Lessons & Units

Maniac Magee 5th Grade Unit

Maniac Magee

Maniac Magee

Fountas and Pinnell
W
Lexile
820L
Genre
Realistic Fiction
Concepts Taught
Cause and Effect, Character, Genre, Plot, Predicting, Theme

Lessons

Genre Lesson Realistic Fiction Identify the realistic elements of realistic fiction by making personal connections.
Lesson 1 Analyzing Relationships Analyze character relationships.
Textual Analysis Lesson Segregation: Past or Present? Use the Textual Analysis process to answer comprehension questions about a text.
Lesson 2 Predicting Events in Realistic Fiction Make a prediction about what will happen in a work of realistic fiction using text evidence and prior knowledge.
Lesson 3 Identifying Plot Conflicts Identify two plot conflicts in the text (Character vs. Character and Character vs. Self).
Lesson 4 Theme Matters Use recurring events in order to identify and examine a theme in a work of realistic fiction.
Lesson 5 Character and Relationship Changes Explain what drives a change in characters and their relationships.

Build Background Knowledge

The legend of Maniac says that he is most famous for running. Build background knowledge for this unit by introducing your students to information about the sport of running. Running is internationally known as "Track and Field." According to some historians, specialists in history, track and field was the only sport for the first 13 games of the Olympics. Originally, the men wore military armor while participating in the event. Track and field is still a major sport in the Olympics, with women also participating in competitive races for the gold. Track and field is not limited to long distance running; relays, marathons, high jump, long jump, triple jump, pole vault, discus throw, javelin throw, and hammer throws are just some of the other events in the category. Explain to your students about some of the events, and share profiles of famous runners such as Florence Joyner and Michael Johnson. Also, explain that running is not just for Olympic athletes. Thousands of people take part in marathons in major U.S. cities every year. A marathon is a race in which people run 26.2 miles. Show photographs from a marathon in a city or area near you.

Teacher and Student Materials

Pacing Guide

Pacing Guide for Maniac Magee

Day 1

Begin Genre Lesson (through Guided Practice)

Begin Reading Maniac Magee,Chapters 1-5

Begin the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 1-5

Begin the Genre Lesson Independent Practice in the Student Packet

Day 2

Finish Reading Maniac Magee,Chapters 1-5

Complete the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 1-5

Complete the Genre Lesson Independent Practice in the Student Packet

Day 3

Begin Reading Chapters 6-14

Begin the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 6-14

Day 4

Finish Reading Chapters 6-14

Complete the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 6-14

Day 5

Begin Lesson 1

Day 6

Lesson 1 (continued)

Complete the Independent Practice for Lesson 1 in the Student Packet

Day 7

Begin Reading Chapters 15-21

Begin the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 15-21

Day 8

Finish Reading Chapters 15-21

Complete the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 15-21

Day 9

Textual Analysis Lesson

Day 10

Begin Reading Chapters 22-26

Begin the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 22-26

Day 11

Finish Reading Chapters 22-26

Complete the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 22-26

Day 12

Begin Lesson 2

Day 13

Lesson 2 (continued)

Complete the Independent Practice for Lesson 2 in the Student Packet

Day 14

Begin Reading Chapters 27-32

Begin the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 27-32

Day 11

Finish Reading Chapters 27-32

Complete the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 27-32

Day 15

Begin Lesson 3

Day 16

Lesson 3 (continued)

Complete the Independent Practice for Lesson 3 in the Student Packet

Day 17

Begin Reading Chapters 33-37

Begin the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 33-37

Day 18

Finish Reading Chapters 33-37

Complete the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 33-37

Day 19

Begin Lesson 4

Day 20

Lesson 4 (continued)

Complete the Independent Practice for Lesson 4 in the Student Packet

Day 21

Begin Reading Chapters 38-46

Begin the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 38-46

Day 22

Finish Reading Chapters 38-46

Complete the Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 38-46

Day 23

Begin Lesson 5

Day 24

Lesson 5 (continued)

Complete the Independent Practice for Lesson 5 in the Student Packet

Day 25

Review for Unit Assessment

Day 26

Unit Assessment

User Comments

Nice novel; engaging for students

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I go through thriftbooks.com. I ordered a complete class set of 30 books of Number the Stars for $90, which is fairly inexpensive.

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Submitted by Emirson on 2/19/16

Thanks for your interest in ReadWorks! The paperback version of the book is currently listed at $6.00 on Amazon, but perhaps other educators have additional suggestions! 

Submitted by ReadWorks Team on 2/25/15

Thank you for sharing your outstanding work on this unit.

Submitted by bishop_r on 11/9/14

this is an incredible resource....thank you so much

Submitted by kealacupp on 10/26/14

love this unit! thanks so much

Submitted by brnsmeb on 10/25/14

Where do I find the standards???? I have edited my profile, but need the standards for this lesson. Thank you!

Submitted by altmakg on 10/24/14

Hello! If you click on each of the lessons in the unit, you will see a green "Standards Alignment" tab.

Submitted by stephanie.haven on 10/26/14

I absolutely love this unit!!!

Submitted by Faye Greer on 4/5/13