Freak The Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick. Summer Reading, Jefferson Middle School. Rising 8 th Graders

Transcription

1 Freak The Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick Summer Reading, 2017 Jefferson Middle School Rising 8 th Graders Name Directions: As you read the novel, complete the work included in this pack. Note that the work is organized as pre-reading, a chapter-by-chapter reading & response guide, and a post-reading written response. I. Pre-Reading Note: It can be extremely helpful to sort of preview a novel before diving in and beginning your reading and study of that novel. Complete the work below to walk you through that process for Freak The Mighty. 1. Title & Author: by 2. Number of Pages: 3. Check out the title, front cover, back cover (read what it says on the back) and flip through to see if there are any illustrations. What are your first impressions after doing these things? 4. What questions do you have now, before you read? Think about things you d like to know more about, or that puzzle or confuse you after your pre-reading:

2 II. Character Chart Note: Complete the following chart as you read, adding information as you encounter a new character or learn more about one you already know. This should be an ongoing thing as you make your way through the novel. Character Max Nickname & Relation To Other Character(s) Description (physical, personality traits, etc ) Kevin Grim Gram Gwen Tony D. Mrs. Addison Loretta Lee Iggy Kenny Kane

3 III. Chapter by Chapter Responses Chapter 1 1. Who is narrating the story? What is the narrative voice/point of view? (If you need to look it up, google narrative point of view and decide if this is a first person or third person narrative). 2. With whom does the narrator live? How do they feel about him? 3. What is Grim s opinion of the narrator s father? Provide one piece of text evidence (a quote from the story) that supports your answer. Chapter 2 1. Describe the down under. Does Max like the down under? 2. Describe the meeting between Max and Kevin, going into detail about how each first seemed to feel about the other. Give two pieces of text evidence (quotes) to support your answer.

4 1. Explain Max s fear of Kevin. Chapter 3 2. Why, in the story, is Kevin seen waving his crutch at a tree? Chapter 4 1. What makes Freak so upset his eyes blaze? 2. Does Max like to read? Why or why not? Chapter 5 1. Why wasn t Max excited to have dinner at Freak s house? 2. How does Max know that Gwen is no longer nervous about him?

5 Chapter 7 1. What does Kevin see when he is on Max s shoulders? 2. What is Max s Father s name? Can you infer anything about their relationship? Chapter 9 1. Describe Freak and Max s quest, and make an inference or draw a conclusion regarding its significance (why it s important to one or both of them). 2. Why are robots so important to Freak, and how might he imagine his life being different because of them? Chapter Describe The Testaments (three specific details).

6 Chapter Analyze the argument between Grim and Gram. Why are they yelling at each other? Describe the position (the opinion) of each. With whom do you agree, and why? 2. Why does Grim go to the Down Under? What can you infer from this regarding their relationship? Chapter Where does Iggy take Max and his father? 2. Do you think Grim and Gram are being truthful regarding the gifts and letters Max s father says he sent him from prison? Make an inference about their motivations based on your answer. Chapter Describe and analyze Freak s heroism in this chapter. What did he do, and what trait(s) did he possess that allowed him to do it?

7 Chapter Analyze Freak s motivations for his response to Max when he (Max) asks him when he s coming home. Chapter Analyze the following statement, written by Max (you can consider it a quote from Max): For a long time I felt like I was a balloon and somebody had let the air out of me. IV. Written Response. Respond to the following prompt with a well-written, three-paragraph response. You should take care to address the specifics of the prompt and adhere to the following requirements: Your response should have a beginning, middle and end (introductory paragraph, body paragraph and short concluding paragraph). Your response should contain a minimum of two pieces of text evidence (quotes) from the novel that support your ideas. Your response should adhere to the conventions of standard written English. It will be graded as a rough draft, but careless spelling, capitalization and punctuation errors should be avoided. Do not count sentences to determine the length of a paragraph. Your middle (body) paragraph will be a long one, and if it takes 10 or more sentences, then that s what it should contain. Prompt: Both Freak and Max feel (or know) that they are different, and their perceptions of their own differences rests on something they don t have (that they imagine all, or most, other kids do have). Analyze how they help each other by providing the other with what he lacks. What does Max provide for Freak? What does Freak provide for Max? How does this relationship help each boy?

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