Maniac magee is not just any book or story it is a lesson of life. A collection of crosscurricular lessons to accompany the novel by jerry spinelli offers sample lesson plans, vocabulary lists, quizzes, cooperative learning activities, and book report ideas. Maniac becomes a legend in two mills, a town with an east end for blacks and a west end for whites. Maniac magee literature guide for grades 58 teachervision.
Maniac magee vocabulary included are vocabulary words from the book maniac magee, by jerry spinelli, for all chapters with pages and chapters listed where theyre found. Because he is bigoted against white people, as some whites in the story are prejudiced against blacks. Watch to see which characters call jeffrey maniac and which do not. After this lesson, you will have a better understanding of what theme means as well as the four major themes in the book. Jeffrey magee, later nicknamed maniac, goes to live with aunt dot and uncle dan after enjoy book unit samples from maniac magee.
Maniac magee is one of several books written by jerry spinelli. Without a place to call home, maniac bridges racial boundaries with his super athleticism, knotuntying abilities, and overall good character. He becomes a local legend for feats of athleticism and helpfulness, and his ignorance of sharp racial boundaries in the town. Determine how long your maniac magee unit will be, then use one of the. See more ideas about maniac magee, 5th grade reading and teaching. Calendars cover one, two, four, and eight week units. Maniac magee novel study unit activities creative book. At the age of three, jeffrey magee loses both of his parents in a tragic accident. Maniac magee is a book that stuck with me long after i read it in fifth grade for the first time. See more ideas about maniac magee, 5th grade reading and literature circles. It varies from book to book, but theres probably at least a little of me in each one. Follow the links under related resources for a discussion guide, writing prompt, extension activity, vocabulary builder, and more. Access thousands of highquality, free k12 articles, and create online assignments with them for your students.
A guide for using maniac magee in the classroom, grades 58 9781557345370. The effectiveness of using picture books with upper elementary and middle. This book report should be done after completing reading maniac magee. For example, if a social worker went to the mcnabs house in maniac mageeby jerry spinelli 1990, little, brown how would she describe the home and.
An orphan with no place to call home, maniac magee enters two mills, a town sharply divided by race. Why doesnt maniac magee want to go to school in the book maniac magee. Maniac magee is a great novel for incorporating social studies, too. Maniac magee explores a variety of themes including loss, homelessness, acceptance. The book organizes the novel study well, and the additional activities are creative and engaging. The students in elementary school also read it as a part of the curricula. Maniac magee is a novel written by american author jerry spinelli and published in 1990. Theres even a jump rope rhyme about magee that the kids can jump to and make up other verses for. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and. You might try the following activities with the class before handing out the book. Each activity comes in 2 formats to mix and match based on the needs of your classroom cutpaste interactive notebook activities and traditional print and.
Stop boring your students with a long list of chapter comprehension questions and start building transferable reading comprehension skills. It also includes ideas of how to use the book in a middlegrades or high school classroom. Write about marcus willoughby maniac magee book report. There is also a reproducible worksheet that can be used with all of the words. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.
This story of a boys quest for family without a color line has amazing heart. Maniac magee three activities to support the novel. Explain that the book they will read is titled maniac magee. Maniac magee by jerry spinelli is one of the best books ive ever taught my fifth graders. Maniac magee book project maniac magee, maniac magee. See more ideas about maniac magee, 5th grade reading and book study.
Maniac magee by jerry spinelli lesson plans and teaching resources maniac magee vocabulary, comprehension questions, and learning activities, divided by chapters. Here are six end of novel project choices for the novel maniac magee by jerry spinelli. Fifty alternatives to the book report teaching ideas william. Free maniac magee study unit worksheets for teachers to print. This is a fifth grade unit on the novel maniac magee by jerry spinelli. There are themes of friendship, family, racism, courage and love. If the events in the novel merit it, write up a report as a social worker would on the conditions in the home and whether or not its a good environment for a child. The story of jeffrey lionel magee, aka maniac, has become a school standard since its publication in 1990. Jerry grew up with many friends and experiences that later turned into inspiration, or ideas, for his books. Spinelli 1990, little, brown how would she describe the home and. These projects help students work through its themes, characters, and events by creating a.
Parents need to know that jerry spinellis maniac magee is an exciting, moving, and sometimes funny story, brilliantly told, about an orphan boy who runs away from his feuding aunt and uncle at age 8 and makes a name and legend for himself in a racially divided town. The relationship of kids to racial identity in maniac magee has been used as a topic in a number of studies. Use the entire maniac magee calendar, or supplement it with your own curriculum ideas. Comprehension by chapter, vocabulary challenges, creative reading response activities and projects, tests, and much more. Its a great book for class discussion on racial prejudice and finding a place to belong. Maniac magee designed for grades 7 and 8, this site offers a summary, theme openers, crosscurricular activities, research assignments, and suggestions for additional reading. Free maniac magee worksheets and literature unit for teachers. Page 59 of 66 book units teacher teaching ideas for. Maniac magee summary, discussion topics, and suggestions for learning activities. As a little boy, maniac magee went to school like other children his age. Better than book reports, these ideas will have your students think more complexly about the characters, themes, nuances, and connections of.
Maniac magee plot chart organizer by spinelli while reading the novel maniac magee, this graphic organizer will help students analyze the 6 parts of the plot exposition setting, characters, and background info conflict rising action 3 events or details climax falling action 2 events or details resolution novel maniac magee by jerry spinelli level 510 common core ccss. Maniac magee deals with important issues while presenting an engaging protagonist and compelling story. Maniac magee, lived with his parents until he was 3 years old. Several concepts are pursued, including theme, conflict, relationships, plot, and characters. I would not like that nickname because i would not want to be known for doing everything like a maniac. Get a 100% unique essay on book report for maniac magee. For example, if a social worker went to the mcnabs house in maniac magee by jerry. Designed for grades 7 and 8, this site offers a summary, theme openers, crosscurricular activities, research assignments, and suggestions for additional reading. Maniac magee by jerry spinelli paperback book the parent store. Maniac magee novel study trifolds are a fun, engaging way to build stronger reading skills. Exploring themes of racism and inequality, it follows the story of an orphan boy looking for a home in the fictional town of two mills. Maniac magee by jerry spinelli is a novel that introduces the human rights violation of racism to children in elementary schools.
Jerry spinelli, the author of this newbery medal winner, is also the author of other childrens classics like wringer, stargirl, and milkweed. Maniac magee plot chart organizer by spinelli while reading the novel maniac magee, this graphic organizer will help students analyze the 6 parts of the plot exposition setting, characters, and background info conflict rising action 3 events or details climax falling action 2 events or details resolution novel maniac magee by jerry. Maniac magee book summary maniac magee is about jeffrey lionel magee s search for home and the racial prejudice in the town of two mills. Maniac magee 5th grade unit this is a fifth grade unit on the novel. Spinelli has written the novel in third person he said, as opposed to i said, which is called first person, using an objective viewpoint in which the thoughts and feelings of the characters are not. It stuck with me more than in just a lifelong love of butterscotch krumpets, but also in the sweetness of the main character and the good that he finds in well, everyone. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. I think maniac is a good nickname for jeffery because he can do almost anything and everything he does cannot be done by others. Maniac magee was born in a dump, his heart is a cereal box, he has an eightinch pet cockroach on a leash. The book starts by relating the legends which built up about maniac magee and its fun to go back to those first two pages when youve finished reading to see how far from the truth the legend has grown. Project ideas maniac magee, novel activities, novel guides. Maniac magee is a great unit for teaching both theme and character change.
Everything you need to teach the novel maniac magee by jerry spinelli except the book. Find more storyboard activities like these in our elementary school category. A guide for using maniac magee in the classroom, grades 58. Have students predict what the character with this name might be like. At the beginning of the book, readers are introduced to jeffery magee, an orphan made to live with his aunt and uncle who hate each other. This is a complete and engaging novel study for the book maniac magee by jerry spinelli. Fifth graders read jerry spinellis, maniac magee, which focuses on homelessness, illiteracy, and racism. After imparting the birth scream of a legend during his elementary school concert, maniac runs from the dysfunctional home of his aunt dot and uncle dan. Maniac magee by jerry spinelli tells the story of a boy, a legend who has lost everything. This is a good book for many themes, and fun and easy to read. Maniac magee in elementary school curricula essay 582 words. This novel study is complete as is, or makes a great companion to your current curriculum. This unit contains everything you need to facilitate a literature circle in your middle school or upper elementary classroom with the book maniac magee.
Maniac magee by jerry spinelli lesson plans and teaching resources free. Language arts anchor charts great for upper elementary teachers i like to use sticky notes for students to complete the anchor chart. I recommend showing students example book jackets from their favorite stories to get them motivated and their creative juices flowing. On a slightly deeper level, the story is about color and how primary colors can be.
Lessons and ideas books and authors top teaching blog teachers tool kit student activities. Jeffery lionel magee maniac magee genre of the story. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of maniac magee by jerry spinelli. The unit is divided into three sections, and each section includes a wealth of resources. Knot the whole truth the writer will analyze and discuss the tall tale format after reading jerry spinelli s tale of cobble s knot, told in chapter 20 of maniac magee. Each activity comes in 2 formats to mix and match based on the needs of your classroom cutpaste interactive. Book jacket project description page grading rubric halfpage design to save paper example photos of a completed book jacket different novel as example this maniac magee activity is an equal mix of writing and creativity that students love. It won the 1991 newbery medal and remains a vital, relevant classic. This is a very useful tool for leading a study of maniac magee. A guide for using maniac magee in the classroom literature units see more. It is popular in elementary school curricula, and has been used. In maniac magee, why did most kids accept maniac but not the old man.
Abby has taught elementary special education and has her masters degree in this area. Whether you are big or small, young or old, there is always something that a reader can learn from the characters in this historic story. Apr 17, 2014 maniac magee by jerry spinelli scholastic inc, 2002 a largerthanlife hero confronts racism while living on the street. I have used this study guide with fifth grade and middle school, and highly recommend it. Transcript of authors live with jerry spinelli teachervision.
After years of living with his aunt and uncle, who hate each other, jeffrey decides he has had enough. Vocabulary, comprehension questions, and learning activities, divided by chapters. This board focuses on jerry spinellis themes, writing styles, subject matter, genre, as well as other literary analysis found in his books maniac magee and stargirl. This literature unit guide is designed to be used alongside the soldseparately maniac magee by jerry spinelli. My students typically complete their book jacket in. Write their ideas on the board, then have a volunteer look up the word in a dictionary. Maniac magee by jerry spinelli novel guide tes resources. Magee s athletic skills, combined with his nonjudgmental way, lead the people of two mills to overcome segregation, racial profiling, and ignorance. Top teaching blog teachers tool kit student activities the teacher store book clubs book fairs. He came into this world named jeffrey lionel magee, but when his parents died and his life changed, so did his name. The effectiveness of using picture books with upper elementary and. Scholars can use them for free to gain inspiration and new creative. Hes so cool that he has his very own jumprope rhyme. The legend of maniac magee theme two mills is divided in two, until maniac, who is white finds a home with a black family.
Maniac magee novel study unit activities book report. This prompt will help students think about friendship in the novel and in their own lives. Improve your students reading comprehension with readworks. Published in the 1990s, spinelli decided to focus on an issue that was not widely discussed within the school systems and chose to inform fifth graders about segregation and the effect this can have on a persons moral character. Vocabulary lists and study guides, quizzes and tests with keys. Maniac magee by jerry spinelli paperback book the parent. Section one contains literature circle meeting forms.
These novel activities will have your upper elementary grade, grade and middle school students engaged and excited to learn. In this novel unit, youll find 18 differentiated activities for maniac magee by jerry spinelli. Maniac magee maniac magee, teaching themes, middle school. In maniac magee, jerry spinelli writes a young adult novel in which the main character. Ideas for classroom organization elementary teacher hacks life classroom.
Click on the pictures or videos to go to the links. Maniac magee is considered as an important literary work. Jerry spinelli lesson plans for maniac magee, stargirl, and more free english learning and teaching resources from varsity tutors. Feeling his race is making trouble for the generous beale family, maniac shuttles back and forth between the east and west end, searching for family and a. In this lesson you will learn about the themes in the book maniac magee.
840 535 63 627 963 73 889 522 1438 1116 1146 1629 233 877 864 1127 130 1541 213 21 1142 903 1485 286 1341 515 373 249 767 54 1270 1207 1352 584 516 29