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Name _______________________________________________________Class Period _______________________Mrs. Stephens

Freak the MightyBy Rodman Philbrick

Study GuideChapters 1-5

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Chapter 1 VocabularyDirections: In each chapter you will have some words to learn. As you read the chapter you need to mark down the page number the word appears on, the root of the word (this means taking off any prefixes or suffixes) and

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define the word. If a word doesn’t have a root the box will have an “x” in it. The first one has been done for you.

Word Page Number and Paragraph

Root (if any) Definition

slaying page 1

paragraph 1

slay to kill

critterX

phonyX

fierceX

scowling

persuaded

Chapter 1“The Unvanquished Truth”

You want to know what “unvanquished” means, don’t you? Well, let’s take a look at the prefix “un”. Prefix “un” = “not”

Here are some activities to help you remember what the prefix “un” means.

Word Definition or Example Picture

Can you think of another word that starts with “un”? What does it mean?

What does the word “unvanquished” mean?Inferences

We all know that to infer something is to figure it out from hints. The more hints, the more likely you are to be right. If a person walks in from outside with a dripping hoodie, we can infer that it is raining outside.

We all make inferences without even trying to – but you get smarter when you learn to make them on purpose. When you read and ask yourself

“why”? you are making inferences. Asking “why” at the right places while you read can help you understand what you are reading.

Freak the Mighty gives us a lot of information to ask about in the first chapter. You’ll know Max and his friend a lot better form the start if you ask yourself “why” along the way, and think of possible answers. Here are some good “why” questions to try to answer. Take a guess if you don’t know for sure and LISTEN/LOOK for the answer as you read the book.

1. What does “grim” mean? Why would Max call his grandfather “Grim”?

2. Max said that Gram and Grim “took me over” (pg. 1). This means they started taking care of him. What are two reasons this could happen?

a.

b.

3. What does Max mean when he says he “had a way of saying things with my fists and my feet”? (pg. 1)

4. Why might Max say that “hug stuff” was “a lie”? (pg. 2)

5. Why might Gram and Grim talk about Max’s father “like his name is too scary to say”? (pg. 3) Why might Max’s father be scary?

6. Why might Freak be called Freak?

Chapter 1 Learning Log1. Give this chapter a new title. Consider what has happened and the

mood/tone of the chapter.

2. Why did you rename the chapter like you did?

3. What is setting?

4. What is the setting of this chapter?a. time

b. place

c. circumstance

5. In three to four sentences, summarize what happens in this chapter.

6. What are two questions you could ask about the characters you’ve been introduced to?

Conjunction Junction, What’s your Function?

The word “but” is a conjunction or “joiner” word. Conjunctions join other words or phrases together to make a sentence. Watch the clip from School House Rocks about conjunctions. Can you think of any other conjunctions? If so, write them here ____________________________________.

When you read the word “but” in a sentence, you know that you’re about to read something that is different from what came just before it, maybe something you wouldn’t expect. You would read “He lost the game but he was happy,” because you wouldn’t expect losing a game to make someone happy.

Complete the following sentences so that they make sense with the story. There are lots of different ways to finish them.

Max kicked some people in day care, but he _____________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Gram and Grim liked to hug Max, but Max ______________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Freak was little, but ___________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Gram and Grim knew Max’s father’s name, but __________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Most kids went to day care every day, but Freak _________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Chapter 2 VocabularyDirections: In each chapter you will have some words to learn. As you read the chapter you need to mark down the page number the word appears on, the root of the word (this means taking off any prefixes or suffixes) and define the word. If a word doesn’t have a root the box will have an “x” in it. The first one has been done for you.

Word Page Number and Paragraph


vacantX

fiendX

hunkering

Chapter 2“Up from the Down Under”

Draw Max’s room below. It’s ok if you’re not good at drawing, use words from the story to help with your illustration. Picture Max’s room in your mind; then try to draw it. This is called visualization.

Now, visualize your room. Draw it below.

1. What are two things Max likes about his room in the basement?

2. What is one thing he might want to change or add if he could?

3. Compare and contrast your room with Max’s room

Max and Freak have a conflict at the end of Chapter 2. Draw or describe it below.

Discussion Question: Why do you think Freak says, “Then die, earthling, die!” on page 9?


When you read the word “because” you are about to read the reason for something. For example, “I got wet because it rained on me.”

“but” means ___________________ and “because” means __________________

Complete these sentences so they make sense with the story.

Max’s room in the basement was not fancy, but __________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Max figured out that Gwen looked familiar because ______________________

____________________________________________________________________

Freak’s head was of a normal size, but __________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Max thought that Freak hated him because ______________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Gwen sent Kevin to the back yard because _______________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Chapter 2 Learning Log1. Give this chapter a new title. Consider what has happened and the

mood/tone of the chapter.

2. Why did you rename the chapter like you did?

3. What is the setting of this chapter?a. time

b. place

c. circumstance

4. In three to four sentences, summarize what happens in this chapter.

5. Max meets several people in this chapter. Pick two characters and ask two questions about these characters or what they will have to do with Max.

Chapter 3 VocabularyWord Page Number

and ParagraphRoot (if any) Definition

scuttleX

scragglyX

periodicX

propulsionX

Chapter 3“American Flyer”

In Chapter 1, we discussed prefixes. What’s a prefix? ______________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Today, we’re going to discuss suffixes. A suffix is added at the end of a word to change the meaning of the word. Today’s suffix is “er”.

When the suffix “er” is added to the end of a verb (remember verbs? They’re what you do!), it means someone who or something that does, provides, or is involved with.

QUICK PRACTICE

Fill in the blanks:

A farmer is one who __________________________

A builder is one who _________________________

A singer is one who __________________________

A mower is something that ____________________

Sometimes the suffix “er” has to change to “or” and it means the same thing. An example is “visitor” someone who “visits”.

QUICK PRACTICE

Fill in the blanks with the correct suffix – “er” or “or”.

Someone who camps is a __________________________

Someone who invents is an ________________________

Someone who acts is an ___________________________

Look at the title of the chapter. What’s a flyer? ___________________________

PASATFWOT – What?

Now that you know what a characteristic is, let’s look at the literary device characterization. We can see that the two words look similar so take a guess at what characterization means below.

Characterization means _______________________________________________

Now, because I like you, I’m going to teach you a sly little way to remember how to use characterization to your benefit. If you use this special little word, you’ll never have trouble remembering characterization again!

PASATFWOT

Now, you may be asking yourself, “What is this crazy lady talking about with this weird word?” Actually, PASATFWOT is an acronym. What’s an acronym?

An acronym is _______________________________________________________

Stands for… Examples for Me

PA Physical Appearance

S Speech

A Actions

T Thoughts

F Feelings

WOT What Others Think

PASATFWOT - Part 2

Directions: Compete the charts below. Include as many details as you can!

Stands for… Examples for Max

PA

S

A

T

F

WOT

Stands for… Examples for Freak

PA

S

A

T

F

WOT

Chapter 4 VocabularyWord Page Number

and Paragraph

Root(if any)

Definition

sobriquetX

demeanorX

postulateX

invincibleX

fumingX

sophisticatedX

opiateX

A Big and Scary Task – Quite Analysis

An author can describe important events in a story by telling the reader about them. Sometimes, though, things characters say are just as important. Characters can “tell” us what the speaker is like and they often tell us what has happened or what to expect in the following pages.

There is a quote below and together we’re going to analyze. “Quote Analysis” is done in four parts. As you analyze more quotes, the process gets easier. We’ll do this first one together.

Quote – “Grim would be, I suppose a sobriquet for your grandfather, based on his demeanor” (pg. 15).

Step 1 – Write the quote and remember to use quotation marks.

“Grim would be, I suppose, a sobriquet for your grandfather, based on his

demeanor.”_______________________________________________________

Step 2 – Explain who said the quote and to whom/he/she was talking to or about.

Freak says this to Max when Max tells him that he eats “upstairs with Grim

and Gram”._________________________________________________________

Step 3 – Paraphrase the quote. Put it in different words or your own words so that you understand what’s being said. Make sure what you write and what the quote says in the same thing.

You gave your grandfather the nickname of Grim because he’s always acting

so serious, right?_____________________________________________________

Step 4 – Think! Explain what this quote says about either the character or the plot of the story that you might not have known without it. Why is this quote important? The following questions go along with Step 4 and help you while you’re thinking about the quote.

1. What kind of person would say these things?2. Why would this person say that?3. What might this person know, or be thinking about?4. What important thing is the character talking about that

effects/affects the story?

This quote tells me that Freak uses words that most people his age wouldn’t

know. I think he does this to show off because he’s in a wheelchair and he

wants people to know he’s smart despite of that fact. He’s also listening to

what Max says and trying to figure out what Max is talking about.________

Not so Bad, Right?!

See? It’s not so bad, and that more you do it, the better you’ll get at it. It’s sort of like riding a bike. At first you need the training wheels or someone to hold you up, but after a while you can do it yourself. The same rule applies to Quote Analysis. Try the next one with some of your peers.

Quote – “Huh?” (Max says this on page 18).

Step 1 – Write the quote

_____________________________________________________________________

Step 2 – Explain who said the quote and to whom was he/she talking to or about?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Step 3 – Paraphrase the quote. Put it in different words or your own words so that you understand what’s being said. Make sure that you and the quote are saying the same thing!

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________




_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

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Chapter 4 Learning Log1. Give this chapter a new title. Why did you rename the chapter as you

did?

2. What’s characterization? What acronym do we use to figure it out? What does each letter stand for? Why do we need to know a character’s characterization?

Paraphrase the chapter in a few sentences _______________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Discussion Questions – Please answer in complete sentences.

1. The title of this chapter is “What Frightened Fair Gwen”. Who is “Fair Gwen” and what frightened her?

2. What is a question you want to ask about each Freak and Max?

Chapter 5 VocabularyWord Page

Number and

Paragraph


delighted

remarkableX

spasticX

depleted

regurgitateX

Inferences

An inference is _______________________________________________________

A synonym for inference from science class is ____________________________

Directions: Please answer the following inferential questions in complete sentences. A page number has been provided for you.

1. Freak explains to Max that his mother is nervous because Max is the “spitting image of your old man” (pg. 25). What are two other things she says about Max’s father?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

2. Do you think what “Fair Gwen” says about Max’s father matters for the plot of the book? Why or why not?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

3. Because of what she says, what do you think Max’s father might be in jail for?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

What does it Matter? It’s in the Past…

Look at the title of the chapter. Do you see the suffix “ed” in the title? The suffix “ed” takes a word and makes it past tense. What’s that, you ask? Well, that means that whatever word has and “ed” on it, happened in the past.

Some suffixes have rules that are attached with them, and “ed” is no exception. What some words, in order to make them past tense you have to drop letters. Sometimes, you have to add letter or even change letters! Let’s practice below.

The “Doubling” Rule – If the root has one syllable, ends in one consonant and has one vowel, double the final consonant before adding “ed”. Add “ed” to the following words.

stop __________________________ wait ______________________

wrap _________________________ skin ______________________

ask ___________________________

The “drop-the-e” rule – When a root ends in an “e”, you have to drop it to add “ed”.

use __________________________ dance _____________________

cause ________________________ bore ______________________

love _________________________

The “y” rule – When a root ends in “y”, change it to an “I” and add “ed”. If a vowel comes before the “y” then the “y” stays when you add the suffix.

cry __________________________ dry _______________________

stay _________________________ envy ______________________

worry _______________________

PASAT-WHAT? OH! PASATFWOT

The “Fair Gwen” is a character that we’re introduced to in the last few chapters. We’ve got to figure out “what makes her tick”. Complete the PASATFWOT chart about Gwen. Use as much detail as possible.

Stands for… Examples for Gwen

PA

S

A

T

F

WOT

Discussion Questions

1. Why was Max uncertain about going to Gwen’s house for dinner?

2. What are two ways you can tell that Max and Kevin are compatible, even though they are so different?

3. What are two visible differences between Max and Kevin?

Below, create three of your own discussion questions and answers. They can be from any of the first five chapters. Make sure you include a chapter where the answer can be found.

1.

2.

3.

Chapter 5 Learning Log1. Give this chapter and new title and explain your new title.

2. Every chapter you’re asked to paraphrase the chapter. What you’re really doing is a plot summary. Plot is another one of these literary devices we’ve been talking about. Based on the context clues, what do you think a plot is?

I think plot might mean _______________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

The definition of plot according to English class is ________________________

____________________________________________________________________

3. Now, give a plot summary of Chapter 5.

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

4. What is one question you have about the book now that we’ve read the first five chapters?

Let’s Review!

What’s a prefix? ________________________________________________

What’s a suffix? ________________________________________________

What’s a root word? ____________________________________________

Prefix or Suffix?

What does it mean?

Example 1 with explanation

Example 2 with explanation

“un”

“er”

“ed”


What’s a conjunction? ________________________________________________

Meaning Example Explanation

but

because

Save the “Worst” for Last

Quote Analysis Review

Step 1 – Write the quote and remember to use quotation marks.

Step 2 – Explain who said the quote and to whom/he/she was talking to or about.

Step 3 – Paraphrase the quote. Put it in different words or your own words so that you understand what’s being said. Make sure what you write and what the quote says in the same thing.




One of the Following Quotes WILL Appear on Your Quiz!

1. “Oh, it talks” (pg. 12)

2. “The design limitations of the human body. You know, like we’re not bullet-proof and we can’t crush rocks with our bare hands” (pg. 18).

3. “Books are like truth serum – if you don’t read, you can’t figure out what’s real” (pg. 19).

4. “You should hear him talk. I think the rest of him is so small because his brain is so big” (pg. 24).

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