WONDER

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school – until now.  He’s about to start 5^th grade at Beecher Prep. And if you’ve ever been the new kid then you know how hard it can be.  The thing is Auggie’s just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face.  But can he convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, despite appearances?

This is the publisher’s description of our current book Wonder.  As with our other books, they have been captured.  There are SO many amazing things to say about this book.  They are HORRIFIED by how August is treated and would be eager friends if he happened to walk into our classroom.   I love the reaction when I stop reading…”WHAT!?  WHY ARE YOU STOPPING!?” or “ARE YOU KIDDING?  YOU ARE GOING TO STOP THERE!?”  Always a good sign.  Reading a book out loud gives us a lot of opportunities to discuss what is happening in the book and our reactions to it.  There are so many wonderful aspects to this book.  We will begin to discuss POINT OF VIEW in depth and this book is a spectacular way to begin our discussion.  The story begins with Auggie telling the story, but soon switches to his sister Via, his friend Summer, friend Jack, and even Via’s boyfriend Justin.  They tell the story from their point of view – including specific moments as seen by everyone. 

Our anchor chart (pictured) is started as soon as we start a new book.  We continue to add to the chart as we read.  Thoughts, ideas, questions, quotes, important information, and anything that we feel important enough to include will be added as we read.  If necessary, we will add another page to our chart. 

What can you do at home?  Ask them to tell you about what we’ve read.  Ask them to explain who was telling the story, and what differences there were in point of views.  As with any book, we will also keep track of vocabulary words.  One such word is PRECEPT.  This is an important word in the book and will be something we will continue to talk about after we’ve finished reading the book.  A precept is a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.  A teacher in the book has a precept each month and asks the students to write what they think it means.  The precepts (rules to live by) are:

“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.”  - Dr. Wayne Dyer

“Your deeds are your monuments.” – Inscription on ancient Egyptian tomb

“Have no friends not equal to yourself.” – Confucious

“Fortune favors the bold.” – Virgil

“No man is an island, entire of itself.” – John Donne

“It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” – James Thurber

“Kind words do not cost much.  Yet they accomplish so much.” – Blaise Pascal

“What is beautiful is good, and who is good will soon be beautiful.” – Saphho

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can.” – John Wesley

“Just follow the day and reach for the sun.” – The Polyphonic Spree

 “Everyone deserves a standing ovation because we all overcometh the world.” – Auggie Pullman

CHOOSE KIND.