?

- Give the class the vocab lists of vocab they have to research for homework.

Homework:

- Research the definitions of the words you were given from the book and choose three words to use in three example sentences. Complete the worksheet on this.

The Indian in the Cupboard: Lesson 3

Plan:

- Start the lesson with a mini test on the meaning of the words they studied for homework to consolidate their knowledge- then, provide them with the dictionary definitions of each word and the example of how it is used in the book.

- Introduce the idea of the three components of literary analysis, focusing on word choice. Watch the video on word choice and then complete a short exercise on how to analyse it.

- Analyse a passage from the book, asking the students to use word attack methods to work out the meaning of vocab they are unfamiliar with and also thinking about the effect of the word choice in the passage. Use some VIPERS to consider this.

- The class should now up-level it, using a thesaurus to make the passage even more interesting and descriptive than it already is. Remind them to keep word choice at the forefront of their minds!

- Now tell the class we will be considering characterisation. Who is their favourite character in the book and why? Who do they think is the villain and why?

- Consider the theme of friendship in this vein. Discuss the relationship between Little Bear and Omri and how they treat each other. The student should think of three words to describe their relationship.

- In many ways this story is about unlikely friendships. Who do the students think is the most unlikely pairing? What makes them mismatched? The students should create a mini wanted poster looking for a best friend for one of the characters.

- Finally, the class should discuss what they have learnt from this story. What are the most important themes? What would they put on the front cover of this book if they had written it to communicate this?

Homework:

- What do you think the moral of this story is? What is Lynne Reid Banks trying to say? Write a short paragraph (around 100-300 words) giving your opinion. Remember to back it up with evidence from the book!