Discussion Questions/Writing Prompts

Transcription

1 Discussion Questions/Writing Prompts

2 Chapters 1-2 Maniac Magee Why did Maniac have to go live with his aunt and uncle? What is life like living with them? How are Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan Maniac's family? How are they not? Describe what happened to cause Maniac to start running? Where did he run to? Why do you think he chose Two Mills to stop? Chapters 3-4 What conclusion did Maniac draw about Amanda? Why? What does Amanda have in the suitcase? Why? What do Amanda and Maniac have in common? What happens at the high school field? Chapters 5-6 Who is Finsterwald? What does Maniac do when he sees the bullies dumping the kid into Finsterwald s yard? What do you think about Maniac s actions? Describe the Pickwell family and Maniac s experience at their home.

3 Chapters 7-8 Who is John McNab? How would you describe him? McNab is used to winning all the time. Does that happen when he is up against Maniac Magee? Why or why not? How does he get the name Maniac? Where is Maniac living? Chapters 9-10 Why do John McNab and the Cobras chase Maniac? What makes them finally stop? Describe Mars Bar Thompson. Describe the confrontation between him and Maniac. How does the confrontation end? Chapters How does Maniac feel about the damage to Amanda s book? How does she react when she learns about the damage? Compare and contrast Amanda s home with Maniac s home in Hollidaysburg. How did being at the Beale s home make him feel? How did Mr. Beale discover that Maniac was homeless? Chapters What things does Maniac do that make him become a part of the Beale family? Does he seem to be adjusting well to his new life? What makes you think so? Why is it confusing to Maniac why people in the East End call themselves black? How does Maniac see the color black?

4 Chapters What skills help Maniac fit in with the community? How does Maniac feel about the trash talk that goes along with this skill? How does Mrs. Beale feel about it? How do you know? How is Maniac blind? What opens his eyes? Chapters How does the author help you visualize the summer day? Why does it confuse Maniac when the old man tells him to head home? What does someone do to the Beale s home? Why? Why do you think the Beale family doesn t want Maniac to see it? Chapters What is Amanda s plan to make Maniac stay? Do you predict it will work or not? What is the legend of Cobble s Knot? What steps does Maniac go through to untangle Cobble s Knot? Who all is watching? How do they react when he is successful? Chapters What do Amanda and Maniac find while the celebration is going on? What is significant about this? How does Maniac respond? Where does he go? What character traits would you use to describe Grayson? Why? How does he respond when he discovers Maniac?

5 Chapters How does Maniac feel about school? Why? Describe the relationship between Maniac and Grayson. How does Grayson respond when he hears about life with the Beale s? What do you think he realizes that he had not realized before? Chapters Describe Grayson s baseball career. What does Grayson teach Maniac how to do? What does Grayson want Maniac to teach him? What does Maniac do with the money Grayson gives him? How is this Maniac s form of school? Chapters Compare and contrast Grayson and Maniac s lives growing up. How does Maniac teach Grayson to read? How does Maniac feel about teaching him to read? How did Grayson feel about being able to read? How do you know? How is the bandstand room starting to feel to Maniac? Why? Chapters Describe how Maniac and Grayson celebrated Thanksgiving. What was significant about Maniac painting a number on the door? Is Grayson Maniac's friend or father figure? Can he be both? Describe 101 Bandshell Boulevard at Christmastime.

6 Chapters What were the most special gifts Maniac and Grayson gave one another on Christmas? What made them so special? What happened to Grayson? How does Maniac respond when he discovers that he died? Why do you think he responds in this way? What does he do after the funeral? Chapters What does Maniac do to the 101 before he leaves the home he shared with Grayson? Why do you think he does this? How does Maniac survive? What does he eat? Where does he live? What does Maniac discover in the cabin? How does he respond to Screecher and Missing Tooth? Chapters Compare and contrast the McNab home with the Beale home. What kind of person is their dad? What things do the boys do that they shouldn t? How does Maniac feel about this? What tactics does Maniac use to keep the boys in school? Why do you think it is so important to him that they go to school when he doesn t even go? Chapters Describe the heroic feats Maniac continues to do so the boys will stay in school. What do Russell and Piper dare Maniac to do? What scares Maniac about going to the East End? What happens when he encounters Mars Bar?

7 Chapters How does Maniac end up back at the Beale home? Why does he leave again? Where does he go? What does he realize about the Pickwells and the Beales? What is going on at the McNab house? Why? What is the relationship like between Maniac and the two boys? Who do you predict Maniac is going to bring to their home? Chapters What made Mars Bar go to the West End with Maniac? Why does Maniac take Mars to the Pickwell home before he takes him to the McNabs? What happened at the McNab home? How did they respond to Mars Bar? Why? Chapters Where is Maniac sleeping? What is he eating? How do you think he feels about this life? How would you feel? How does Maniac respond to Piper s call for help for Russell? Why? Why is he scared of going near the trestle? Chapters What did Mars do with the two boys after he rescued Russell? Do you think Russell and Piper will grow up to be more open minded and less prejudiced than their dad? Why? What happens to cause Maniac to return home to the Beales? Has he finally found what he was looking for? How?

8 After Reading How do you think Maniac s opinion about what a family is changed from the beginning of the story to the end? Do you think Maniac would have turned out differently if he would have met the McNabs before he met the Beales and Pickwells? Why? After Reading How is the theme of courage portrayed in the story? Is Maniac the most courageous person in the story? Why or why not? How is the theme of race portrayed? What is the difference between Grayson's attitudes towards blacks and the McNab's attitude towards blacks? Write About It What do you think the word family means? Do they have to be related to each other? Have the same color skin? Live in the same house? What makes a family? Write About It Write another chapter. What do you think happens to Maniac after he returns to the Beales? Do you think he returns to school? What does he grow up to be?

9 Thank you so much for purchasing my lesson I hope you and your students find these resources as fun and engaging as we do! Please check back often! I will be adding new books soon Deborah Talton