Top 40 Letters from Leonesse
and Student Led Discussion Prompts

These prompts offer students the opportunity to reflect and discuss ideas correlated to the Keys.

• Reflect alone and write down your thoughts (2 minutes).
• Share/compare/improve/expand in pairs (3 minutes).
• Share/compare/improve/expand in groupings of four (3 minutes).
• One (student or group) at a time shares one important answer with the whole group moving quickly from group to group avoiding repetition (3-4 minutes)

Letter #3

Friends, My mentor, Maximus, would often share his vision for Leonesse. It was so grand that I would be filled with excitement. Years later, I see his vision becoming a reality. Maximus once told me you have to “see it before you see it.” He died before the vision was fulfilled, but he saw it many years ago. Continue your quest, Octavius

Letter #6

Friends, My daughter Nicole taught me that problems exist in order to be solved. She would say, “I get to solve this problem.” Most people say, “I have to solve this problem.” Her “get to” attitude spoke to me and helped me look at hardships in a different way. Continue your quest, Octavius

Letter #7

Friends, Painful experiences teach us powerful lessons. Those experiences also make us more empathetic to others. Do not waste painful times in your life. Ask yourself these questions when you encounter heartache and pain. What can I learn? How can I better serve others because of what I have been through? Continue your quest, Octavius

Student Workbook

Includes exercises for:

• Vocabulary
• Character traits
• Literary devices
• Reading comprehension and reflection
• Writing activities for each Key

Write Around Activities

Includes a writing activity for each of the Keys.

Sample: The Key of Purpose

1. Divide/fold your paper into fourths.
2. Print your name neatly in the corner of the upper left square.
3. After reading Chapters 1-2 in Quest of the Keys, write for two minutes about the following:
   • What is your purpose in life?
   • Remember these words of Maximus: “It is much easier to write your life purpose; the greater challenge is to live it each day.”
   • At the end of your life, what do you want to be remembered for?
   • A passion to help others will change you. Explain by making a connection to your life or someone you know.
4. After two minutes, pass your paper to the person to your right.
5. That person will read the comments, and then respond to them by writing their own comments.
6. After 2 minutes, pass the paper to the person to your right, and repeat the process until all four people in the group have responded to their peers.
7. If time, discuss the activity.

Reader’s Theater

Engage students with dramatic presentations taken from the Quest of the Keys book. These are a creative way to make the text meaningful and fun for the students. Includes 3 scripts adapted from the book.

Sample Reading

The Puzzle Box  (adapted from pp. 113-115)

Speaking Parts: Narrator, Decklen, Camberly

NARRATOR: At a dimly lit table in the Sleeping Dragon Inn, Decklen held the cylinder in his hands and pondered what to do next.

CAMBERLY: Don’t let it get you down, Decklen. You’ll figure it out.

DECKLEN: Give me that puzzle box; the one from the shop.

CAMBERLY: Here it is, but good luck trying to open it.

DECKLEN: I remember my sister spending hours creating puzzle boxes like this. Things seemed to come so easily to her.

CAMBERLY: Well, give it a try. You can make it work…

Additional Digital Resources

• Video Book Trailer
• Audio Book
• Classroom Posters