Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for Maniac Magee

Use Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli to turn your read aloud or small group work into a time to improve comprehension and talk about the text in purposeful ways.

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.

Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with Maniac Magee in the drop down below.

Instructional Overview

The first page of Book Club for Maniac Magee Instructional Overview

Instructional Overview

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.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Management Resources

The first page of Book Club for Maniac Magee Management Resources

Management 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.

Meeting 1

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.

Meeting 2

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.

Meeting 3

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.

Meeting 4

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.

Meeting 5

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.

Meeting 6

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.

Vocabulary Connections with Maniac Magee

The first page of Vocabulary Connections with Maniac Magee

Vocabulary Connections with Maniac Magee

This set of vocabulary development resources for Maniac Magee highlights the words that are most important for students to know and understand while reading the book.  Through engaging in fun word games, matching words to definitions, and practicing how to categorize words, students will develop the vocabulary necessary to comprehend this story and many others.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Focus Assessment and Rubric

The first page of Book Club for Maniac Magee Focus Assessment and Rubric

Focus Assessment and Rubric

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

Running Record with Maniac Magee

Thumbnail for Running Record with Maniac Magee

Running Record with Maniac Magee

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with Maniac Magee. Track meaning, structure, and visual accuracy using the first 100 words of the text to determine whether or not this book is a good fit for the readers in your classroom.

Management Resources - Spanish

The first page of Book Club for Maniac Magee Management Resources

Management Resources - Spanish

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.

Get Full Access to the Entire Library of Resources when You Join Today!

Unlock the potential of the books in your school and classroom libraries with lesson plans, activities, and resources expertly designed to help you meet your instructional goals
  • Teach with the best children's books
  • Always have access to new resources
  • Get access to Digial Classroom - perfect for centers
  • Finally have time to "fit it all in" with super efficient lesson plans
  • Enjoy fast planning tools and stay super organized with a personal file cabinet and dashboard
30 Day Risk-Free Guarantee, Cancel Anytime

About the Book

The cover for the book Maniac Magee
Title: Maniac Magee
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Perseverance, Relationship Skills, Self Awareness, Family, Self Management, Friendship
ISBN: 9780316333504
Publisher's Summary:
Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run--and not just run away, but run. This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats.
Content and Downloadable content Copyright ©2010-2025 Thinking Tree Enterprises, LLC. All other trademarks, service marks and trade names referenced on this site are the property of their respective owners. Please see our Terms of Use.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
©BookPagez.com 2010 - 2023

Resource Downloading disabled

Your ability to download resources is currently disabled. Please contact us at support@bookpagez.com

Oops!  It looks Like You're Getting Carried Away. 

When you joined BookPagez, you agreed to follow our Terms of Use. Based on your download activty, it looks like you've gotten carried away.

You are allowed to download resources to use in your classroom for the duration of your subscription. You are not allowed to bulk download resources. In other words, it's against the rules to download all (or most) of the resources. That's stealing, and it's not nice.

Please check your email for a message from us. Reply to the email and let us know what's going on so we can reactivate your account.
In order to continue, please indicate that you agree with the terms above

Get instant access to this resource plus thousands more when you join today.

  • Teach with the best books
  • Always have access to new resources (published every month!)
  • Get full access to Digital Classroom
  • Finally have time to "fit it all in" with super efficient lesson plans
  • Enjoy fast planning tools and stay organized with your personal file cabinet and dashboard
Save 50% for a Limited Time