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Read Maniac Magee, Chapters 1-14; Complete Student Packet Worksheets for Chapters 1-14

On chart paper, write down the following relationships: Parent/Guardian and Child; Student and Teacher; Doctor and Patient; Coach and Athlete. Ask students to orally brainstorm other types of relationships they may have in their lives. Write down the relationships on chart paper. Choose three of the relationships you have listed and ask the following questions: Who is this relationship with? How do you both feel about each other? Why do you and this person need each other? Describe the relationship. Is it positive or negative? Explain. Engage the students in a brief discussion about relationships: What do relationships have in common? How are they different? What purpose do relationships serve in our lives?

will explain that is important to examine relationships in a work of Realistic Fiction. Readers can track a relationship and see how the relationship and the characters change in a story. By evaluating the features or details of a relationship, readers can connect with characters, understand the plot, and predict what will happen later in the story. In order to analyze a relationship in a work of Realistic Fiction, I will identify details that tell me about who the relationship is between, how the characters are alike and different, how the characters feel about each other, why the characters need each other, and if the relationship is positive or negative.

I will post the Relationship Chart and use it to keep track of one relationship from Maniac Magee. I will examine the relationship between Amanda Beale and Maniac Magee by answering the questions on my Relationship Chart. Note: See Sample Relationship Chart for a sample chart. Recreate this chart on chart paper or the board as you teach the lesson, recording answers to each question. Save this chart for use with Lesson 5. On my Relationship Chart I will record the answers to the following questions:

Who is this relationship between? Amanda and Maniac.

How are the characters alike and different? I recall that both Amanda and Maniac enjoy reading. They both try to be polite as they were nice to each other when they met. They are different in that Maniac does not go to school, while Amanda does. Maniac does not have a place to call home, while Amanda lives at home with her family.

How do the characters feel about each other? I know that Amanda didn’t like Maniac at first, but now she’s friends with him. I know that Maniac likes Amanda and think of her as his sister/family.

Why do the characters need each other? Amanda feels her siblings are young, untrustworthy, and annoying. Maniac fills the need for Amanda to have a same-age sibling or friend. Maniac needs a family and people to love him, and Amanda does that. Maniac also needs to go to school, and Amanda fulfills his need by letting him borrow her books.

Describe the relationship. Is it positive or negative? Explain. Based on the details that I found about the relationship between these two characters, I can conclude that the Amanda and Maniac’s relationship is a positive one, similar to a friend or a close sibling relationship. I can also conclude that this relationship is important to the book and will continue to grow.

Ask: "How can I understand the relationships between characters?" Students should respond that you can identify who the relationship is between, how the characters are alike and different, how the characters feel about each other, why the characters need each other, and if the relationship is a positive or negative one. By evaluating the features or details of a relationship, readers can connect with characters, understand the plot, and predict what will happen later in the story.

will brainstorm and analyze other relationships in Maniac Magee. We will focus on one relationship: the relationship between Maniac and John McNab. We will answer the questions about the relationship on the Relationship Chart that we started during the Direct Teaching. Note: See Sample Relationship Chart for a sample chart. Save this chart for use with Lesson 5. On my Relationship Chart we will record the answers to the following questions:

Who is this relationship between? Maniac and John McNab.

How are the characters alike and different? They both seem to enjoy sports, but McNab brags about his abilities. He uses his abilities to show off and intimidate other kids. Maniac uses his abilities in sports to get people to like him.

How do the characters feel about each other? Maniac and McNab dislike each other. We know this because McNab chased Maniac out of town (Ch. 7) and in Chapter 9, McNab and the Cobras went after him. In Chapter 9, we read that McNab planned to beat up Maniac because he couldn’t have this blemish on his baseball record.

Why do the characters need each other? Since McNab is a star baseball player, he needs to keep his reputation up in the town. So he plans on beating up Maniac. This will meet McNab’s need to remain a top baseball pitcher and a tough gang leader in town. For Maniac, we can conclude that this relationship meets his need to make himself known in a town.

Describe the relationship. Is it positive or negative? Explain. We can say that this relationship is a negative one because it’s based on bullying, racism, and meanness.

will work with a partner (or with a group, depending on class size) to analyze another relationship in the book by answering the relationship questions listed on the Relationship Roster in your Student Packet. (See page 10 in the Student Packet.) You will pull one Relationship Strip out of a hat and analyze the relationship written on the strip. You will answer the questions on your Relationship Roster in your Student Packet. (See page 10 in the Student Packet.)