Teaching Ideas for "Judy Moody Was in a Mood"
Megan McDonald's "Judy Moody" series of books revolves around a mercurial third-grader known as Judy Moody. Students enjoy reading about Judy Moody and her zany attempts to deal with her moods, along with her brother Stink and best friend Rocky. McDonald has written nine Judy Moody books that range from environment-themed "Judy Moody Saves the World" to "Judy Moody M.D.: The Doctor Is In!," in which Judy Moody explores the medical profession. Teaching ideas can revolve around the different themes, topics and characters in the Judy Moody books.
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History
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Judy Moody travels to Boston in "Judy Moody Declares Independence," a story in which historical figures and references emerge. Have students select and research one of the historical figures, such as Sybil Ludington or Amelia Bloomer. Ask them to report on the person's primary accomplishment, place and date of origin, and family and educational background. For example, Sybil Ludington is known as the female Paul Revere because of her daring 40-mile ride through Connecticut to warn of the British invasion. Challenge students to find photographs of the person and create a collage for their reports.
Science
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Read and discuss "Judy Moody M.D.: The Doctor Is In!" Share interesting facts on the human skeleton, such as that the hand has 27 bones but the face only has 14. Refer to the glowing skeleton in the story, Bonita, who has 206 bones. Explain that humans are born with 300 bones, but bones fuse as people grow older. Tell students that people and giraffes have the same number of bones in their necks, and one person has over 230 joints that move. Have students cut a piece of white construction paper into the shape of a bone. Ask them to research the human anatomy, including bones, muscles and organs, and write down interesting facts on their bone-shaped papers.
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Language Arts
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Create a character web for the Judy Moody books with your students. Write "Judy" in a circle in the center of the blackboard. Draw connecting lines from the circle to other bubbles. Brainstorm categories, such as personality traits, physical features, hobbies, family and friends, for the bubbles with the class. Have the class copy the character web on a sheet of paper. Model the family category by drawing connecting bubbles for Dad, Mom, Mouse, Jaws and Stink. Challenge students to expand the web with connecting bubbles to each category bubble and fill in the blanks.
Ecology
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Have students read "Judy Moody Saves the World!" Discuss how Class 3T discovers the various products, such as spices, rubber, nuts, medicine and chocolate, originating in the rain forest. Ask the class to consider threats to the rain forest and the ways in which the habitat can be preserved. Divide the class into groups. Assign a product area, such as medicine, spices or rubber, to each group. Ask the groups to research and find photos of the products. Challenge each group to create a poster of their product area, which includes a title, and information on the role of the rain forest and how to protect it.
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