Wonder by R. J. Palacio

If you had, by chance, bumped into August in a hallway, you would most likely have screamed, or gasped, or yelled in fright. Little children who saw August ran, frightened, to their mothers. In some ways, August was an ordinary 10-year-old boy, but he did not look like an ordinary 10-year-old boy. Because of a genetic mutation, August was born with a grossly disfigured face. What is there about inheritance that could have caused this handicap?

Homeschooled in a loving, fun family until he was 10-years-old, August loved to learn and voraciously devoured science and other subjects. Then, when he was ten, he went to school for the first time. August was a fifth grader.

What would happen when the kids at Henry Ward Beecher Prep School saw August? How would August handle their stares, their whispers, their gasps, their taunts? Could you be friends with him? You will get to know August in Wonder. You'll get to see him through the eyes of his classmates. Will you be one who sees through his deformed face to know his humor, intelligence, and kindness in his heart? August is not the only one who is changed by his first year in school. You may be, too.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio will invite you to decide if August is an unusually nice, intelligent guy or a grotesque freak. Will you see August with your heart or with your eyes?

This novel can become the cornerstone for helping your students develop the foundational character trait, empathy or compassion, the trait upon which all other character traits are built. The Kids Wings literature guide and Jeopardy-type game provide beautifully planned curriculum that leads to the development of character, academic skills, teambuilding, and guarantees thoughtful social and exciting academic growth for every classroom.

ACTIVITIES IN THE KIDS WINGS UNIT written by master teacher Suzy Red Contain:
Pre-reading Discussion Cards
2-page Readers' Theater Introduction
Map Study Anticipation Guide
Thinking Pages: Journaling
8 Parts: Vocabulary -Read-Predict-Confirm Chapter Questions-Quick Writes
Character Studies
Multiple Choice and Short Answer Check-ups
Visualization Activities (From Words to Pictures)
Mr. Browne's PRECEPTS
Building Character: Scornful or Respectful? A Two-faced Person
Drawing Auggie's Face
Changing Looks, Changing Moods Crossword Puzzle
Research This!
Make A Baby! Beans and Genes!
Is Summer a Saint? Logic Puzzle
Analogies
Practice Editing the Punctuation and Capitalization
Precepts to Live By
Summarizing Auggie's Narratives
Childhood and Beyond, Crossword Puzzle
Character Report Cards
Comparing and Contrasting Three Characters
Poetry That Grows Out of Experience (Diamante, Couplet, Quantrain)
Answer Pages;
Plus, a BONUS Interactive Jeopardy-type Game in PowerPoint

This Literature Guide is included in both PowerPoint and PDF formats.

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