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Maniac Magee Book Club Focused on Figurative Language

Jeffrey “Maniac” Magee is a lot of things; legend, myth, orphan, athlete, champion of underdogs, but mostly he is a boy looking for a place to call home.

In this award-winning novel, author Jerry Spinelli tells the story of how one boy's quest for an address to call his own changes a segregated town forever. Spinelli's rich use of figurative language draws the reader in and makes this a perfect choice for a Book Club focused on this literary device.

Included in this resource
Lesson plans for 6 book club meetings focused on Figurative Language
Chapter by chapter discussion questions and key vocabulary
Book Club calendar
Conversation prompts
Student self-evaluations forms
Reading response board
Culminating activity
Instructional focus assessment, answer key, and rubric
Note: This set of instructional resources is for use with the book Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. A copy of the book is not included in this set of resources.

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Jeffrey “Maniac” Magee is a lot of things; legend, myth, orphan, athlete, champion of underdogs, but mostly he is a boy looking for a place to call home.

Included in this resource
Lesson plans for 6 book club meetings focused on Figurative Language
Chapter by chapter discussion questions and key vocabulary
Book Club calendar
Conversation prompts
Student self-evaluations forms
Reading response board
Culminating activity
Instructional focus assessment, answer key, and rubric
This set of instructional resources is for use with the book Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. A copy of the book is not included in this set of resources.

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Book Club resources

The management resources include a Book Club Calendar, conversation prompts, Student Self-Evaluation forms, Reading Response Board (with optional Common Core alignment), and an Expectations for Book Club anchor chart.

The instructional overview includes instructional background for figurative language, instructional objectives for each of the Book Club meetings, and a list of the materials and preparation necessary to host the Maniac Magee Book Club.

During this first Maniac Magee Book Club meeting, students will complete an activity that illustrates the difference between literal and figurative meanings of common phrases. This sets the stage for exploring author Jerry Spinelli's use of figurative language throughout the Book Club.

Dive into three common types of figurative language; similes, metaphors, and hyperbole. Using the wide array of examples from Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli and targeted discussion questions, students will practice identifying and understanding figurative language. A graphic organizer is also introduced to help students organize their thinking while reading independently.

This third Maniac Magee Book Club meeting focuses student attention on author Jerry Spinelli's use of personification and idioms. Discussion includes not only how to identify and understand these examples of figurative language, but also the impact they have on the reader.

One of the reasons that Jerry Spinelli's use of figurative language in Maniac Magee is so powerful is because of the variety of emotions the words cause the reader to feel. Discussion for this meeting explores the concepts of word connotation and tone. A hands-on activity encourages students to manipulate tone by changing several words in a sentence.

The last type of figurative language that readers will explore using Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee is symbolism. Maniac's running, his fixation on an address to call his own, and Hector Street are all strong symbols that are woven throughout the story.

As students reflect on their exploration of figurative language using Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, they will have the opportunity to discuss their thoughts about the book, showcase their learning by completing a culminating activity, and be challenged to strengthen their future writing using figurative language.

Use this six-question assessment to determine whether or not students understand the key concepts associated with figurative language.

More about this resource

Details

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Teacher Guides

Standard Alignment

Book Title:

Maniac Magee

Book Author:

Jerry Spinelli

Grade Level:

Genre(s):

Realistic Fiction

F&P Guided Reading Level:

DRA Level:

Reading Recovery Level:

Theme(s):

Family, Friendship, Perseverance, Relationship Skills, Self Awareness, Self Management

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CCSS

TEKS

Common Core Alignment:	RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.3, RL.6.4, RL.6.5, RL.6.6, RL.6.7, RL.6.9, RL.6.10, W.6.8, W.6.9, SL.6.1a, SL.6.1b, SL.6.1c, L.6.6, L.6.4a, L.6.5
Vocabulary Connections:	L.6.6, L.6.4a, L.6.5