Portals Plus - AMSCO Maniac Magee.pdfPortals Plus: Maniac Magee©1996 Perfection Learning...

Perfection Learning®

P o r t a l s P l u sA c t i v i t i e s A c r o s s t h e C u r r i c u l u m

J e r r y S p i n e l l i

R e p r o d u c i b l e s

2

P o r t a l s P l u sA c t i v i t i e s A c r o s s t h e C u r r i c u l u m

Maniac MageeJ e r r y S p i n e l l i

R e p r o d u c i b l e s

3

The purchase of this book entitles an individual teacher toreproduce pages for use in the classroom. This permitted use ofcopyrighted material does not extend beyond the building level.Reproduction for use in an entire school system or forcommercial use is prohibited. Beyond the classroom use by anindividual teacher, reproduction, transmittal, or retrieval of thiswork is prohibited without written permission from thepublisher.

© 1996 Perfection Learning Corporation

1000 North Second Avenue, Logan, Iowa 51546

Writer: Peg Hall

Senior Editor: Mary Jo Cosson

Editor: Jalon Abernathy

Art Director: Randy Messer

Designer: Jan M. Michalson

Illustrators: Michael AspengrenDea Marks

Production Artist: Deborah Lea Bell

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The Portals Plus series accompanies time-tested literature thatshould be an important part of every school’s instructionalprogram. The activities in this book are based on situations andthemes found in the story and are intended to help teachers usequality literature as a basis for integrating instruction across thecurriculum. Activities include a cross-section of subject areasand will reinforce skills in language arts, social studies, science,math, critical thinking, study skills, and the arts. These activitiesalso represent a variety of skill levels. Use the Portals Pluspick-and-choose format to select activities that will best matchthe interests and skill levels of your students.

Note: Page number references are for the 1990 HarperTrophyedition of the book.

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Table of Contents

About the Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Maniac’s Territory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Social Studies Link: using map skills

Keeping Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Math and Critical Thinking Links: computation, logical thinking

Comic Relief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Arts Link: creating a comic strip

Colorful Comparisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Language Arts Link: identifying similes and metaphors

From A to Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Study Skills Link: using alphabetical order, using reference materials

Krimpet Calories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Math Link: computation

Skin Deep. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Science Link: reading for scientific information, reading a diagram

More About Skin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Science Link: investigating the skin

Maniac Math . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Math Link: computation

Baseball Art. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Arts Link: creative expression

Table of Contents

Vicious Vowels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Language Arts Link: sounds of language, creative expression

Eulogizing Grayson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Language Arts and Critical Thinking Links: written expression, evaluation

Visiting Valley Forge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Social Studies, Study Skills, and Arts Links: reading for information, applying knowledge, using reference materials, creative expression

Creepy Critters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Science and Language Arts Links: reading for scientific information, using vocabulary

Heroic Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Study Skills Link: using reference materials, categorization

Maniac’s Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Social Studies Link: using map skills

Breaking Down Barriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Critical Thinking Link: making judgments

The Bases Are Loaded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Critical Thinking Link: making logical deductions

The Lost Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Language Arts Link: creative writing

Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

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About the Story

Maniac Magee is a legend, but it’s hard to know whatpart of the legend is true and what part is myth.

Maniac Magee was born Jeffrey Lionel Magee. Whenhe was three years old, his parents died and he was sentto live with his Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan. His aunt anduncle hated each other, but they wouldn’t get divorced.As a result, they made Jeffrey’s life miserable. Finally,at a school musical, Jeffrey started screaming. He ranoff into the night and never returned.

A year later, Jeffrey ended up in Two Mills. The firstperson to actually talk to him was Amanda Beale of theEast End. She was carrying a suitcase, so Jeffreythought she was running away too. But Amanda’ssuitcase was full of books. She carried them with her toprotect them from her little brother and sister. Amandaloaned Jeffrey a book and went off to school.

Soon everyone in town began buzzing about the kidwho intercepted a football pass during the game,rescued Arnold Jones, and broke John McNab’sstrikeout streak. Someone apparently said, “That kidmust be a maniac,” and the legend had a new name.

Maniac soon made his way to the East End. He didn’trealize that a white person wasn’t supposed to go

there. He met Amanda again and she invited himhome. Maniac ate dinner with the Beales andended up staying.

Maniac loved his life with the Beales. But noteveryone loved having a white boy in the

neighborhood. He had confrontations withseveral people, including a tough kid named

Mars Bar and an old man who wantedManiac to leave the East End. After theBeales’ house was graffitied, Maniacdecided the best thing he could do for thefamily was to leave.

Portals Plus: Maniac Magee©1996 Perfection Learning Corporation, Logan, Iowa 515467

Maniac’s next home was at the Elmwood ParkZoo. At first he slept with the buffalo, but thenhe was discovered by the groundskeeper,Grayson. Grayson took Maniac to the baseballequipment room in the park. He fed Maniac,gave him a job, and let him live in theequipment room.

Grayson began to tell Maniac stories about hisadventures as a baseball player. He also beganteaching Maniac how to play the game. Inreturn, Maniac taught Grayson how to read.Maniac and Grayson became a family. Butthen Grayson died. At the funeral, Maniacstarted running and just kept on going.

Maniac finally came back to Two Mills, buthe was lost and alone. During the day, he ran.At night, he picked a spot to sleep. Hesurvived on odd jobs and meals at the soupkitchen.

Eventually, Amanda found Maniac andconvinced him to come and live with herfamily. Mars Bar accepted Maniac andbecame his friend. At last, Maniac had founda home.

Portals Plus: Maniac Magee©1996 Perfection Learning Corporation, Logan, Iowa 51546 8

About the Author

Jerry Spinelli

Jerry Spinelli has been writing about children since hisown childhood. When he wasn’t much older than JeffreyLionel Magee, he wrote a poem about his football teamwinning a championship. The poem was published in thelocal paper, and Jerry’s writing career was underway.Living with his own six children has provided him with awealth of situations and real-life characters upon which tobase his books.

Spinelli is the rarest kind of children’s author. He stillremembers what it was like to be a child. He can describethe horror of facing a heaping plate of brussels sprouts, the thrill of cruising a mall without your parents taggingalong, the agony of a first date, and the pride of makingyour own grilled cheese sandwich. His characters take usback to a time when the world was a small, simple placeand the classmate with green teeth was far moreinteresting than most world leaders.

Manic Magee, Spinelli’s Newbery Award-winner, re-creates the wonderful characters that populate everyneighborhood. Maniac travels the funny, often nerve-racking road from childhood to adulthood, and Spinellitakes us along for the ride.

Jerry Spinelli lives with his wife and two of their sons inPhoenixville, Pennsylvania.


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Maniac’s Territory

Although Two Mills is a fictional town, most of the placesmentioned in Maniac Magee really do exist. The map onthe next page shows the state of Pennsylvania, where TwoMills was located. Follow the directions below to completethe map.

1. Refer to an atlas or a map of Pennsylvania to locate and label the following major cities:Bridgeport, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Scranton, Erie, and Allentown.

2. Locate and label the following rivers: Schuylkill, Delaware, Susquehanna, Allegheny,Monongahela, and Ohio.

3. Hollidaysburg, where Maniac lived with his aunt and uncle, is east of Pittsburgh andnorthwest of Harrisburg. Locate and label the town of Hollidaysburg.

4. In the novel, Two Mills was right across the Schuylkill River from Bridgeport. Put a doton and label the map to show where you think Two Mills was located.

5. Draw a line to show the route you think Maniac might have taken from Hollidaysburg toTwo Mills. Remember, it took Maniac a year to make the trip, so he probably didn’t takea direct route.

6. If Maniac ran a direct route from Philadelphia toPittsburgh, what direction would he run?_______________________________________

Approximately how far would he run?_________________________________________

7. If Maniac ran a direct route from Philadelphia toAllentown, what direction would he run? ______________________________________

Approximately how far would he run?_________________________________________

Chapters 1–5Social Studies Link


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Maniac’s Territory continued


PA

0 100 125 150 17550 7525

Miles

200

N

S

EW

Scale1 inch = 50 miles

Keeping Score

Maniac arrived at the Little League field at the end of agame. The Red Sox had won and pitcher John McNab hadset a new record by striking out 16 batters.

The scoreboard below shows the results of the game. Butsome numbers are missing. Follow the directions at thebottom of the page to complete the scoreboard.

Inning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total Errors

Red Sox 3 2 1 5 2 34

Green Sox 0 1 0 1 0 0 6

Complete the scoreboard for the Red Sox:

1. In inning 7, the Red Sox scored three times as many runs as they did in inning 3.

2. Inning 4 was one of the best innings for the Red Sox. They scored as many runs in thatone inning as they did in innings 1, 3, and 8 combined.

3. The Red Sox scored the same number of runs in innings 4 and 9.

Complete the scoreboard for the Green Sox:

4. The Green Sox were defeated by 30 points.

5. The Green Sox scored twice as much in inning 3 as they did in inning 2.

6. The Green Sox scored the same number of runs in innings 5 and 7.

7. The Green Sox made three times as many errors as the Red Sox made.

And Furthermore...Imagine that Maniac joined the Green Sox at the beginning of the seventh inning. He scoredtwo home runs in each inning, with the bases loaded each time, and struck out every Red Soxplayer. What would be the final score?

Red Sox ___________ Green Sox ___________


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11Chapters 6–10Math and Critical Thinking Links

Comic Relief

Reread Jerry Spinelli’s description of the frogball episodein chapter 7 of Maniac Magee. Think about the imagesthat come to mind as you read. Then translate those


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12Chapters 6–10

Arts Link

images to text. In the spaces below, create acomic strip of the episode. Title your comicstrip and include dialogue balloons.


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13

Colorful Comparisons

A simile is a comparison that uses the words like or as. Inthe sentence “Maniac ran as fast as the wind,” Maniac’sspeed is being compared to the wind. A metaphor is acomparison that does not use the words like or as. In thesentence “Maniac was a tornado crossing the street,”Maniac is being compared to a tornado. Similes andmetaphors make writing more interesting and colorful.

1. Arnold was a mouse in front of the yawning maw of a python. __________

compares ______________________________ to ______________________________

2. Maniac thought the kid felt like a sack of flour. __________

compares ______________________________ to ______________________________

3. Arnold took off like a horsefly from a swatter. __________

compares ______________________________ to ______________________________

4. The ball went spinning like a flying saucer out to shortstop. __________

compares ______________________________ to ______________________________

5. With rattlesnake speed, Maniac snatched the book back. __________

compares ______________________________ to ______________________________

6. A broom came down like a straw curtain between their faces. __________

compares ______________________________ to ______________________________

7. To Amanda, the ripped page was the broken wing of a bird. __________

compares ______________________________ to ______________________________

8. Maniac thought a mattress felt like a scoop of mashed potatoes. __________

compares ______________________________ to ______________________________

And Furthermore...Choose one of the similes above and rewrite it as a metaphor.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Chapters 11–15Language Arts Link

Read each of the following comparisonsfrom Maniac Magee. Write S if thecomparison is a simile. Write M if it is ametaphor. Then identify the comparison thatis being made.


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14Chapters 11–15

Study Skills Link

Volume 2

baa– broom

Volume 3

brush– candy

Volume 7

fern– giraffe

Volume 10

jungle– lilac

Volume 12

map– muscle

Volume 13

music– Naples

Volume 17

piano– ranching

Volume 22

umber– violet

Volume 25

yak– zwieback

From A to Z

Imagine that instead of having only the first volume ofencyclopedias, Amanda had all the volumes shown below.Look at the topics listed at the bottom of the page. Decidewhether or not Amanda could locate information about

1. Italy ________________ 11. buffalo _______________

2. zebra ________________ 12. running _______________

3. mineral ________________ 13. nail _______________

4. boxing ________________ 14. Zulu _______________

5. ketchup ________________ 15. baseball _______________

6. France ________________ 16. yoga _______________

7. United States ________________ 17. parade _______________

8. Robert E. Lee ________________ 18. gasoline _______________

9. loom ________________ 19. rainbows _______________

10. jester ________________ 20. crayon _______________

And Furthermore...Use an actual encyclopedia to locate one of the topics above. On the lines below, record your topic and one interesting thing you learned about it.

The topic I chose:____________________________________________________________

I learned ___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

each topic. If not, write NO on the line afterthe topic. If so, write the volume number sheshould use.


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Krimpet Calories

If Mrs. Beale baked Krimpets for Maniac, shemight have wanted to figure out how manycalories were in one Krimpet. Help Mrs. Bealeout. First study the recipe and the calorie chartbelow it. Then answer the questions at thebottom of the page.

Chapters 16–21Math Link

Butterscotch Krimpets

1 cup brown sugar 3⁄4 cup flour1⁄2 cup margarine, melted 1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon vanilla 1⁄4 teaspoon salt1 egg

Combine brown sugar, melted margarine, vanilla, and egg. Inanother bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Addthe flour mixture to the brown sugar mixture and stir well.Spread in greased 8-inch square pan. Bake 25 minutes at350°F. Cut into bars.

1. How many calories are in each of the following recipe ingredients?

1 cup brown sugar ________ 1⁄2 cup margarine _________1 teaspoon vanilla ________ 1 egg _________3⁄4 cup flour ________ 1 teaspoon baking powder _________

2. How many calories are in an entire batch of Krimpets? __________________________

3. If you cut the recipe into 2-inch square pieces, how many Krimpets are in one batch? __________________________

4. Approximately how many calories are in one 2-inch square Krimpet? __________________________

Ingredient Unit of Measurement* Caloriesbrown sugar 1 tablespoon 50

margarine 1 tablespoon 100

vanilla 1 teaspoon 10

egg 1 whole 80

flour 1 cup 420

baking powder 1 teaspoon 5

salt 1 teaspoon 0

*Note: 1 cup equals 16 tablespoons


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Skin Deep

Maniac couldn’t understand why everyone made such afuss over skin color. When he looked at his own skin, hesaw seven different shades and colors.

No matter what shade your skin is, it is an important partof your body. Your skin has two layers. The outer layer ofskin is called the epidermis. This layer is several cellsthick with a layer of dead cells on the surface. These deadcells are constantly shed and replaced with new cells. Theinner layer is called the dermis. This layer is a network offibers, blood vessels, nerves, and the bottoms of hairfollicles and sweat glands.

Your skin serves many important functions. It protectsinternal tissues. It provides you with nerve endings thatgive you a sense of touch. And it acts as your

Label the dermis and the epidermis.

Label a pore.

Label a blood vessel.

Label a sweat gland.

Chapters 16–21Science Link

personal air conditioner. One square inch ofskin contains hundreds of sweat glands. Whenyou sweat, moisture is released through pores,or openings in your skin. When this moistureevaporates, it cools your body.

But what gives your skin its unique color?Skin color is determined by how muchmelanin is present. Melanin is a substanceproduced by special cells in the epidermis.The more melanin produced, the darker yourskin.

Study the cross section of skin shown belowand follow the directions.

Hairfollicle

Nerve


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More About Skin

Use a magnifying glass to take a closer look at your skin.Look for the tiny openings called pores, hair follicles, andyour very own unique skin color. In the space below, drawwhat you see.

Study another unique quality of your skin—your fingerprints. Fingerprints are formed byridges in the skin. Examine your fingers with a magnifying glass to see what pattern theseridges take. (No one else has ridges that form the exact same pattern as yours.)

Record your fingerprints. On another sheet of paper, use the side of a pencil to color in a 5" x 1" rectangle. Carefully press the fingers of one hand on the colored rectangle. Thenpress each finger lightly in the appropriate space below. Repeat the procedure for your otherhand. Compare your fingerprints with those of a classmate.

Chapters 16–21Science Link

Left Hand

little finger ring finger middle finger index finger thumb

Right Hand

thumb index finger middle finger ring finger little finger


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18Chapters 22–26

Math Link

Maniac Math

Help Maniac solve the math problems below.

1. The prize for untying Cobble’s Knot was one freelarge pizza a week for a year. If one large pizza cost $12.49, what was the value of the prize?

The prize was worth ___________________.

2. The string from Cobble’s Knot stretched for 41⁄2blocks. If the average block is 830 feet in length, how long was the string?

The string was __________________ feet long.

3. Grayson got rid of Maniac’s old clothes and took the boy on a shopping spree. Look at the price tags below. How much did Grayson spend on clothing for Maniac?

Grayson spent _________________ on clothing.

4. Grayson gave Maniac $3.25 for lunch.Study the menu below and order forManiac.

Maniac’s lunch order:___________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

Total cost: ______________

His change:_____________

jeans

$17.99

sneakers$24.78

socks

$1.49

tee shirt$9.95

hot dog .95hamburger 1.25zep 1.50tossed salad .75fries .55lemonade .50iced tea .50Krimpet .45apple pie 1.05ice-cream bar .60

And Furthermore:Make up a math problem from Maniac Magee and challenge a classmate to solve it. Be sureyou know the correct answer.


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19

Baseball Art

Baseball is one of the most popular American sports.Express your pride in this national pastime by completingone or more of the following baseball art activities.

Chapters 22–26Arts Link

Makea model of a baseball

field. Show the infield,outfield, bases, dugouts, and

other features. Use the followinginformation to make the baseball

diamond to scale.

• Each side of the diamond is 90 feetlong.

• Bases are 15-inch squares.• The pitcher’s mound is 601⁄2

feet from home plate.

Createa baseball

pennant for Grayson’steam—the Bluefield

Bullets. Or draw a pictureof what Grayson’s team

jersey may havelooked like.

Assemblea collage of

baseball images. Usemagazine pictures of

baseballs, players, bats,gloves, and so on. If you havesome common baseball cards,

you might want to includeone or two in your

collage.

Writea cheer that could

be used at a baseballgame. Decide if you want

the cheer to be funny,inspirational, exciting, or

a combination of allthree.

Starta baseball

scrapbook. Includenewspaper articles aboutyour favorite professional

team or local Little Leagueteams. Write a caption foreach article you include in

the scrapbook.

Createa poster-sized

baseball card of afavorite minor or major

league player. Or create abaseball card thatfeatures Grayson’s

pitching career.

Tape-record part of a

baseball game from theradio. As you listen to the

tape, act out the action.After you have rehearsed

several times, performthe action for some

classmates.


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20

Vicious Vowels

When Grayson was learning to read, he had a lot oftrouble with vowels. Grayson thought the problem wasthat you could never trust a vowel. In a way, Grayson wasright—the vowels used in the English language representso many different sounds that it’s hard to know whatsound a vowel or vowel combination should make.

1. Maniac lay down on the chest protectors and took a short sn __ __ ze.

2. At first Amanda was al __ __ f and wouldn’t have much to do with Maniac.

3. Maniac ran thr __ __ __ __ the park.

4. When Hester and Lester came close, the bird fl __ __ to its nest.

5. At the zoo, the ducks had a br __ __ d of three ducklings.

6. Maniac took off his left sh __ __ .

7. The sight of Krimpets always made Maniac dr __ __ l.

8. The tree was str __ __ n with ornaments and strings of popcorn.

9. There were only a f __ __ people watching the ball game.

10. A large gr __ __ p of people gathered to watch Maniac attack Cobble’s Knot.

11. Amanda’s eyes were gl __ __ d to Maniac’s fingers as he worked on the knot.

12. At Bethany Church, Maniac always sat in the first p __ __ .

13. Mr. Beale wore a s __ __ t to work every day.

14. Maniac got up so early that the d __ __ was still on the grass.

15. Everyone watched Maniac z __ __ m along the tracks.

In what different ways is this vicious vowel sound spelled?

___________________________________________________________________________

And Furthermore...Write a funny poem using rhyming words from this page and other rhyming words with the same vowel sound.

Chapters 27–32Language Arts Link

See if you can identify the vicious vowelsmissing from words that fit in the sentencesbelow. Read all the clues before you startfilling in the missing letters. Keep this cluein mind: the words all have the same vowelsound.


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Eulogizing Grayson

At Grayson’s funeral, Maniac was the only mourner. Hewas upset that no one else came to honor Grayson’smemory.

Imagine that you are Maniac. Write a eulogy—a formal

Chapters 27–32Language Arts and Critical Thinking Links

statement of praise for Grayson and hisaccomplishments. As you plan your writing,think about the qualities that made Graysonso special to Maniac.


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22Chapters 33–36

Social Studies, Study Skills, and Arts Links

Visiting Valley Forge

After Grayson died, Maniac left Two Mills and settled intoa cabin at Valley Forge to await his own death. The historyof suffering represented by the location seemedappropriate to Maniac.

Valley Forge National Historical Park is located on theSchuylkill River, 32 miles northwest of Philadelphia,Pennsylvania. The park preserves the historic valley whereGeneral George Washington and approximately 12,000men of the Continental Army set up a winter camp inDecember 1777. Washington chose Valley Forge because it was in a strategic location to provide protection to the Continental Congress, then in session in York,Pennsylvania.

The barren countryside and a lack of supplies from theContinental Army meant the men at Valley Forge had to go

Use the information on this page and facts found in other references to create an illustrated brochure thatcould be distributed to visitors at Valley Forge. Your brochure should explain the historical significance ofthe site, give its location, and point out items of interest to visitors.

without adequate food, shelter, or clothing.They lived in crude huts that they had tobuild themselves. Many died of cold andstarvation. In fact, the winter of 1777–1778is considered to be one of the darkest periodsof the American Revolution.

On June 19, 1778, Washington and what wasleft of his forces left Valley Forge to pursuethe British through New Jersey. Theremnants of the cabins and fortifications theyleft behind are among the mementospreserved at the National Park. The park alsocontains monuments such as the NationalMemorial Arch and the WashingtonMemorial Chapel.


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23Chapters 33–36Science and Language Arts Links

Creepy Critters

Maniac was amazed at the state of the McNabs’ house.Garbage was piled on every surface, there was a huge holein the ceiling of the dining room, and, worst of all, roachesroamed all over the place.

Maniac’s disgust for roaches, or cockroaches, is shared bymost humans. Cockroaches breed rapidly, carry dirt, havean unpleasant odor, and are thought to carry disease. As aresult, they are considered pests. However, as unpopular asthey are, cockroaches are still interesting creatures.

Fossil evidence shows that cockroaches were the mostcommon insect of prehistoric times. One of the mostamazing things about this insect is that it has changed littlein appearance during the 320 million years it has inhabitedthe earth. Fossilized cockroaches look much like thecockroaches you might find today.

There are thousands of known species in the cockroachfamily. About 25 of these species share the same habitatsas humans. Cockroaches are flat and oval in shape. They

range in size from barely visible to almostfour inches in length. Cockroaches may be winged or wingless. They are mostlynocturnal and are very sensitive to light. An oily shell, called a cuticle, protects thecockroach’s body and makes it hard to kill.

Cockroaches are an important part of the earth’s ecology. They aid in thedecomposition of plant debris and animalwaste. They provide food for many otheranimals—and even for humans in somecultures. Cockroaches are also consideredvaluable laboratory animals because they areeasy to care for and don’t sting or bite. Sowhen you see a cockroach, you will probablyreact much as Maniac did. But remember, justlike everything else in nature, the cockroachdoes play an important ecological role.

Use what you have learned to solve theCreepy Critters crossword puzzle.

Creepy Critters continued

Across1. In some places, ____________________

beings eat cockroaches.

3. Cockroaches are sensitive to____________________.

5. Cockroaches are valuable as____________________ animals.

8. An adult cockroach can grow up to____________________ inches inlength.

9. Cockroaches play an important role in theearth’s ____________________.

13. Some species of cockroaches have____________________, and others don’t.

14. The body of a cockroach is____________________ inshape.

15. Cockroaches are suspected ofcarrying____________________.

Down2. Cockroaches have inhabited the earth for more than 320 ____________________ years.

4. Cockroaches help to break down animal ____________________.

6. Because the cockroach is a ____________________ insect, it is sensitive to light.

7. Scientists have found ____________________ evidence that shows that cockroaches have changed very little since prehistoric times.

10. The cockroach has an oily shell called a ____________________.

11. Most people consider cockroaches to be ____________________.

12. The cockroach has an unpleasant ____________________.


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24Chapters 33–36

Science and Language Arts Links

1. 2.

3.

5.

6.

4.

8.

9. 10.

11.

12.

7.

13.

14. 15.

25Portals Plus: Maniac Magee

©1996 Perfection Learning Corporation, Logan, Iowa 51546

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Chapters 37–41Study Skills Link

Heroic Feats

To keep Piper and Russell in school, Maniac beganperforming a series of heroic feats—things like walkingbarefoot through the dump and racing the train. The twolittle boys were so impressed that they did anythingManiac asked of them.

Throughout history, there have been many individuals who have performed feats that are admired by others.

Heroes—Past and PresentHank Aaron Douglas MacArthur George WashingtonChrista MacAuliffe Larry Bird Albert SchweitzerHercules Marie Curie Mother TeresaRobin Hood Davy Crockett Martin Luther King Jr.Joe Montana Annie Oakley Charles LindberghRobert E. Lee Mohandas Gandhi Louis PasteurClara Barton Patrick Henry Florence Griffith Joyner

The names of some heroes of the past andpresent are listed in the box below. List theseheroes on the chart according to the type ofheroism each has displayed. If an individualis unfamiliar, locate information about himor her in an encyclopedia or anotherreference source.

And Furthermore...Select one of the individuals from the list above, or another person, who represents heroismto you. Write one or two paragraphs explaining why you consider that person a hero.

Political & War Heroes of Sports Heroes of Heroes ofHeroes Myth & Legend Heroes Exploration & Humanity

Discovery

26Portals Plus: Maniac Magee©1996 Perfection Learning Corporation, Logan, Iowa 51546

Name

Maniac’s Map

Maniac’s running took him all over the town of Two Mills.As a result, he knew the town better than almost anyoneelse who lived there.

The map on the next page shows a section of the town.Refer to the map to answer the questions below.

1. Cobble’s Corner Grocery is on the northeast corner of the intersection of Hector and Birch Streets. Place a H on the map to show where the grocery is located.

2. The McNabs live on the southwest corner of Ash and Plum Streets. Place an 6 on the map to show where the McNabs’ house is located.

3. The Beales live on the northern side of Sycamore Street, 31⁄2 blocks east of Green Street. Place a n on the map to show where the Beales live.

4. The Two Mills YMCA is located on the east side of Hamilton Avenue, halfway between Main and Ash Streets. Place a l on the map to show where the YMCA is located.

5. Finsterwald’s house is 71⁄2 blocks from the McNabs. To get there you would go two blocks north, three blocks west, two blocks north, then 1⁄2 of a block west. On what street does Finsterwald live? ___________________________________

6. What streets have bridges that cross Stony Creek?

______________________________________________________________________

7. On the lines below, write directions that Maniac might give to someone who wants to get from the Beales’ house to Cobble’s Corner Grocery.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

8. On the lines below, write directions that Maniac might give to someone who wants to get from the McNabs’ house to the road leading into the Little League fields.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________



Name

27

Maniac’s Map continued

Two Mills, Pennsylvania


Elmwood Park Zoo

Sycamore Street

East Marshall Avenue

East Chestnut Street

Arc

h St

reet

Gre

en S

tree

t

Main Street

Hec

tor

Stre

et

Elm Street

Plum

Str

eet

Ham

ilton

Ave

nue

Swed

e St

reet

West Marshall Avenue

Park

Ave

nue

Ori

ole

Ave

nue

Stony Creek

Ash Street

Jackson Street

Birch Street

Elm

woo

d A

venu

e

Moore Street

bandshell

Little League Field

N

S

W E

Breaking Down Barriers

In the prologue of Maniac Magee, the author describes ajump rope game as Maniac’s “legacy, or monument.” From what you now know about Maniac and his story,what do you think was the most significant thing Maniacdid to break down the barriers between the people of theEast and West Ends of Two Mills? Write your opinion onthe lines below. Give evidence from the story to supportyour opinion.


Name

28Chapters 42–46

Critical Thinking Link


Name

29Chapters 42–46Critical Thinking Link

The Bases Are Loaded

Maniac changed things in Two Mills. Imagine that you arevisiting Two Mills a year after the story ends. Maniac andfriends of all ages, from both the East and West Ends, areplaying a baseball game. The clues will help you figureout which position each player is filling. As you makedeductions about the players’ positions, indicate Y (forYES) or N (for NO) in the appropriate spaces on the chart.Deductions that can be made from the first clue arealready recorded.

Clues:1. Maniac is at bat, and the bases are loaded.

2. John, Russell, and Amanda are the other players on Maniac’s team.

3. Piper is standing closer to third base than to the right field fence.

4. Amanda batted before Russell.

5. Mars Bar is closer to home plate than anyone else on his team.

6. Russell batted before John.

The players are

A _____________ B _____________ C _____________

D _____________ E _____________ F _____________ G _____________

Player A B C D E F GManiac Magee Y N N N N N N

John McNab N

Mars Bar Thompson N

Amanda Beale N

Hands Down N

Piper McNab N

Russell McNab N

foul line

fence

G

FC

D E B

A

foul line


Name

30Chapters 42–46

Language Arts Link

The Lost Year

No one knows what Maniac did during the time he spentbetween leaving Hollidaysburg and arriving in Two Mills.From what you know about Maniac, where do you thinkhe went and what do you think he did during that year? Inthe boxes below, write about what Maniac did during eachseason of his lost year.

Spring Summer________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

Fall Winter________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

________________________________ ________________________________

From A to Z (page 13)1. No; 2. Volume 25; 3. Volume 12; 4. Volume 2; 5. Volume 10; 6. Volume 7; 7. Volume 22; 8. Volume 10; 9. No; 10. No;11. Volume 3; 12. No; 13. Volume 13; 14. Volume 25; 15. Volume 2; 16. Volume 25;17. No; 18. Volume 7; 19. Volume 17; 20. No

Krimpet Calories (page 14)1. brown sugar—800 calories, margarine—800 calories, vanilla—10 calories, egg—80calories, flour—315 calories, bakingpowder—5 calories; 2. 2010 calories; 3. 16pieces; 4. approximately 126 calories apiece

31

Answer Key

Maniac’s Territory (page 8)1–4: see labeled map below; 5. Responses will vary. 6. northwest, 263 miles; 7. northwest, 50 miles

Keeping Score (page 10)Completed scoreboard:

Inning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total ErrorsRed Sox 3 1 2 7 1 5 6 2 7 34 2Green Sox 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 6

And Furthermore: The final score would be RedSox 19 and Green Sox 28.

Comic Relief (page 11)Responses will vary.

Colorful Comparisons (page 12)1. M, compares Arnold to a mouse; 2. S, compares the kid to a sack of flour; 3. S, comparesArnold to a horsefly; 4. S, compares the ball to a flying saucer; 5. M, compares Maniac to a

rattlesnake; 6. S, compares a broom to a straw curtain; 7. M, compares the page of a book to abird’s wing; 8. S, compares a mattress to mashed potatoes

HollidaysburgPittsburghHarrisburg

Bridgeport

Allentown

ScrantonErie

Allegh

eny R

iver

Mon

ong a

hela

Rive

r

Ohio River

SusquehannaRiver

Delaware

River

Schuylkill River

PA

Philadelphia

Two Mills

Answer Key continued

Skin Deep (page 15)

More About Skin (page 16)Responses will vary.

Maniac Math (page 17)1. $649.48; 2. 3,735 feet; 3. $54.21; 4. Responses will vary.

Baseball Art (page 18)Responses will vary.

Vicious Vowels (page 19)1. snooze; 2. aloof; 3. through; 4. flew; 5. brood; 6. shoe; 7. drool; 8. strewn; 9. few; 10. group; 11. glued; 12. pew; 13. suit; 14. dew; 15. zoomThe vowel sound is spelled oo, ough, ew, oe, ou, ue,and ui.

32

Eulogizing Grayson (page 20)Responses will vary.

Visiting Valley Forge (page 21)Responses will vary.

Creepy Critters (page 22)Across: 1. human; 3. light; 5. laboratory; 8. four; 9. ecology; 13. wings; 14. oval; 15. diseaseDown: 2. million; 4. waste; 6. nocturnal; 7. fossil; 10. cuticle; 11. pests; 12. odor

Hair follicle

Nerve

Sweat gland

Epidermis

Dermis

Pore

Blood vessels

Answer Key continued

Heroic Feats (page 24)Suggested responses are shown on the chart below.

Maniac’s Map (page 25)1–4: see the labeled map below. 5. Jackson Street; 6. Moore, Elmwood, Park, Hector, and Arch;7. Responses will vary. Accept any logical response. 8. Responses will vary. Accept any logical response.

Breaking Down Barriers (page 27)Responses will vary.

The Bases Are Loaded (page 28)The players are A. Maniac Magee; B. John McNab; C. Russell McNab; D. Amanda Beale; E. Mars Bar Thompson; F. Piper McNab; G. Hands Down

The Lost Year (page 29)Responses will vary.

33

Political & War Heroes of Sports Heroes of Heroes ofHeroes Myth & Legend Heroes Exploration & Humanity

Discovery

Douglas MacArthur Hercules Hank Aaron Christa MacAuliffe Albert SchweitzerGeorge Washington Robin Hood Larry Bird Marie Curie Mother TeresaRobert E. Lee Davy Crockett Joe Montana Charles Lindbergh Martin Luther King Jr.Patrick Henry Annie Oakley Florence Griffith Joyner Louis Pasteur Mohandas Gandhi

Clara Barton

Elmwood Park Zoo

East Marshall Avenue

East Chestnut Street

Arc

h St

reet

Gre

en S

tree

t

Main Street

Hec

tor

Stre

et

Elm Street

Ham

ilton

Ave

nue

Swed

e St

reet

West Marshall Avenue

Park

Ave

nue

Ori

ole

Ave

nue

Stony Creek

Ash Street

Jackson Street

Birch Street

Elm

woo

d A

venu

e

Moore Street

bandshell

Sycamore Street

Plum

Str

eet

Little League Field

#76306 ISBN

0-7891-0278-1

Perfection Learning®

SScciieennccee LLiinnkkss

Skin Deep

More About Skin

Creepy Critters

MMaatthh LLiinnkkss

Keeping Score

Krimpet Calories

Maniac Math

SSttuuddyy SSkkiillllss LLiinnkkss

From A to Z


Heroic Feats

AArrttss LLiinnkkss

Comic Relief

Baseball Art


LLaanngguuaaggee AArrttss LLiinnkkss

Colorful Comparisons

Vicious Vowels

Eulogizing Grayson

Creepy Critters

The Lost Year

CCrriittiiccaall TThhiinnkkiinngg LLiinnkkss

Keeping Score

Eulogizing Grayson

Breaking Down Barriers

The Bases Are Loaded

SSoocciiaall SSttuuddiieess LLiinnkkss

Maniac’s Territory


Maniac’s Map

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