Freak the Mighty

Section 1: About the Author

Rodman Philbrick has written several novels and is a successful author. Click here to visit his website and answer the following questions in your packet:

• What inspired Mr. Philbrick to write Freak the Mighty?
• What are the titles of three other books written by Mr. Philbrick?

Now, Google Rodman Philbrick and find out the following information:

• What year was he born?
• What city was he born in?
• What award did he win for Freak the Mighty?

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Section 2: Quests and Chivalry

Freak talks a lot about knights and their noble quests and acts of chivalry. He gets these ideas from legends and stories about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. In this Quest, you will be reading about these legends to build your background knowledge before starting the novel.

First, click here to visit ChivalryToday.com.

• In your packet, write your own definition of what the term “chivalry” means.
• Give three examples of how someone might act in a “chivalrous” way.

Visit this website to learn about the Legend of King Arthur to answer the following questions.

• What task did Arthur have to complete to become King?
• Who is Guinevere?
• What was the name King Arthur’s castle?

The story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round table are well known. Many knights were featured in the tale although most people remember the main characters - Sir Lancelot and Sir Galahad. King Arthur is the figure at the heart of the Arthurian legends but the Knights of the Round Table play an important part in the story. The legend revolves around the Code of Chivalry followed by the Knights of the Round Table - Honor, Honesty, Valor and Loyalty. The Knights of the Round Table were ' Brothers in Arms'. The significance of the Round Table is that no one person, not even the King, should sit at the head of such a table. A round table enforced the concept of equality - completely at odds with the concept of the Feudal System. (source: http://www.castles.me.uk/knights-round-table.htm)

• What is the Code of Chivalry?
• What is the significance of the round table?

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Section 3: Previewing

Read the following page from the novel, Freak the Mighty, and answer the questions below.

Please answer the following questions in complete sentences:

• Who are the two main characters in this book?
• What kind of person do you think the main character, Max, is? Kind, funny, mean, scared? What makes you think this?
• Find one passage that stands out to you because it’s funny, puzzling, or something you can relate to. Write about why you picked this sentence or sentences.
• Who are they referring to when they mention “Him”? Why do you think they might be scared of “Him”?
• Freak calls his mom the “Fair Gwen of Air”. Based on your previous research about Arthurian legend, who do you think he is referring to?
• Why do you think they call Freak “robot boy”?
• The narrator says that they became “Freak the Mighty”. What do you think they did to earn this nickname? How does the narrator feel about this nickname?

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Section 4: Ornithopter

Kevin’s ornithopter proves that he likes science experiments. View this short video of an ornithopter and record 3 observations about this mechanical bird.

 

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Section 5: Morquio Syndrome

In the story Freak the Mighty, Kevin suffers from a genetic disease called Morquio Syndrom. Visit the following link to learn more about this disease.

Medicine Plus

• What symptoms of Morquio Syndrome does Kevin have in the story? List three of them.

Watch the video below about a young girl’s struggle with Morquio Syndrome.

 

• What difficulties do the parents describe about raising a child with this disease?

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Section 6: Learning Disabilities

Max has a learning disability. Look at these descriptions of learning disabilities.

http://www.ldonline.org/ldbasics/signs

http://www.ncld.org/images/stories/Publications/Forms-Checklists-Flyers-Handouts/ldchecklist.pdf
 

• Which signs of learning disabilities do you see in Max in the novel?
• Which learning disability do you think he might have?

People generally understand that it is unacceptable to tease or harass a person based on their race, religion, or culture. So why do we hear people use the word “retarded” to imply that something is stupid so often? Read this article and write a one paragraph summary of the article and a personal response to it.

• Does it change the way you think about the word “retarded”?
• Think back to Section 5, how would you respond if someone called Bella "retarded"?
• How do you think Bella would feel if she heard someone call her retarded?

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Section 7: Bullying

Bullying is a major issue that is presented within this novel.

Go to the following websites to learn more about this issue.

http://www.stopbullying.gov/topics/warning_signs/index.html
http://www.stopbullying.gov/topics/risk_factors/index.html
http://www.stopbullying.gov/topics/effects/index.html
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/bullies.html#
 

• What is your definition of bullying?
• List four examples of bullying from the novel.
• List at least four ways that Max and Kevin dealt with bullying.