Penguin Readers Factsheets level

T e a c h e r’s n o t e s 1

Freckles
3

5
by Andrew Mathews
6

ELEMENTARY
S U M M A R Y
reckles is the story of a teenage girl,
F Susie, who lives in the shadow of her
BACKGROUND AND THEMES

more beautiful friend Donna. Susie hates her Freckles deals with two of the most common
freckles and is convinced that they make her difficulties and anxieties suffered by many
unattractive. teenagers, namely self-consciousness and
When a new boy, Jack, arrives at their low self-esteem. The main character in the
school, Donna decides to use Susie as a go- story, Susie, comes to terms with her own
between to help her win his affections. Susie appearance and becomes independent from
does not consider it possible that the shy her more confident and dominating friend. It
Jack could like her and not Donna. is a very topical story, and reflects the
anxieties felt by many teenagers, girls in
Things backfire for the plotting Donna, particular, who find it hard to cope with the
when she ends her relationship with her pressure from certain areas of the media,
current boyfriend to make way for Jack. which imply they should look and act in a
Meanwhile, Jack is falling for Susie, with certain way. The underlying moral messages
whom he has many things in common. Susie are, that what is on the inside is more
still believes that Jack will eventually important than what is on the outside, and
succumb to Donna’s charms, and is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This
shocked when he finally plucks up the is borne out when Jack chooses Susie on
courage to invite her, and not Donna, to the the basis of shared likes and interests, and
school dance. Susie opts to go with Jack, finds her freckles attractive.
even though it means jeopardising her
friendship with the jealous Donna.

ABOUT ANDREW MATHEWS

Andrew Mathews was born in Wales in 1948.
He taught English for many years but he also
wrote more than forty books for children and
young people. Two of his books for
teenagers are Writing in Martian and Seeing
in Moonlight. He wrote this story for Penguin
Readers.

© Pearson Education 2001

 level
Penguin Readers Factsheets 2
T e a c h e r’s n o t e s
(e) Do you think being beautiful is more important than
Communicative activities being intelligent? Why/Why not?
The following teacher-led activities cover the same sections Chapter 4
of text as the exercises at the back of the reader, and 1 Ask students to discuss the following questions in small
supplement those exercises. For supplementary exercises groups.
covering shorter sections of the book, see the
photocopiable Student’s Activities pages of the factsheet. (a) Did Jack choose the right girl? Why/Why not?
These are primarily for use with class readers but, with the (b) Do you think Susie and Donna will make friends
exception of discussion and pair/group work questions, can again? Why/Why not?
also be used by students working alone in a self-access
centre. (c) Why do you think Donna is angry?
(d) How did Susie’s opinion of freckles change at the
ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK end?
1 Ask students to brainstorm in small groups on the
following topics. 2 Ask students in pairs to write a short dialogue that they
think happened between Jack and Susie at the disco.
(a) When do you start and stop being a teenager?
(b) What problems do teenagers have? ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK
(c) What do teenagers like doing? 1 Allocate students partners. Then ask students to guess
2 Ask students to do the ‘Before You Read’ exercises on whether the following sentences are true or false about
page 25. Then ask them to write descriptions of the main their partners. When they have answered them they
characters in the book. Ask them to include three factual should go to the partner and check how many of their
errors in each description. Then ask them to swap guesses are right by asking questions.
descriptions and try to find each other’s errors. (a) She/He thinks Susie is beautiful.
(b) She/He thinks Jack is handsome.
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION
(c) She/He thinks teenagers shouldn’t have boyfriends
Chapter 1 or girlfriends.
1 In pairs or small groups ask students to ask and answer (d) She/He writes poems.
these questions. (e) She/He likes cats.
(a) Did or do you have a Big Teenage Problem? What (f) She/He was shy on her/his first day at school.
was or is it?
(b) Did or do you go to a mixed (boys and girls)
school?
(c) Did or do you have lunch at school? Glossary
(d) Did or do you spend a long time talking to friends It will be useful for your students to know the following words. They are
on the ‘phone? practised in the ‘Before You Read’sections at the back of the book.
(Definitions are based on those in the Longman Active Study Dictionary.)
(e) Are or were you like any of the three young people
in the story? Why/Why not? Chapters 1–2
(f) Who do you think will be Jack’s girlfriend, Susie or alone (adj) without other people
Donna? blush (v) to become red in the face from shame or because people are
looking at you
Chapter 2
brain (n) the part of your body in your head that helps you think
1 Put students into groups of three and give them the roles court (n) the place where people play some sports, like tennis
of Susie, Donna and Jack. Then ask them to write and
disco (n) a place where people dance to music
act out a conversation from Chapter 2 between them.
farm (n) an area of land and buildings where animals are raised and
2 Give students the pictures from Chapter 2 without the vegetables are grown
captions and ask them to write new captions for each freckle (n) a small brown spot on the skin, especially the face
chapter. Alternatively give them the original captions library (n) a building with books that people can borrow
separately and ask them to match them to the correct
shy (adj) nervous and uncomfortable with other people
pictures.
sigh (v) to let out a deep breath slowly to show tiredness, sadness or
Chapter 3 pleasure
1 Ask the students in pairs to act out the telephone stress (n) pressure caused by the difficulties of life which makes you
dialogue in Chapter 3. feel nervous
Chapters 3–4
2 Ask students to discuss the following questions in pairs.
advice (n) an opinion given by one person about what another person
(a) Why do you think that Jack rang Susie? should do
(b) Why do you think Jack lied to Donna about not jealous (adj) feeling bitter, unhappy and angry towards someone
going to the disco? because they have something you want
(c) Do you think Susie is happy about her friendship
with Donna? Why / why not?
(d) Do you think freckles are ugly?

Publi sh ed and dis trib ute d by Pea rso n Education

Fac tshee t wri tt en by Shaau n Ti d dy
© Pearson Education 2001 Factsheet series developed by Louise James
Penguin Readers Factsheets level

Student’s activities 1

2
Freckles 3

Photocopiable 4
These activities can be done alone or in pairs. Pair/group-
only activities are marked. 5

Activities before reading the book 6

1 Read the Introduction and answer these questions. 3 Here are the answers to some questions. Finish the
questions. ELEMENTARY
(a) What kinds of problems does Susie have?
(b) What does Donna look like? (a) What ............................ . like?
(c) What do boys like about Susie? She is pretty; she has nice hair, nice teeth and
(d) Who is the new boy at Susie’s school? she doesn’t have any freckles.
(b) What ............................ . like?
2 Are these sentences about the writer of Freckles true
or false? He’s quite shy.
(c) What ............................ . like?
(a) Andrew Mathews is British.
(b) He is 60 years old. She has short hair and freckles.

(c) He has written more than 40 books. (d) ............................ like ............................ . ?
Yes, he thinks it is OK.
(d) He lives in Wales.
(e) He has a cat. Chapter 2
1 Put the following sentences in the order they happen
in Chapter 2.
Activities while reading the book (a) Susie found Jack near the tennis courts.
(b) Donna was angry on the way home.
Chapter 1
(c) Donna told Susie to follow Jack.
1 Who says the following things in Chapter 1?
(d) Susie asked Jack if he liked dancing.
(a) ‘I’ve got some water’
(e) Jack said he liked cats.
(b) ‘Great legs!’
(f) Susie told Donna about her conversation with
(c) ‘What boy?’ Jack.
(d) ‘He’s got a nice face’ (g) Donna and Susie were having lunch.
(e) ‘My school was in Basingstoke’ (h) Susie asked Jack if he liked sports.
(f) ‘Who’s he going out with?’ (i) Susie was nearly late for class.
2 Choose one of the words in the box to fill each gap 2 Only one of these sentences is right. If they are
in the summary below. wrong, make them right.
(a) Jack is good at tennis.
Dining looking lunch-time smiled water see
blushed went (b) Jack thinks cats are good for stress.
(c) Susie writes poems but Jack doesn’t.
At ............................ . Donna saw a new boy in the (d) Jack wanted to go to the disco with Donna.
............................ room, he was ............................ . (e) Jack wasn’t shy with Donna.
at her and Susie. Susie ............................ . to get (f) Donna asked Jack to go to the dance with her.
some ............................ . so that she could
.......................... . the new boy more clearly. Chapter 3
1 Answer these questions.
The boy ............................ . at Susie. When she
(a) Why did Jack call Susie?
smiled at him he ............................ .
(b) Why did Susie think he called?

© Pearson Education 2001

 level
Penguin Readers Factsheets 2
Student’s activities

(c) How did Susie feel about Donna?

(d) Why did Susie decide to do her homework?
2 Finish these sentences.
(a) Jack found ....................... .
(b) Susie asked Jack if he ....................... .
(c) Susie didn’t call Donna because ....................... .
(d) Susie thought that nobody liked her
because ........................ .

Chapter 4
1 Look at the picture on page 17 and answer these
questions.
(a) What has just happened?
(b) What is Susie wearing?
(c) How does she feel?
(d) What things can you see in the picture?
2 Are these sentences true or false?
(a) Susie went for a walk and bought some
chocolate.
(b) Susie walked back to school slowly after eating
her lunch.
(c) Jack asked Donna to go to the disco with him.
(d) When Jack asked Susie to the disco she
thought about her answer for a long time.
(e) Donna was not happy when she heard that
Susie was going to the disco with Jack.
(f) Susie did not have a good time in the disco.

Activities after reading the book

1 In small groups discuss the following questions.
(a) Find out the meaning of the English saying
‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. Do you
agree? Why/Why not?
(b) In the book on page 8 Donna says, ‘Forget
lunch!’ and ‘Food makes you fat’.
Some young people, especially girls, have
problems with eating. Do you know the name of
the problem in English? Why do they have this
problem?
2 Do you know what an ‘agony aunt’ is? If not, find out
and write a letter from Susie to an agony aunt
explaining her problems until Chapter 4. Then write
the answer from the agony aunt.

Publishe d and d istribu ted by P ear son Ed ucat ion

Factsheet written by Shaaun Tiddy
© Pearson Education 2001
Fa ctshe et se ri es devel oped by Lo uise J ame s