Jerry Spinelli
Lesson plans for Maniac Magee , Stargirl , and more

| Crash | | Maniac Magee | | Milkweed | | Stargirl | | Wringer |

Crash

Crash
A variety of post-reading activities.

Maniac Magee

Click here : these lesson plans are on a separate page.

Milkweed

Click here : these lesson plans are on a separate page.

Stargirl

Stargirl
A variety of reading strategies, including an anticipation guide, a directed reading/thinking activity, and a Cloze passage. Adobe Reader needed for access to activities, printable handouts.

Activity Ideas for Stargirl
Writing prompts and activities.

Stargirl
Eleven discussion questions.

What's in a Name?
After enjoying a light-hearted look at and discussion from a Dr. Seuss book, students will explore Jerry Spinelli's unique title character, Stargirl. An interactive word game will give student writers ideas for interesting character names and interesting character "elements." Then, inspired by Spinelli's excellent details and unique ideas, students will create an organized, one-page character sketch for the character they think up. This lesson focuses on idea development and organization.

Wringer

Counting Up/Down Stories
The writer will brainstorm situations where individuals or people in a group count up or count down out loud together. Using the ending of chapter 5 of Wringer as a model, the writer will then plan a story where someone (or a group of someones) counts out loud. In between the counted numbers, the writer will slow down the action and describe in detail what else is going on in the scene. This lesson focuses on organization and idea development.