Student Name: Hour: We are excited to begin the academic school year with one of our favorite books, Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick.

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1 Student Name: Hour: Freak the Mighty Parent Letter Dear Parents and Guardians, We are excited to begin the academic school year with one of our favorite books, Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick. As our syllabus indicated, we will be reading one book each quarter in seventh grade English class this year. We will only be reading the quarterly books on Mondays (Tuesdays of shortened weeks when we are not in school on Monday), so the students have from one Monday to the next to prepare for the test on each reading selection and to complete each project deadline. The only work that is graded for the quarterly books will be the tests (one for each reading assignment, and a final test for each book), the creative projects (see attached schedule), and some small assignments that will be assigned and completed within one class period so as not to interfere with the test preparation and project work at home. Additionally, in order to help the students prepare for the tests, the students have been given a packet of comprehension questions (attached to their unit schedule) which are optional and will not ever be collected or graded. For your convenience, this note has been attached to the packet that the seventh graders will keep in their English folder throughout the entire unit. Please review the attached papers which include a unit outline of test and project dates, the creative project option sheet (which will also require your signature), and the chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions. As you can see, our Mondays will be busy, and students will have to be preparing for the tests and working on their creative projects at home. Thus, we appreciate your support as these seventh graders learn organization and time management skills. Without your support at home, many students will struggle with the transition to seventh grade from their self-contained elementary and sixth grade years. Please sign the "parent signature" line below to indicate that you are aware of the unit schedule. And, as always, feel free to contact us when you have questions or concerns. Sincerely, The Seventh Grade English Team Parent Signature: Date:

2 Name: Hour: Freak the Mighty Unit Outline: The following outline lists the reading assignments, test dates, and creative project deadlines: Due Dates: Monday, Monday, Assignments: -Unit outline is distributed and discussed -Chapters 1-3 are assigned -Parent note and creative project choice parent signatures (2 signatures) -Chapters 1-3 comprehension test -Chapters 4-7 are assigned Monday, Project check: projects should be completed through chapter 3 -Chapters 4-7 comprehension test -Chapters 8-10 are assigned Monday, Project check: projects should be completed through chapter 7 -Chapters 8-10 comprehension test -Chapters are assigned Monday, Project check: projects should be completed through chapter 10 -Chapters comprehension test -Chapters are assigned Monday, Project check: projects should be completed through chapter 14 -Chapters comprehension test -Chapters are assigned Tuesday, Project check: projects should be completed through chapter 20 -Chapters comprehension test Monday, Final project is due -Final comprehension test

3 Name: Date: Hour: Quarterly Book Project Options For each quarterly book, students will complete one book project. The 10 book projects options below provide creative ways for students to demonstrate comprehension of the quarterly books, providing an alternative to the test grades the students will also earn throughout the quarter. Since the book projects are intended to be developed outside of school hours, the quarterly book project must be chosen and approved by the English teacher and a parent by the second week of each quarter. The same project may not be chosen twice in a given school year, so students will complete four different projects for each of four different books by the end of the year. Parents, please review and discuss these ten project options with your child, and sign below to indicate that you are aware of and approve of your child's project choice for the first quarter. Note: Because the novel projects are a significant part of each quarterly English grade, students who do not complete a project by the project due date must take an essay test which covers the entire novel so that no student earns a zero for their final project grade. Quarter 1 (Freak the Mighty): Project Choice due on ; Final Project due on Project Choice: Approval: Parent: Teacher: PICTURE BOOK: Rewrite the story of one of the characters from the book in a picture book. The picture book must have the same number of pages as chapters in the book. The character's story must be told sequentially through the picture book's pages. Illustrations and words must combine to fill the entire page of the picture book. Each page of the picture book must be at least 8.5" X 11". The rewritten picture book must stay true to the character and setting descriptions from the book. The rewritten picture book must accurately represent the character's entire experience from the beginning to the end of the book. The picture book must have at least 250 words and must contain profound illustrations. COMIC BOOK: Rewrite the entire book in comic book form. The rewritten comic book must have twice the number of pages as the book has chapters. Each page in the rewritten comic book should have at least three comic slides (a rectangle or square with a picture), and each page in the comic book must have at least one slide that contains specific thoughts or words that come, word-for-word, from the novel. Each page in the rewritten comic book must be at least 4" X 6". The rewritten comic book should stay true to any character or setting descriptions from the book. The rewritten comic book must accurately represent the significant events of the character's experience from the beginning to the end of the book. The comic book must have at least 250 words and must contain profound illustrations. NEWSPAPER: Create a newspaper that is dated on the last day of the plot of the novel. So that you can work on the newspaper throughout the book, the newspaper must have at least one article or feature for each chapter of the book. The newspaper must be formatted like a real newspaper with sections that include each of the following: three local news articles, two national news articles, one world news article, an opinion section with at least one letter to the editor and at least one letter from the editor, advertisement(s), sports update(s), classified ad(s), obituary(ies), and cartoon(s). The newspaper must have at least 500 words and must contain illustration(s), photography, or graphic(s). CHARACTER QUOTES: Select a character from the book. Then, from each chapter in the book, select one quotation (can be dialogue, but does not have to be dialogue) that gives you information about your chosen character. Copy each quotation, word for word, from the book, and include the page number on which the quote can be found. Following each quote, explain what the reader of the book can learn about the character s personality from the quote. The character quotes project must be at least 1,000 total words.

4 LETTERS: Write a series of letters that 2 main characters in the book might have exchanged with one another during the course of the book. Two letters should be written for each chapter throughout the book. The letters must accurately reflect upon the significant events of the characters' experiences from the beginning to the end of the book. The letters should include the characters' thoughts and feelings about each of these experiences beyond what is stated explicitly in the words of the book. The letters must contain at least 1,000 total words. PUPPET DRAMA: Convert the plot of the book into a drama (play). The drama should have as many acts as the book has chapters and should include all main characters from the book. The drama should be written in drama form, so the speakers of each line will be identified, and might include stage cues and/or narrator lines. The drama must include the significant events of the book's plot from the book's beginning to its end. Then, make finger puppets that represent each of the characters in your drama, and video tape your puppet show in a format that can be played for the class, or perform your finger puppet show in front of the class. Your written drama (play) will be collected and will be included, along with the puppet show, as part of your project grade. The drama should contain at least 250 words POEM COLLECTION: Create a poem collection based on the book. The poem collection must have the same number of poems as the book has chapters, one poem representing each chapter of the book. The poems that are included in the book can be written by you or can be poems that are published by another author. If you use poems by another author, you must copy them into your book, but these words do not count toward your total word count for this project. The poems must relate to the theme, mood, characters or settings of the book. Each poem must be written in poem form (with lines and, sometimes, stanzas), so they will not look like paragraphs. Each poem must be followed by a description of how the poem relates to the book. The total number of words WRITTEN BY YOU (poems you wrote, plus your descriptions, but not from poems published by another author), must be at least 500 words. CHARACTER'S CONSCIENCE: Select a main character from the book. Pretend that you are this character's conscience (pretend you are the little voice inside this character's head that gives this character advice as they go through their experiences in the book). For each chapter, write a list of exactly what you will whisper (or shout!) inside this character's head. Each piece of advice also needs a page number so it is clear when you are giving each piece of advice to your character. Since everyone is more likely to take advice that they understand, be sure that you explain to the character the reasons for the advice you are giving. You should have at least one piece of advice for each chapter in the book. This project must have at least 1,000 total words. SCRAPBOOK: Pretend you are a character from the book and put together a scrapbook that represents your experiences throughout the book. You will include photos and mementos that your character would keep in a scrapbook if he/she/it kept a scrapbook throughout the novel. You can use illustrations you have made on your own, and/or pictures and paraphernalia you find in magazines, newspapers, or online to fill the pages of the scrapbook. Each photo and/or memento must have a caption that describes the experience it represents. The scrapbook must contain at least one page for each chapter of the book, and each page in your scrapbook should be at least 8.5" X 11". The scrapbook pages must cover the novel in sequential order. The scrapbook captions must contain at least 250 total words. DIARY: Keep a diary from a main character s point of view. The diary must have one entry for each chapter of the book. Each entry should be dated and should start with the words "Dear Diary". The diary must accurately reflect upon the significant events of the character's experience from the beginning to the end of the book. The diary should include the character's thoughts and feelings about each of these experiences beyond what is stated explicitly in the words of the book. The complete diary must contain at least 1,000 total words.

5 Name: Hour: Freak the Mighty Comprehension Questions Directions: The following comprehension questions are optional. They will not ever be collected or graded, but they will help you to focus on important parts of the book, and therefore will help you to prepare for the comprehension tests. Chapter One 1. What was Max s nickname in daycare? Why was he called that? 2. What does Max mean by the year Gram and Grim took me over? 3. Who is Freak? 4. What does Grim mean when he says that Maxwell is getting to look a lot like him? 5. When does Freak move into the duplex down the street from Max? Chapter Two 1. Where does Max live? Why? 2. How does Max describe himself? 3. What does Max mean by your basic chunk of chain-link heaven? 4. Who is the Fair Gwen? Describe her as Max would. 5. What is Kevin doing as the movers are moving them in to their new home? Chapter Three 1. Why is Kevin waving his crutch up at the tree and trying to jump up and down? 2. What does Max do to help? What do they end up doing? 3. Why do you think Kevin isn t embarrassed to have Max pulling him in the wagon? Chapter Four 1. Why does Kevin refer to his mom as the Fair Gwen of Air? 2. Why do you think Kevin is fascinated by knights? 3. Describe the relationship Kevin makes between King Arthur s men and today s robots. 4. According to Kevin, what is robotics and how is it used? 5. When comparing TV to books, Kevin says, Books are like truth serum if you don t read, you can t figure out what s real. What do you think he means by this? 6. Why do you think Gwen is so worried about Kevin being with Max? Chapter Five 1. Why does Gwen call to apologize? 2. Why do you think Max feels so uncomfortable about having dinner with Kevin and Gwen? 3. What does Freak mean when he says, What she means is, you re a spitting image of your old man? 4. What happens to make Max decide that the Fair Gwen is "...really pretty cool"? 5. Why do you think Max begins to cry as he lies down on his bed that night?

6 Chapter Six 1. Explain why you think Max gets to go to the fireworks this year without Grim and Gram for the first time. 2. Hey you! Mutt and Jeff! Frankenstein and Igor! Don t look around; I m talkin to you, boneheads. What is this, a freak show? What do you think Tony D was trying to prove by talking like this? 3. What makes Max decide to put Kevin up on his shoulders? 4. What does Kevin do that makes Max think, "...whoa! Is there anything this little dude doesn't know"? Chapter Seven 1. Why do you think Tony D. and his gang won t let up on Kevin and Max? 2. What is Freak s plan to get away from Tony D. and his gang? 3. What finally stops the gang from throwing rocks at Max and Freak? 4. Why do the cops have to use ropes to get Max and Kevin out of the pond? 5. Where does the name for Kevin and Max, Freak the Mighty, come from? Chapter Eight 1. Everybody seems to think that Max rescued Kevin from Tony D's gang, but Max thinks otherwise. Why does Max think Kevin rescued him, rather than the other way around? 2. In the conversation when Gram says to Max, Promise me you ll keep away from that hoodlum boy and Grim says, He s not running away. He s taking evasive action. Avoiding a confrontation..., they seem surprised that Max made good decisions. What do you think they expected from him before the situation with Tony D? Do you think their opinions of Max are changing? If so, why? If not, why not? 3. Why do you think "It turns out to be a pretty cool summer" for Max? 4. Explain Kevin s connections to the dictionary. 5. I don't know why I bother. Dinosaurs had brains the size of peanuts and they ruled the Earth for a hundred million years. Why do you think Kevin says this to Max? Chapter Nine 1. Kevin tells Max that the compass is actually a rare and valuable artifact passed down for generations. Lancelot used it, so did Sir Gawain, and for a time the Black Knight kept it on a chain next to his heart. What does this statement tell you about Kevin? 2. What does Freak tell Max the Medical Research building is? How does the building relate to him? 3. Max is worried about the pain. What is Freak s response? Chapter Ten 1. The treasure, hidden in the storm drain, has been confirmed by visual observation. What is a visual observation? Why doesn t Kevin just say that in simple terms? 2. Why can t Max sleep? Give the details. 3. How are Max and Freak able to get away with nobody seeing them? 4. Why don t they just pull the cover off the storm drain? What do they do instead? 5. Where does the chapter title come from? 6. How did the treasure get into the storm drain in the first place?

7 Chapter Eleven 1. In your own words, describe the tenements. 2. When the boys have second thoughts about being there, why don t they leave? 3. Write a brief but colorful description of Iggy and Loretta. 4. What do you think happened to the money from Loretta s wallet? 5. Max looks familiar to Iggy and Loretta. Why? 6. What does Iggy mean by, Life ain t life? 7. Why does Loretta tell Kevin his father was a magician? Was she being nice? Why or why not? Chapter Twelve 1. What do Max and Gram do to get him ready for school? How does Max feel about it? 2. Why do Max and Kevin get to be in all the same classes at school? Why is Gram worried about it at first? 3. In Mrs. Donelli s class, the kids begin to say some pretty cruel things. Then what happens? Have you ever been in a similar situation? Explain. 4. I m standing there with Freak high above me and it feels right. What is Max feeling? 5. What do you think might be happening to the kids in the class as they should out, Freak the Mighty, Freak the Mighty? 6. Why do you think Mrs. Addison falls for Freak s story? Do you think they are punished? Why or why not? Chapter Thirteen 1. What kind of extra attention has Freak been giving Max that will probably help him to do better in school? 2. Why do you think Max has trouble speaking in front of a class? How does he compare reading to writing? So, why does he have trouble writing? 3. Why does Mrs. Addison call Max into her office? 4. What do you think Max is expressing when he repeats, I don t want to hear it! Don t want to hear it! Don t want to hear it! Don t! Don t! Don t!? 5. Why does Kevin have to go to the hospital? 6. Why do you think Max believes it was Kevin who had the bad Friday the 13 th and not him? What does this say about his character? Chapter Fourteen 1. Max says, "...Freak is right away ordering me around..." Do you think he minds getting ordered around by Freak? Why or why not? 2. What is Kevin s explanation of what is physically wrong with him? 3. What is all the yelling about upstairs? What is unusual about yelling in the house? 4. Under what condition is Max s father being paroled? 5. If Grim does get a gun, he can t tell Gram about it. Why is this important? 6. What is happening to the relationship between Max, Grim, and Gram?

8 Chapter Fifteen 1. Why does Grim say, I m telling tales, my dear, not lies. Lies are mean things, and tales are meant to entertain? Do you agree or disagree with him? Explain. 2. As they open their presents, how are Grim and Gram like your grandparents or the grandparents you would like to have? 3. What makes Kevin s gift so special to Max? 4. What do you think is happening as the chapter ends? Chapter Sixteen 1. Why does Max's father come back? 2. What do you think Max is feeling when his father takes him from the house? 3. Where do Max and his father end up? Chapter Seventeen 1. Why does Max's father tie up Max? 2. How does "Killer Kane" describe his years in prison? Chapter Eighteen 1. What is "Killer Kane's" plan? 2. What do you think Iggy is trying to tell Max "with his eyes"? Chapter Nineteen 1. How do you feel about the way Max's father treats Max? Do you think he is a good guy? 2. Why does Loretta say that she helps Max? Chapter Twenty 1. What does the sight of Loretta being hurt do to Max? 2. How does Kevin save Max? What was really in the squirt gun? Chapters Twenty-one and Twenty-two 1. Why is it different for Max at school after the Christmas break? 2. Why didn't Max have to testify at the trial? 3. What does Kevin say to Max about his father that makes him feel better? 4. What does Kevin get for his birthday? Why is it significant? 5. What important event happens at the end of Chapter 22? Chapters Twenty-three through Twenty-five 1. What is a tracheotomy? What does Kevin do with his? 2. What gift does Kevin give Max? What is it for? 3. How does Kevin want Max to tell the story? 4. Why does Max "freak out" at the hospital? 5. Why did Kevin make up the story about the bionic body? 6. How did Max deal with Kevin's death? 7. How did seeing Loretta help Max? 8. How did writing his story help Max?