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 is
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?
Birth Defect Statistics
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Birth defects are the leading cause of infant mortality
Every 31/2 minutes a baby is born with a birth defect
On an average day in the U.S. 411 babies are born
with a defect and 19 babies die as the result of the
defect.
150,000 babies are born each year with a birth defect
Approximately 3% of children have a major
malformation
About 10% of problems seen at birth can be traced to
a specific agent (environmental, drug, biologic,
nutritional), 20% are inherited or are associated with
chromosomal changes. The rest (about 70%) are of
unknown etiology.
For more information...
Bearkids@bearabletimes.org
 satcom.net/mariposa/different.htn
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Freak the Mighty
by Rodman Philbrick
About the Author
Rodman Philbrick
Rodman Philbrick has
been writing young
adult novels for 19
years and is now 49
years old. He finally
“made it big” with
his novel, Freak the
Mighty, which has
been made into a
movie starring
Sharon Stone.
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?
“Nicknames”/Titles
Kevin/Freak
 Fair Gwen of Air
 Freak the Mighty
 the Dictionary
(“Aardvark-a silly
looking creature that
eats ants”)
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Max/Mighty
Grim and Gram
Killer Kane
Kicker
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?
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“Freak the Mighty”
Kevin and Max use nicknames and their title to
make their world a more exciting place to be.
By being part of a group their disabilities
seem to transform to “superabilities.” Why do
you think their adventures are so important
to their friendship? Max always thinks he has
people watching him. This is probably due to
his size and to his resemblance to his father.
Do you think he will ever be confident
enough to disregard other’s opinions of him?
“Responding Report”
For this assignment you will be required
to participate enthusiastically. There
are no wrong answers just as long as
you reply in an honest and detailed
fashion. Some of the questions asked
are on a personal level and you will not
be required to share them if you do not
wish to. At the beginning of each slide
I will indicate whether this is class or
homework. Have fun!
(homework) Respond to:
What are your reactions to Freak the
Mighty?
 What feelings or emotions does the
book evoke in you?
 Do Max and Kevin remind you of
anyone you know?
Complete this in your journal, it should be
about a page per question. (20 pts.)
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Friendships (group work)
Kevin and Max are very different and yet
they become one - Freak the Mighty.
Why do you think they are so close?
Think about friendships you know about
- either yours or others. Why do you
think those people are friends? Do you
admire those friendships?
After you complete these questions, pair
yourself with a person next to you and
discuss your answers.
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”
Group work/homework
Do you understand Kevin all of the time? At
times he explains what he is saying and other
times he doesn’t. Find four more examples in
the book where he plays with words. Then
find out the references to these allusions in
the library or by asking someone. Please
discuss ideas with your group members, but
each student must turn in his/her own
separate paper with page numbers and a
brief explanation telling us where you found
your information.
Individual work/Class
discussion
Themes are usually universal and can be
understood by the reader. Although, in
Freak the Mighty one can argue what
the theme is. It appears that
friendship, appearance and acceptance
are major themes in the novel. What
do you think the theme is and why?
Give support from the book and prepare
to share your ideas.
Choose one and write one to two
paragraphs. (individual/class
discussion)
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Imagine Kevin is the narrator and is
describing Max. Include physical
characteristics but also let the reader know
what Kevin thinks about Max as a person.
Imagine a scene in which Gram and the
Gwen of Air are talking about Max. Gram
says she is worried about Max’s future. What
does the Gwen of Air say?
Imagine what other kids in Kevin and Max’s
school think about their friendship. What
would they say about the dynamic duo?
YOU’RE A STAR!
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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.