Wonder
by R.J. Palacio
2012, Alfred A. Knopf
2012, Alfred A. Knopf
Join August as he tries to navigate his way through hallways the first time he attends school. Although August never tells us what he looks like, the way he describes others looking at him make us believe there is something different about his appearance. Hear from other people in August's life throughout the book and see this realistic story about not judging people based on their appearance.
Touching Emotional Eye-Opening New
"Palacio has an exceptional knack for writing realistic conversation and
describing the thoughts and emotions of the characters. Everyone grows and
develops as the story progresses, especially the middle school students. This
is a fast read and would be a great discussion starter about love, support, and
judging people on their appearance. A well-written, thought-provoking
book."
School Library Journal
describing the thoughts and emotions of the characters. Everyone grows and
develops as the story progresses, especially the middle school students. This
is a fast read and would be a great discussion starter about love, support, and
judging people on their appearance. A well-written, thought-provoking
book."
School Library Journal
Awards & Honors:
- School Library Journal Best of Children's Books 2012
- Publishers Weekly Best of Children's Books 2012
Helpful Information:
Grade Level- 5-7
Reading Level-Fountas and Pinnell- U
Lexile- 790L
Suggested Delivery- Read-a-loud, small group or independent
Genre- Realistic Fiction
Reading Level-Fountas and Pinnell- U
Lexile- 790L
Suggested Delivery- Read-a-loud, small group or independent
Genre- Realistic Fiction
Key Vocabulary:
- Forewarn- to warn (someone) before something happens
- Precept- a rule that says how people should behave
- Contagious- able to be passed from one person to another by touching
- Accommodate- to provide room for (someone)
- Hypocrite- a person who claims or pretends to have certain beliefs about what is right but who behaves in a way that disagrees with those beliefs
- Cringe- to feel disgust or embarrasement and to often show this feeling by a movement of your face or body
- Detached- not emotional, not influenced by emotions or personal interest
- Euphoric- a feeling of great happiness and excitement
- Revelation- a usually secret or surprising fact that is made known
- Verbosity- using more words than are needed
Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading Activity:
Get students interested in reading the novel by showing them the book trailer found here. Then discuss that they think the book will be about and what they learned from the book trailer. Students could also fill out an anticipation guide for the book after watching the book trailer and looking at the cover.
During Reading Activity:
Have students Fishbowl discussions about the novel as they read it (it could be every chapter or group of chapters.) Have students discuss what new information they learned about the characters, what happened in that certain chapter, what the characters said or did that advanced the plot, and if their opinions of the characters changed in the certain chapter they are discussing.
After Reading Activity:
Have students discuss the different challenges that the characters in the book faced. What challenges did the characters face? How were the different characters able to overcome these challenges? Where any challenges harder to overcome than others?
Writing Activity:
Just like Mr. Browne created precepts for each month. Have your students create their own precept or use one from the book and write a paragraph about what they think the precept means or how they feel about it, just like August did. (An example from the book is in the Chapter: Mr. Browne's October Precept.
Resources:
- Help Readers Love Reading has great resources for Wonder that would make an in-depth reading journal for the novel.
- Random House has created a Teacher's Guide for Wonder that include many different activities you can do with you class, the guide can be found here.