Timpanogos Third Graders Read “Freckle Juice”

As chapter four of Judy Blume’s classic tale “Freckle Juice” comes to an end, the third graders in Mrs. Southworth’s class are left wondering what will happen next. Just as they’ve done with previous chapters, each student begins writing their predictions for chapter five on their story outlines.

Upon sharing their guesses as a class, the students add these thoughts to their own desk-sized papers in front of them. Predictions, character bios, the setting, questions and summaries for each chapter are laid out on these story outlines. With the reading of each new chapter, more information is added and discussed as a class. Mrs. Southworth explains that reading and writing the details of the story helps the students remember the most important parts of the book.

Their recollection of what happened in each chapter is further increased when they can visualize the main components of the story drawn on a paper in front of them instead of going back and reading in the book.

At the end of this week, students will see if their predictions were right as they finish “Freckle Juice” with chapter five. Throughout the year, Mrs. Southworth’s class will ready many more novels. With each new book, the students will continue to use the same practices to help them internalize and remember important information.