While reading The Boxcar Children students were guided to bring the story they read to life. This work made the characters and story message so much more relevant to them because they could see parts of the stories happening in their daily lives. To excite their imaginations, as a post-reading activity after they had completed half of the novel, I challenged them to brainstorm, create floor plans for, and creatively build entire scenes from the book in a diorama style. The students loved having the chance to take their imaginative ideas and make them real through physical, artistic creation. I often asked the students to test themselves creatively and artistically, which is so important in developing caring, creative, and passionate critical thinkers.
Summary: The Boxcar Children Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny, four orphaned brothers and sisters, suddenly appear in a small town. No one knows who these young wanderers are of where they have come from. Frightened to live with a grandfather they have never met, the children make a home for themselves in an abondoned red boxcar they discover in the woods. Henry, the oldest, goes to town to earn money and buy food and supplies. Ambitious and resourceful, the plucky children make a happy life for themselves - until Violet gets too sick for her brothers and sister to care for her.
Summary: The Boxcar Children Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny, four orphaned brothers and sisters, suddenly appear in a small town. No one knows who these young wanderers are of where they have come from. Frightened to live with a grandfather they have never met, the children make a home for themselves in an abondoned red boxcar they discover in the woods. Henry, the oldest, goes to town to earn money and buy food and supplies. Ambitious and resourceful, the plucky children make a happy life for themselves - until Violet gets too sick for her brothers and sister to care for her.