Book Bag Activities for
Titles by Judy
Blume
By: Darla Haines
- Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing
- Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great
- Super Fudge
- Fudge-A-Mania
Rationale:
- I chose these books because they are my favorite books! My third
grade teacher read these books to my class. So many things about these books
are just burned into my memory! I havent read these books since my third
grade year, but I can remember everything about these books.
Information about the author: (Source:
Judy Blume's
Home Base)
- Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey, making up
stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places, doing
the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well
as children will recognize such Blume titles as: Are You There God? It's Me,
Margaret; Superfudge; Blubber; Just As Long As We're Together; and Forever. She
has also written the novels Wifey, Smart Women, and her latest, Summer Sisters,
the New York Times No. 1 bestseller. More than 75 million copies of her books
have been sold, and her work has been translated into twenty-something
languages. She receives thousands of letters a month from readers of all ages
who share their feelings and concerns with her.
- Judy received a B.S. in education from New York University in 1961,
which named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year the American
Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime
Achievement. She has won more than ninety awards, none more important than
those coming directly from her youngest readers.
- She is the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and
educational foundation. She serves on the boards of the Author's Guild; the
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, where she sponsors an
award for contemporary fiction; and the National Coalition Against Censorship,
working to protect intellectual freedom. Recently, she edited Places I Never
Meant To Be, Original Stories by Censored Writers. Currently, she is working on
a book about the irrepressible Fudge.
- Judy lives on islands up and down the East Coast with her husband
George Cooper, who writes nonfiction. They have three grown children and one
incredible grandchild.
Questions to use with the story:
- Who are the characters in the book you are reading?
- Where did the book you read take place?
- Describe Fudge.
- Describe Sheila.
- Describe Peter.
- How would you help Peter deal with his brother Fudge?
- How would you help Sheila overcome her fears?
- Identify some of Fudge, Peter, and Sheilas daily
activities.
- Decide how the stories could have been different if one of the
characters were not in the story.
- Compare and contrast the book youve just read to one of Judy
Blumes other books.
Ten activities to use with the story:
- Find information about Judy Blume on the internet and in the library.
Make a bulletin board about her and her books and encourage the kids to find
more information about Judy Blume and her books to add to the board.
- Have students journal about the book they are reading after each
chapter. Encourage them to express their feelings about the book. Also,
encourage the students to relate the book to their lives at home.
- Have the students interview a fourth grader to find out what that
fourth grader goes through every day at school and at home. Then have the
student compare their interview they did with the book they are reading.
- Have the students do a jigsaw of the four Fudge books. Split the
class into 4 groups of 6, so that all 4 groups will each read a different book
in the Fudge Series. Then have the students split into 6 groups of 4 to jigsaw
about the books they are reading with the rest of the group who is not reading
that particular book.
- Have students do a nature walk to find the sounds described in the
books. Have them record the sounds found in the books with a tape recorder.
Afterwards, have the students share their sounds when they get back to the
room.
- Have a class pet turtle, since Dribble the turtle is in all of the
books and is mentioned several times. Have the students take turns taking care
of the turtle each week
- Let the students have the choice to rewrite a chapter or write a
final chapter to end the book in a different way.
- Have students read another book by Judy Blume that is not a Fudge
book.
- Have the students put their books in a readers theatre format
and let them perform the book for their class or for the school.
- Have the students fill out a graphic organizer of the four books
while they are in the jigsaw groups.
Props:
- I want to have a class pet turtle and have the students take care of
it.
Bibliography:
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume: Living with his
little brother, Fudge, makes Peter Hatcher feel like a fourth grade nothing.
Whether Fudge is throwing a temper tantrum in a shoe store, smearing mashed
potatoes on the walls at Hamburger Heaven, or scribbling all over Peters
homework, hes never far from trouble. Hes a two-year-old terror who
gets away with everythingand Peters had enough. When Fudge walks
off with Dribble, Peters pet turtle, its the last straw. Peter has
put up with Fudge too long. How can he get his parents to pay attention to him
for a change?
- Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume: Sheila
Tubman sometimes wonders who she really is: the outgoing, witty, and capable
Sheila the Great, or the secret Sheila, whos afraid of the dark, spiders,
swimming, and dogs. When her family spends the summer in Tarrytown, Sheila has
to face some of her worst fears. Not only does a dog come with the rented
house, but her parents expect Sheila to take swimming lessons! Sheila does her
best to pretend shes an expert at everything, but she knows she
isnt fooling her new best friend, Mouse Ellis, who happens to be a
crackerjack swimmer and a dog lover. What will it take for Sheila to admit to
the Tarrytown kidsand to herselfthat shes only human?
- Superfudge by Judy Blume: Sometimes life in the Hatcher
household is enough to make twelve-year-old Peter think about running away. His
worst problem is still his younger brother, Fudge, who hasnt changed a
bit since his crazy capers in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. If you
ask Peter, Fudge is just an olderand biggerpain. Then Peter learns
that his mom is going to have a baby and the whole family is moving to
Princeton for a year. It will be bad enough starting sixth grade in a strange
place and going to the same school as Fudge. But Peter can imagine something
even worse. How will he ever survive if the new baby is a carbon copy of
Fudge?
- Fudge-a-Mania by Judy Blume: Peter Hatchers summer is
not looking good. First of all, Peters brother, Fudgethe
five-year-old human hurricanehas a plan: to marry Peters sworn
enemy. Sheila Tubman. Disgusting! Could anything be worse? Yes. Peters
parents have decided to rent a summer house next to the Tubmans. Which means
Peter will be stuck with Fudge and Sheila the Cootie Queen for three whole
weeks! Will Peter survive the summer? It may not be the vacation of
Peters dreams, but as millions of Judy Blume fans know, it wont be
dull. When Fudge is around, anything can happen
and does!
Assessment Plan:
- I will have the students fill out graphic organizers about the books
while they are in their jigsaw groups. Plus, there will be other assessments as
well, but they will depend on the activities the students actually do. Because
they will have the choice to do 6 of the 10 activities.
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