[LIT] "Freak the Mighty" Ideas

[Ginny White]

On Sep 18, 2006, at 6:17 PM, Chris Booker wrote:
> I'm getting ready to do this novel with my 7th grade Resource Reading 
> class.  I was just wondering if anyone has any ideas and/or materials 
> they would be willing to share with a new teacher!
>
Chris, I'll have to look at my stuff at school, but I have used this as 
a class novel.  I love it (and its sequel) and so did my kids.  I will 
see what I have, but the one of the things we did that was very 
effective was this:  Freak has a condition whose name I now can't 
remember and Max is SLD.  I had my kids each find 10 facts about each 
of these conditions.  They met in groups of 3 and compared their notes, 
paring them down to what they considered the most important 10 facts 
they thought of interest to kids their age and worded appropriately for 
peers; then as a class each group presented their conclusions and we 
discussed the 10 or so facts we thought most important.  We then 
created a bookmark with SLD facts on one side and Freak's condition on 
the other.  When anyone checked the book out from the library, they 
received this laminated bookmark.  It was a neat exercise in providing 
a real product.  It also provided a safe way to discuss learning 
disabilities, myths, misunderstandings, and facts.  The kids also 
thoroughly enjoyed the movie (compare and contrast) following reading.  
Another fun exercise is to create a dictionary similiar to Freak's in 
the back of the book.  I think I actually ordered some packaged 
materials to take things from (I never do it totally their way).

I'll look thru what I have at school and see if there's anything else 
good.  I would suggest you check out Rodman Philbrick's website if you 
haven't already.

Ginny White
Fernandina Beach (FL) Middle School