1. If you could change places with Maniac or Amanda, who would you be? Explain. 2. Write a letter to Maniac and ask him about a part of the novel that you didn’t understand. 3. Who do you connect with best, Maniac or Amanda? 4. If Maniac met a character from another novel, who would it be and what would they talk about? 5. If you changed the setting of Maniac Magee to another time and place, would the story have been as effective? res2010

6. Write a newspaper article that briefly summarizes the novel and encourages people to read it. 7. Describe the similarities and differences between Maniac and Grayson. 8. Describe the role of Mars Bar. Is he a major character in the novel? Explain. 9. Create a cartoon of six to eight boxes to summarize a chapter. 10. How did Uncle Dan and Aunt Dot feel when Maniac ran away? res2010

11. Create an award for the novel. Explain the criteria and why it was selected to win. 12. Create your own design for the front and back covers of Maniac Magee. 13. Compare Maniac Magee with another novel. Explain how they’re alike and different. 14. Explain why you think Jerry Spinelli wrote the novel. 15. Design a newspaper’s front cover that includes sensational headlines for the movie Maniac Magee. res2010

16. Create a newspaper advertisement promoting the sale of the novel. 17. Design a movie poster using the characters in the novel, as stars of the movie. 18. You’ve been hired to write a critique or evaluation of the novel that will be published in a magazine. Be honest! 19. Design a tri-fold brochure for Maniac Magee. Include the plot, setting and summary. 20. Create a collage of the novel using magazine cutouts or computer created pictures. res2010

21. Rewrite a chapter in Maniac Magee as a skit. 22. Choose a familiar tune (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) and rewrite the lyrics to include something about Maniac Magee. 23. Pretend you’re an observer at the frog ball baseball game. Write a narrative of what you saw. 24. What character would you invite to have lunch with you? Explain why. Where would you have lunch? 25. Create a word search using words from the story. res2010

26. Change a part of the story to make it more exciting or sad. 27. If a book publisher told you to eliminate one part of Maniac Magee, what would it be? 28. Plan a theme party for Maniac or Amanda. Design an invitation for the party. 29. Did you like or dislike the setting? Explain why or why not. 30. Describe how Maniac handled a certain situation and if you would have handled it the same or differently. res2010

31. Maniac had good sense of justice. Write a definition of justice and describe two examples from the story when Maniac displayed justice. 32. Write a letter to Jerry Spinelli and explain why you liked or disliked Maniac Magee. 33. Create another character and explain how his/her presence in the story might have changed the outcome of the plot. 34. Write a letter from Maniac to you, explaining a part of the novel. 35. Maniac often didn’t display fear. Describe one time when he seemed fearless. res2010

36. Your class is going to invite Jerry Spinelli to school to talk about his novel. Design his invitation. 37. Why did Maniac leave the Beale’s house? Would you have left? 38. John McNab, the leader of the Cobras, is a bully. Describe one instance when he bullies someone. 39. Who would make a better friend, Maniac or John McNab? Explain. 40. Write about the most boring part of the novel. Explain how the Spinelli could have made it more exciting. res2010

41. Describe the most exciting part of the novel. Explain how Spinelli held your attention during that particular section. 42. Create a Cobble’s Knot and share it with your classmates. Have a classmate try to untie it. Explain the real reason Maniac wanted to untie it. 43. Write a letter from Amanda to a “Dear Abby” column of a newspaper about a problem. Write Dear Abby’s response to Amanda’s letter. 44. Describe how Amanda or Maniac changed from the beginning of the novel to the end. 45. Write a diary entry from Amanda or Maniac’s point of view about something that happened in the novel. res2010

46. Describe a problem in the story and explain how it was solved. 47. Who was the better problem solver, Amanda or Maniac? Explain. 48. Write a paragraph describing a possible sequel to Maniac Magee. 49. Write ten of the most important facts you learned from the novel. 50. Write a letter to Mars Bars or John McNab explaining your reaction to something he did. res2010

51. Draw a picture of something in the story that you found very interesting. 52. Draw sketches of Maniac and Amanda . Write a description of them including physical characteristics and personality traits. Don’t copy pictures from the cover! 53. Draw three sketches of the plot. One for the beginning, one for the middle and one for the end. Write a brief description of each one. 54. Create a timeline of important events from the novel. 55. Design a travel brochure featuring three of the settings in the novel. res2010

56. Draw a map of Two Mills. Label the sections described in the novel. 57. Write ten YES or NO questions about the novel. Be sure they’re questions that require thinking and not just one word answers. Example: Did Maniac Magee teach Grayson to read? Yes, Maniac taught him to read because ____________________________. 58. Design a board game using facts from the novel. Write the facts on the game cards 59. Write a rap about Maniac. Present it in class. 60. Design an anti-bullying button or poster. res2010

61. Select a quote from the novel and read it to the class. Explain its importance. 62. Write a letter to Grayson explaining how Maniac felt about him. “Dear Grayson….” 63. List five things that give you the “finsterwallies”. Describe them. 64. Was there parental supervision in the story? State your opinion about it. 65. Many people in the novel have nicknames. Create a chart and list the characters’ real names and nicknames. Do you think they liked their nicknames? res2010 66. Describe how Maniac related to Amanda and her family. 67. Amanda cherished her books and kept them safe in the suitcase. List five things you would put in a suitcase to keep them safe. 68. Maniac took a bite of Mars Bar’s candy. Describe how Mars Bars felt when he did that. 69. Draw a picture of the Finsterwald’s back yard. 70. Would you have chosen to live with the Beales? Explain. res2010

71. Write five true/false questions about the story. 72. What were Maniac’s thoughts when he was called a “fish belly”? 73. Why didn’t Grayson tell Maniac that he couldn’t read? 74. Was Maniac better off not living with his Uncle Dan and Aunt Dot? Explain. 75. Did Maniac care about what other people thought of him? Explain. . res2010 76. Why was Maniac impressed with Grayson’s time in the minor league? 77. Did Mars Bar hate Maniac when he first met him? Explain. Did his feelings change? 78. What lessons does this story teach? 79. Would you have saved Russell when he was stuck on the trestle? 80. What book did Maniac give to Grayson for Christmas? Why do you think it was an appropriate book for him? What book would you give someone just learning to read? Why? res2010

81. Write five fill-in-the-blank questions using facts from the story. Create a word bank with answers to choose from. 82. Was Maniac a “bigger than life” character? Explain. 83. By the end of the story, Maniac has affected the town of Two Mills. How have the people changed? 84. Maniac teaches Grayson to read. Describe something you did to help someone. 85. You just saw the movie “Maniac Magee with your friends. Compare it with the novel. res2010 86. Compare Maniac to a tall tale character. List specific feats they both do that categorize them as tall tale characters. 87. Baseball is mentioned a lot in the novel. What’s your favorite baseball team and why? 88. Did Piper and Russell admire Maniac? Explain. 89. Maniac wins the race by running backwards. Is it realistic? Would it have been as effective if he had, run the race going forward, the normal way? 90. Discrimination is a theme in the story. Describe one part of the story where there is discrimination. res2010

91. How does Maniac define “home”? Write a description of your definition of home. 92. Do research about homelessness. On the chart, list five challenges that homeless people have. List the challenges that Maniac had. 93. Describe tricks Maniac used to keep Russell and Piper in school. Why did he do that? 94. Create a character trait chart with all the characters from the book. List personality traits and qualities for each of them. 95. Write a script of Maniac being interviewed on a talk show. Think of a unique name for the talk show host. res2010 96. After the funeral why does Maniac run, run, run? Where is he going? 97. How does Jerry Spinelli portray bullies in the novel? Is the bullying realistic? 98. How did Maniac react to John McNab and his gang? 99. Maniac lives in many different places. Label and number the houses to show where he lived. If he lived in one place more than once, label it twice on the chart. The places he lived must be in sequential order. 100. What does having an address mean to Maniac? res2010

These are great activities for the whole group. Some teachers take their students to the computer lab. I use the laptops in the classroom. WEB DETECTIVE – EXTRA ACTIVITIES Create a cartoon. http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson195/comic-strip-planning.pdf http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/ interactive, printable Create a story map. Click on “Get Started” when you get to the site. .http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/story-30008.html Turn part of Maniac Magee into a skit following this lesson. http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson46/GettingReadersTheater.pdf

Name _____________ MANIAC’’S HOMES Activity # 99 res2010

His Parents

#1

Name _____________ Character Traits Activity #94 res2010

Character’s Name Traits

Name ____________ HOMELESSNESS Activity #92 res2010

Challenges of the Homeless Maniac‘s Homeless Challenges 1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3. 4. 4. 5. 5. Add any other challenges

Name ______________ Character Nicknames Activity #65 res2010

Characters’ Names Nickname(s)

Name ______________ Travel Brochure Activity #55 res2010

Places Maniac lived (activity #99) With his parents, his aunt and uncle, the Beales, the buffalo pen, the baseball room, the McNabs, the Beales again, the Pickwells, the buffalo pen again, backyards, the buffalo pen again, and the Beales. Themes home, courage, friendship, prejudice, love, racism, poverty, running away, challenges, determination, hope. Students may think of others as they read the novel. Other Activities Do a class survey for favorite candies. Muskateers, Junior Mints, Kit Kat, Cadbury, Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, M & M’s, Reese’s Peanut ButterCups, Snickers, Nestles Crunch, Almond Joy, http://www.teachervision.fen.com/authors/resource/10140.html?detoured=1 This is a good interview of Jerry Spinelli. There are others online that provide other information about him. I always like my students to learn about an author before they read his/her novel. I tell them that as they read, they should be looking for personal facts about the author that might have been woven into the story. They always find something connected with the author’s life. Baseball is a major part of the novel and one would expect that Spinelli played baseball when he was young, however, in two interviews I read, he said that he never played it.

copyright res2010

Copyright res 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means. PERMISSION TO COPY FOR CLASSROOM USE ONLY. ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION LIMITED TO CLASSROOM USE ONLY. Thank you for purchasing my Maniac Magee Card Activities! My products can be seen at: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ruth-S I have many packets, worksheets, assessments, graphic organizers and more for language arts, literature, science and social studies - grades 4 -12. My products are original and designed with National and State standards in mind. See my Maniac Magee packet that includes 32 self-explanatory student worksheets. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MANIAC-MAGEE-ACTIVITIES-comprehension An extension of the Maniac bullying activity can be found here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MANIAC-MAGEE-BULLYING The following is a list of some of my novel packets and other items. All of them are $3.00 or less. The novel packets are from 17 to 25 pages and many are self- explanatory worksheets, that can be used independently, or in small or large groups. I also have quite a few free items. NOVEL PACKETS FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS A Wrinkle in Time Because of Winn Dixie Brian’s Winter Dogsong From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Hatchet Island of the Blue Dolphins Maniac Magee (20 activity cards, comprehension packet, bullying extension) My Brother Sam, is Dead Number the Stars The Ghost of Cutler Creek Tiger Rising Where the Red Fern Grows Woodsong NOVEL PACKETS FOR OLDER STUDENT A Single Shard A Thousand Splendid Suns Gulliver’s Travels Huckleberry Finn Lord of the Flies Moby Dick Romeo and Juliet The Kite Runner The Old Man and the Sea The Crucible The Glass Castle Chasing Vermeer Novel Cards SOCIAL STUDIES/HISTORY American History Test Articles of the Confederation, or the Constitution? Culture report (generic forms to use with any culture) First Ten Amendments/Bill of Rights French and Indian War Assessment Government Issue Packet Inventors and Inventions Research Packet (Industrial Revolution) Martin Luther King Packet Revolutionary War Battles Assessment Revolutionary War Flash Cards Seven Wonders of the World Social Studies rubric open-ended responses

Veteran’s Day LANGUAGE ARTS Compound words packet Expository Writing Essentials Fairy Tales Packet Fantasy Packet Facts or Opinions You Decide Get to Know Your Novel Historical Fiction Book Review Homonyms Packet Homophones are Fun Idioms are Fun Idioms for Kids Irregular Past and Participle Forms of Verbs Literacy Station Novel Ideas Literary Elements Generic Worksheets Literature Response Cards Making Connections Packet More About Novels Novels Ideas Packet Novel Response Cards Persuasive Writing or Debates Plural Nouns Packet Powerful Prefixes Reading response cards packet Response to Literature -Packet Similes, Metaphors and More Packet Singular and Plural Nouns Spelling Activities (Generic) 26 page packet Stopping by Woods –Robert Frost Subject/predicate Packet Talking About Novels Tall Tales Packet Who, What, Why, When, Where and How signs for the classroom Writing – Fluency, organization and elaboration SCIENCE Inventors and Inventions packet Cloud Chart with answers Cool Cells Packet (animal and plant) Cool Cells Flash Cards Isaac Newton Laws of Motion Rocks Chart Scientific Method packet The Sun BACK TO SCHOOL Back to School Activities Packet Behavior Forms for Teachers/Students Back to School Novel Activities Packet Fun Student Questionnaire Reinforcing Students’ Responsibility and Behavior Student Report card for Encouragement Valentine Coupon Booklet FREE Free birthday choices Free Daily Check List Free Grammar Signs Free Homework Passes Free Homophones Free Irregular Verbs Past and Participle Forms Free Sequence worksheet Have a great year!