Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“A Map of the Journey”

In this activity, students work in groups to build a map of Max and Rachel’s cross-country journey.

Working in a small group, create a map of Max and Rachel’s cross-country journey. You may use large craft paper, a whiteboard, or a projection system and begin with a large map of the United States as a foundation. The story begins near Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and ends in the mountains of southwestern Montana, not far from the city of Butte.

• The trip can be divided into four sections: The hometown, the bus ride, the train ride, and the mine tunnels. Use details in the text to determine or infer where the characters are at each point in the story.
• Attach drawings and images that depict the book’s characters, incidents, forms of transport, and places visited at the points on the map where they occur, along with written descriptions of each person, place, or event.

Teaching Suggestion: Note that, in the first novel about Max, Freak the Mighty, Max’s hometown is a version of Portsmouth, New Hampshire; thus, his and Rachel’s journey should begin roughly at that point.