Freak the Mighty

By Rodman Philbrick

A WebQuest

Enter the castle gates and venture on a journey through the Middle Ages. Your quest is to find information that will bring you to a greater understanding of Philbrick’s novel Freak the Mighty while exploring medieval times.

Do you accept the quest? Then let’s read on and prepare for your adventure.

· Kevin copes with having a fatal disease by escaping into books and words. His favorite topic is King Arthur, knights, and their quests. Kevin explains to Max that knights were the first robots. He believes that by studying knights and robots, scientists may come up with a way to get him a new body. Max has never heard of knights or King Arthur and can't figure out why Kevin is calling his mom "Gwen of Air". Together Kevin and Max become Freak the Mighty- Max giving Kevin a body to use and Kevin giving Max a mindful of knowledge.

· Your task is to pair up with a partner and do research on knights, quests, castles, Lady Guinevere and King Arthur. You will need to find information so you can help Max understand all the things that Kevin is telling him.

Task 1

· You will need to visit websites on King Arthur, knights, and castle life in order to complete the following activities.

· Write a letter to Max explaining what you've learned about castles, knights, and life during the times of King Arthur. This must be one page typed (double-spaced, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins). Spell check your work, and be sure to edit your work before turning in! Each of you is responsible to write your own letter. Be sure it is in your own words and that you provide a bibliography at the end to show where you received your information. You may use the following sites to get you started:

o http://www.suelebeau.com/medievaltimes.htm

o http://www.castlewales.com/life.html

o http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/Brisas/sunda/ma/1jake.htm

o http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/Brisas/sunda/ma/1kimberly.htm

o http://www.cdli.ca/CITE/medieval_knights.htm

o http://www.cdli.ca/CITE/medieval_castles.htm

o http://www.cdli.ca/CITE/medieval_life.htm

o http://www.camelotintl.com/legend/index.html

o http://www.kathimitchell.com/middleages.htm#King%20Arthur

Task Two

One of the recurring themes from the novel Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick, is how people can overcome challenges. The main character, Max, has a learning disability, but he writes his own novel. The other main character, Freak, has a physical disability, but he lives his life to the fullest.
You will investigate

Morquio’s Syndrome. This is the disease that claimed Kevin’s life. Explain the symptoms of the disease, life-long impact, and how it affects Kevin and others in his life. Consider how Kevin overcame the crippling affects of this disease. Also include how this disease would affect others in general.

Use the following sites to do your research. Remember to include a bibliography with your presentation.

o http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001206.htm

o http://www.sspa.org.au/conditions.htm

· You will also investigate

o learning disabilities. Explain the different types of learning disabilities and how they affected Max and others in his life. Explain what can be done to compensate for any of these disabilities. How would Max’s life have been different if he had outside intervention?

Use the folliwng sites to do your research. Remember to include a bibliography with your presentation.

o http://www.ncld.org/LDInfoZone/InfoZone_FactSheetIndex.cfm

o http://www.ldanatl.org/

o http://www.ldonline.org/abcs_info/ld_types.html

o http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/learning_problem/learning_disabilities.html

Decide with your partner which disability you will write about and choose a format to present your information. You may use Word, Power Point, or a chart. Be sure that your information is comprehensive and in your own words. Be sure to include a bibliography.

Task Three You must each choose ONE of the following:

· Choice "A" -- Create a Poem:

o Go to Sample Acrostic Poems to see what an "Acrostic Poem" is! After you read the examples, create your own following these directions:

o Write the words "Gwen of Air" vertically down the paper.

o Find words or phrases that begin with each letter to record horizontally.

o Your word choices should relate to Freak, castles, or knights.

Your poem should be neatly typed using Word, Size 12 font, Times New Roman. Be sure to check for correct spelling and punctuation.

· Choice “B” – Find a Medieval Game

o Find a game that was played during the Middle Ages. Write down the rules for the class and teach your classmates how to play. You must make the game so that it can actually be played. Use the following sites to help you:

o http://www.regia.org/games.htm

o http://www.tarahill.com/instruct.html

o http://www2.kumc.edu/itc/staff/rknight/Games.htm

We will end our webquest with a medieval feast. Using the following sites, find a recipe that you and your partner would like to make. On your assigned day, you will bring in a sampling of the food that was eaten during the Middle Ages.

o http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/Renaissance/Town/Food/FoodTable.html

o http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/med-anglosaxon-coll.html#4

o http://www.godecookery.com/allrec/allrec.htm

What must you hand in?

· Both you and your partner must hand in a letter to Max telling him about knights, castles, King Arthur, Lady Guinevere, and anything else that relates to the Middle Ages.

· You must each do research on either Morquio’s Syndrome or Learning Disabilities and present your information on both the physical and learning disability.

· Each of you must choose either the Acrostic Poem, or the medieval game. You may each choose the same one or a different one, but you are both responsible for your own.

· Together you must find a recipe and prepare a sampling for the class.

Evaluation

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Student will write a friendly letter using proper format	Letter has little information and contains body and greeting only with many spelling and mechanics errors. Bibliography is not included.	Letter has some information and contains body, closing and greeting with few spelling or mechanics errors. Bibliography is incomplete.	Letter has good information and contains proper format with few spelling or mechanics errors. Bibliography is included.	Letter is very informative and contains proper format with no spelling or mechanics errors. Bibliography is included.
Student will identify characteristics of physical or learning disabilities and relates it to characters in the novel.	Information is sketchy and disorganized and does not relate to the characters in the novel. Student shows no understanding of disability and did not follow directions. Bibliography is not included.	Information is incomplete and relates minimally to the characters in the novel. Student does not show complete understanding of disabilities. Directions were not completely followed. Bibliography is incomplete.	Information is complete and relates to the characters in the novel. Student shows understanding of presentation and followed directions. Bibliography is included.	Information is complete and comprehensive and relates well to the characters in the novel. Student shows great understanding of presentation and followed directions well. Bibliography is included and accurate.
Student will demonstrate correct use of a poetry formula or accurately teach peers a game .	Incorrect format for acrostic,4 or more misspellings, elements do not relate to task/ Illogical directions and poor presentation of game.	Correct format used, 2-3 misspellings,1 or more elements do not relate to task/disorganized directions and confusing presentation of game.	Correct use of format and elements relate to task but 2 or more misspellings/good directions and accurate presentation of game.	Correct use of format and all elements relate to task, no misspellings/excellent directions and clear presentation of game.
Students will prepare a recipe from the Middle Ages to be shared with peers.	Students are not prepared with recipe or food.	Students made an attempt to follow a recipe and share food with peers.	Students followed a recipe and prepared food to share with peers.	Students did an excellent job of following a recipe and sharing food with peers.