Common Core Classroom ready Guide
978-0-316-651729-4
Common Core Connections—Fifth Grade Focus
liTTle, BroWn/ Genre: Fiction
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Many books can meet most, if not all, Common Core State Standards (CCSS). However,
we have found that some books speak strongly to a few Standards. This one-page
applications guide connects a focused text and the CCSS as written for fifth graders,
leaning on this text’s literary strengths.
5.RL.5
Because this text is written in short informative chapters, this book leads to rich consideration of this standard which
challenges learners to explain how a series of chapters fit together, leading toward (the larger goal of the standard)
building an understanding of the structure of the story. (Think story mapping….but as puzzle pieces connecting.)
Begin this exercise by considering information across a set of chapters…with the full research exploring chapter sets
across the entire text. (For example, group work and then the class explores the results together, giving a picture of the
entire text’s structure.)
Focus questions for each chapter set : What do you notice happening across these chapters? What do you learn about
Maniac? How do these chapters come together to add to our understanding of the story of Maniac Magee?
Chapters
Main Idea Addressed
Questions and/or Connections to the Story
1-4
Getting to know the
main character
What do we learn about Maniac? Where is he from? What does he often have
with him?
11-14
Describes M.M.’s
“new life”
How does M.M. get involved with Amanda’s family? Why? How does M.M. fit in
with her family’s lifestyle?
18-21
Cobbler’s Knot
How does M.M. get introduced to the Knot? What’s the history of the Knot?
22-28
Grayson
How does Grayson affect Maniac? What all is being shared between these two
characters? (Evidence in conversation, stories, and actions.)
34-39
Time with the McNabs
What are some of the heroic feats of M.M.? Why does he perform them? Are they
successful?
40-46
Breaking Barriers
What had Maniac thought regarding the party? Why did Maniac walk away from
the trestle and Piper in trouble? How did Mars’s rescue change things?
5.RL.2
Students determine a theme from their work of exploring how a character responds to challenges, reflecting on many of
Maniac Magee’s actions. Since there are so many events in this text, choose a few events in his story and report on how
Maniac responds. Possible themes: life being about giving people chances, meeting challenges/over coming obstacles,
racial tension, racial stereotypes, what is family, being orphaned. (If this proves challenging, focus students in groups on
the above chapter groupings to make this undertaking more manageable.)
Link to 4.RL.9 that encourages comparing and contrasting similar events. Or link to 5.RL.9 by comparing and contrasting
to stories in the same genre. See Complementing Text: Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney which also explores themes
of being orphaned and racial tensions.
Common Core Classroom Ready Guide
5.RL.6
Encourages students to explore the narrator’s point of view. Whose voice is telling the story? Does the narrator know
M.M.? Whose story is this? What do we know about the person who is telling the story? How do you think the narrator
feels about Maniac? The other characters? How would the story be different if another character or Maniac himself
told the story? On page 153, Maniac is described as a “legend in the flesh.” This gives some insight to the narrator’s
perspective. Encourage students to find examples and quote from the text to support their thinking (5.RL.1) and draw
inferences from their findings.
5.RL.4
This text lends itself to the study of language through exploring the meaning (significance)of words and phrases. Students
(independently or collectively) could collect these words and phrases as they read the text and attempt to determine
meaning from story context and their personal (and group) word knowledge. Encourage students to not only define
the words and phrases but to make comments on how they add to (or not) the story. Here is a chart provided to support
learners in this work:
page
word/phrase
page
word/phrase
15
“in his other hand was a book”
18
finsterwillies
19
“cool times ten”
25
picadored
43
“even though they pretended not to listen”
73
“a volcano of cheers”
125
“bit back a grin”
153
“a legend in the flesh”
5.W.1
Asks students to create a written opinion piece based upon texts they have read. This book offers many characters and
significant actions, so a writer could choose a perspective and defend their position based on examples, quotes from the
characters, and understandings, drawing also on their personal experiences.
(We suggest readers choose their opinion on character and event, but these examples can support teachers in their work
supporting students.)
Examples: opinion of Maniac, Amanda, or Mars and their response to one of the events such as Amanda and her bag of
books early in the story, Maniac with the McNabb children, or Mars racing against Maniac or the pitching scene.
5.RL.4
Passages to practice with purpose—Table provides page number, beginning phrase, and fluency strategies to consider.
page 11 (start with 3rd paragraph)
“Jeffrey gasped. ‘Books!’”
page 42-43 (start at bottom of 42)
“Maniac was still there when Mr.
Beale came home
page 48 (after space midpage)
“ The time she heard Hester and Lester yelling…
*How might a book lover read
this section?
*Focus on phrases, connect to
writing, and providing details
*Re-reading to make meaning
*Dialogue
Page 114 (first three full paragraphs)
*Commas & seeking meaning
*Recognizing various sentence
structures
Page 158 (first 2 or 3 paragraphs of
chapter 41)
* Work on phrasing words two or
three to a grouping, as a means of
working on fluency (smooth reading)
Page 171 (2nd & 3rd paragraph)
*A coming together
*Power of a comma
Fluency Practices
• Encourage students to group words meaningfully to add to fluency.
• Students read sentences with a partner (switching turns).
• Select a passage to prepare to read to a classmate, the whole class, or a family member (also as a means of discussing
the book).
This guide prepared by Mollie Welsh Kruger, Ed.D., Bank Street College of Education.