Class Requirements You must bring your book to class everyday. You will need to keep an organized binder for this class. Your binder will be graded twice during this marking period. It will count as a quiz grade each time it is collected. You are responsible for any work you miss when you are not in class. You are all important to this class. Class participation counts. At the completion of the book there will be a test on the book and a vocabulary test. You will complete a project when we finish this book. It will be further explained later in the marking period.

Here's to the kids who are different. Kids who don't always get A's, Kids who have ears Twice the size of their peers, And noses that go on for days, Here's to the kids who are different, Kids they call crazy or dumb, Kids who don't fit, With the guts and the grit To dance to a different drum, Here's to the kids who are different, Kids with a mischievous streak, For when they have grown, As history has shown, It's their difference that makes them unique. © 1982, Digby Wolfe, UNM

What does this poem make you think about? Do you think it is OK to be different? Do you think it is a good thing or a bad thing to be different from your friends? In what ways are you different from some of your friends? In what ways are you different than your family members?

What is a Disability? There are many different types of disabilities What types of disabilities do you know about? Do you have any experience dealing with disabilities of any type? BRAINPOP…Dyslexia

Types of Learning Disabilities Dyslexia is a learning disability that means a student has a lot of trouble reading and writing. Students who have trouble with math may have dyscalculia. People who have trouble forming letters when they write may have dysgraphia Other may have language disorders, meaning they have trouble understanding language and understanding what they read.

Famous People with Learning Disabilities Albert Einstein Nelson Rockefeller Galileo Thomas Edison Sylvester Stallone Mozart Gen. George Patton Wright Brothers Leonardo da Vinci John F. Kennedy Cher Whoopi Goldberg Bruce Jenner Gen. Westmoreland Tom Cruise Eddie Rickenbacker Charles Schwab Henry Winkler Harry Belafonte F. Scott Fitzgerald Walt Disney John Lennon Robin Williams Steve McQueen Greg Louganis

Friendship One of the main themes in the book is friendship Think about your best friend or friends What makes you choose somebody to be your friend? Make a list of at least 10 adjectives describing a good friend Write 5 synonyms for the word friend

Activity Take a person cut-out Fill your person with as many adjectives as you can think of that describe what make a good friend Examples: Caring, Clever Add synonyms for the word friend to your person

Friends Adjectives

Friend Synonyms

Assignment Write a descriptive paragraph about your best friend. You must use at least 15 adjectives from the list we created. You must use at least 5 of the synonyms for friend from the list we created DO NOT USE YOUR FRIEND’S NAME

King Arthur Have you ever heard of King Arthur? Have you ever heard of chivalry?

Quick write Skim through Chapters 1-2 Find one or two sentences that stand out to you. It could be something interesting, puzzling, important, or something you can relate to. Copy your passage. We will discuss why you chose it.

After Chapters 1-2 Make two character webs. Label one web Max Label one Kevin Add words or phrases to the webs that describe each character. They can be things the author described directly or things that were implied by the author.

After Chapters 3-4 What is foreshadowing? It is when the author is hinting or suggesting an event beforehand. The event has not happened in the book, but the author gives you clues as to what might happen. Read the quotes from the book. What do you think might be indicated by what is presented about Kevin’s health?

Quotes “…and he sounds like he can hardly breathe.” (pg.12) “He’s able to hump down the steps by himself, except it makes him sort of out of breath, you can hear him wheezing or I guess you’d call it panting, like a dog does on a hot day.” (pg. 15)

After Chapters 5-6 Fact vs. Opinion Facts are statements that one can prove. Opinions are statements that tell what someone thinks about something. Fact Opinion Find 2 examples in chapters 5 or 6

After Chapters 7-8 Pretend that Max and Kevin come to Demarest. Where would you recommend they go on a quest? Why would you recommend that location? What should they look for at that location? Would you want to join them? Why or why not?

After Chapters 9-10 Write a 6 sentence summary of the book so far.

Chapters Couplets are two-line poems that match in length and rhyme. Create a couplet for Freak the Mighty. Example: After returning from a quest Freak the Mighty likes to rest.

After Chapters Make a Venn diagram comparing Max and Kevin. MaxKevin

Chapters Make some predictions. Here are some things you can think about, but you are welcome to make your own predictions. What do you think will happen will happen to Max? What is Killer Kane going to do next? How are Grim and Gram going to react?

Chapters Max’s father tells him, “Killer Kane, that’s just and unkind nickname they hung on me.” (page 112) What do you think about nicknames? Are most of them kind or unkind? Can you think of a kind nickname for some of the characters in this book.

After Chapters Write a few sentences telling what Kevin might be thinking in these two chapters. Try to put yourself in his shoes.

After Chapters Foreshadowing Revisited Page Describing Kevin’s birthday gift, “What he’s really getting…is this new computer…It comes with a modem, which means if he has to stay home for some reason, he can go to school over the telephone.” Page 145: …”Freak asks me to flame out the candles…while he makes the wish, and then he doesn’t even touch his piece...I figure he’s …lost his appetite. Not that he’s letting on he doesn’t feel good…” What do you think the author has planned for Kevin?

After Chapters Grim has two thoughts for Max: “…it isn’t how long you’ve got that matters, it’s what you do with the time you have…” “Most of us go all the way through life and we never have a friend like Kevin. So maybe you should count yourself lucky.” (pages ) Write your reaction to one or both of these thoughts.

Afterthoughts What do you think Max’s life will be like from this time forward?

Afterthoughts What is the theme of this book? Why do you think the author wrote this story? What do you think is the most important thing to remember about this story? Why?

Afterthoughts Which character can you most identify with the most? Why? What is your opinion of the ending of the story? Would you want to change something about the story? Why?