Freak The Mighty Sparknotes

NOVEL:
Palacio, R. J. Wonder. New York: Knopf, 2012. Print. (Children’s Literature)
This is a story about Auggie Pullman, a 5th grade student with a physical deformity who is entering the public school system for the first time in his life. Auggie finds it difficult to integrate into his new surroundings due to an air of fear or disgust felt by those around him. Despite his difficulties, Auggie makes a few dear friends and is able to finish out his 5th grade year with flying colors. This book is appropriate for this unit because it can add to the conversation begun by how Kevin is treated in Freak the Mighty due to his physical deformities, and it can call to question how people with deformities are perceived and treated in society. The Lexile

Freak the Mighty is about an unlikely friendship formed between two misunderstood and underestimated characters; Maxwell (the Mighty), who has intellectual difficulties, and Kevin (the Freak), who has physical deformities. They use their unusual bond to overcome obstacles and help each other in various ways. Per lexile.com, Freak the Mighty has a Lexile score of 1000, which falls squarely in the middle of the 8th grade Lexile band. Because many of the students in this 8th grade class are struggling readers this book will likely be right at the instructional level for them. This is not a long book, the chapters are very short, and the language used by the narrator (Max) is relatable and accessible, which is ideal for the struggling or reluctant readers in the classroom. The protagonists in this book are in 8th grade, which will make them relatable to the students in that respect. This book is appropriate for this unit because both of the protagonists face prejudices that they must deal with throughout the

The article talks about the perception of these students being more mature than their classmates can have negative affect on the development into actual maturity for them. This is a powerful article because it shows that not even the “cool kids” are immune from harmful prejudices in school. As with the poem “Richard Cory”, this opens the discussion for students talking about seemingly “good” stereotypes and prejudices being harmful to those they are projected on. This is a Newela article, which means the Lexile level can be set to a 4th, 6th, 9th, or 12th grade level. This is helpful because it allows for customization for each student. This article can also be printed in Spanish in the various exile levels, which is ideal for the 3 ESOL students in the