Kids Who Are Different by Digby Wolfe Here’s to the kids who are different, The kids who don’t always get “A’s”, The kids who have ears twice the size of their peers, And noses that go on for days… Here’s to the kids who are different, The kids they call crazy or dumb, The kids who don’t fit, with the guts and the grit, Who dance to a different drum… Here’s to the kids who are different, The kids with the mischievous streak, For when they have grown, as history’s shown, It’s their difference that makes them unique.

Kids Who Are Different How does this poem make you feel? Do you think difference among people are good? Why or why not? Look around the room, how many of you look exactly alike? What would it be like if you were all the same?

Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

The Mighty The Mighty is the movie version of this book. It is rated pg13, Please do not watch the movie until we finish the book! /watch?v=55NnLGNeZ- k&safe=active

Friendship Friendship is a main theme in the novel. Who is your best friend and what is one characteristic about this person that makes you like them so much? What would you feel if one day your best friend moved away? How would you react?

Freak the Mighty This is Kevin. He is very smart and likes to read and think a lot. Kevin does not walk well. He uses crutches to walk and he is very small.

Freak the Mighty This is Max. He is very big and strong. He does not like to think and can not read. He bullies people because he can not think as well as other kids. His has a very poor self esteem.

Freak the Mighty Max and Kevin become friends. They invent nicknames for each other. Kevin is called “freak” and Max is called “Mighty”

Freak the Mighty Kevin and Max become “Freak the Mighty” and have lots of fun together. Freak helps Mighty think and read. Mighty helps Freak walk and go places.

Using nicknames Do you and your close friends have names for one another? Do you like being part of a group that identifies itself with a name? Do you ever hurt someone's feelings with a nickname? Why do you think nicknames and titles are used? Do you think they are good or bad and why?

Freak the Mighty They create their own world that includes Knights, armor, and quests.

The Quest The ordinary world The ordinary world is shown in order to provide a contrast with the ‘new’ world the hero is about to enter. The call to adventure The hero is presented with a problem, challenge or adventure. As soon as they know about this call they can no longer be comfortable in the ordinary world. The hero’s goal is made clear: to win the treasure; get revenge; right a wrong; confront a challenge or achieve a dream. Refusal of the call The hero becomes reluctant to take on the challenge and may start to think of turning back. Advice from a mentor or some other circumstance is needed to enable the hero to overcome this fear. Mentor The mentor helps the hero prepare for the adventure. He or she gives guidance and sometimes magical equipment. They can only travel part of the journey with the hero and at this point can give stern advice to the hero to get the adventure going.

Crossing the first threshold The hero commits to the adventure, agrees to face the consequences of the challenge and enters the special world of the story. This is where the adventure starts. Tests, allies and enemies The hero begins to face the challenges of the new world. He or she meets new friends and enemies. Often the settings can be dark and dangerous and the hero’s determination to complete the adventure is tested. Approach to the inmost cave The hero comes to the edge of a dangerous place where the object of the quest is hidden. When the place is entered, the hero crosses the second threshold. Often heroes pause at the gate to prepare and plan.

The supreme ordeal The hero has to face his or her greatest fear. They will also face death and will battle with the enemy. Reward The hero wins the treasure. This treasure could be knowledge and reconciliation with the enemy. The road back The hero must face the consequences of the battle with the enemy. If there has been no reconciliation, the enemy may return to chase the hero as they make their way back to the ordinary world. Resurrection The hero must be re-born in order to return to the normal world. The hero faces another brush with death. The lessons learned from the supreme ordeal help the hero to win

Friendships (group work) Kevin and Max are very different and yet they become one - Freak the Mighty. Think about friendships you know about - either yours or others. Why do you think those people are friends? After you complete these questions, talk about your answers with a partner.

Kevin’s play with words (group work ) Kevin loves to play with language. Some examples are: p.31, “Whew! That was a close encounter of the turd kind.” p.19, “Ah, yes… Television, the opiate of the massives.” p. 86, “Please, sir, more gruel.” “Fair Gwen of Air”

Class Discussion Themes are lessons that can be learned from reading a book.The themes in Freak the Mighty are friendship, appearance and acceptance. How do you know these are the themes?

YOU’RE A STAR! Each person will be given a pair of scissors. You are to use the hand you do not write with. Cut out the stars on the paper and then glue them on to the construction paper.

WASN’T THAT TOUGH? It’s frustrating to cut with the hand you don’t normally use. For some kids a lot of things are hard, but they do not quit. When you do things a little different - it means you’re unique and the world couldn’t be as great if we weren’t all a bit different from our neighbor.