The Indian in the Cupboard

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What do you know about Indigenous American history and culture? What are common misconceptions or stereotypes that many may have about the lifestyle and habits of Indigenous Americans?

Teaching Suggestion: Omri receives a plastic figurine of an Indigenous man for his birthday. When he locks the figurine in a cupboard overnight, the figurine comes to life. Unbeknownst to Omri, the man is an Iroquois whose lifestyle and habits are significantly different from what Omri has seen on television. You might explore the novel’s theme Plastic Stereotypes and Real People as related to common misconceptions about Indigenous tribes. Consider reviewing the questions using the resources below to both address these misconceptions and highlight the variety of cultural norms among different Indigenous tribes. Students can analyze the different tribal cultures in the article below and share ways in which they are alike and different to record on a chart. You can revisit this chart when students learn about Little Bear.

• This video addresses stereotypes and how they are applied to Indigenous cultures.
• This article describes a variety of Indigenous cultures in America and the differences in their livelihood.

Short Activity

Research and explore the historical, technological, and cultural differences in the early 1700s, late 1800s, and late 1900s. Create a three-circle Venn diagram to compare these time periods, and then speculate what might happen if individuals from the three periods interacted.

Teaching Suggestion: Omri, Boone, and Little Bear each come from different time periods and places in the world. These cultural and historical differences arise often in the novel as the three learn about technology and customs. It may be beneficial for students to create a three-circle Venn diagram using the links below to explore the three time periods.

• This 3-minute video explores the interactions and cultures of Europeans and Indigenous Americans in early colonial American history.
• This article explores the items and lifestyles of Americans in the late 1800s.
• This 12-minute video describes pop culture and daily life in the 1980s.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Consider a special toy or figurine you had as a child. What kind of adventures and stories did you create with your toy?

Teaching Suggestion: Omri is disappointed in the plastic toy figurine his best friend, Patrick, gives him. Omri changes his mind, however, when the Iroquois figurine comes to life after Omri locks it in a cabinet overnight. Consider asking students to discuss their favorite childhood toys and the games they played with those toys as an anticipatory set.