Wonder

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson you will…

Explore the main

characters and begin to
understand August's point
of view.

Relate the novel to the

song that inspired it.
What do you think beauty is? Try to
be honest.

How would you feel if you had a

facial disfigurement that you couldn’t
hide? Do you know anyone like this?
Discuss…
Blurb
My name is August.
I won’t describe what I look
like.
Whatever you’re thinking, it’s
probably worse.
 The Song
You are about to hear the song
that inspired the author to
write the book.

As you listen to the song,

think about how the lyrics
could relate to what we have
read so far.

Has a song ever inspired you

in the same way?
 Choose from the following:
After you have watched the video, discuss
these questions with your group:
Do you like the music and the video?
Why/why not?
What types of people are featured in the
video?
Who appears to be singing in the video?
What message do you think this sends? Or:
What message do you think the images in the
video give the viewer about women?
Complete the
What message do you think the images in thecommentary activity
video give about people with disabilities? with a partner or smal
Does the video make you think of anything group.
in your own life or experience?
Wonder
 Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson you will…

Use evidence from the text

to make inferences about
characters.

Creative empathetic
writing that explores
thoughts and feelings.
First Impressions
What it tells us about the
Character Quotation
character
He doesn’t want to be
Julian ‘forced a smile’ there and is pretending to
be friendly.
 Hot Seating
In the back of your books, write three

open questions you would like to ask

any of August’s guides (Charlotte, Julian

and Jack) about their first impressions of

August.
Diary Entry
Choose to be either Charlotte or Julian and write a diary
entry of your day giving Auggie a tour of the school.

You should include:

Write in first person (‘I’)
Write in the past tense
Include information about the character’s feelings
Include details from the book
Use language suitable to their character
What techniques did I include?
Diary Entry
Choose to be either Charlotte or Julian and write a diary
entry of your day giving Auggie a tour of the school.

You should include:

Write in first person (‘I’)
Write in the past tense
Include information about the character’s feelings
Include details from the book
Use language suitable to their character
Wonder
 Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson you will…

To retrieve
and infer
information
from the text.
Comprehension Questions:
Answer the following questions in
full sentences using evidence
whenever possible:
Wonder
 Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson you will…

Explore the opinions and

feelings of the characters
in the text.

Create your own precept

and explain its meaning
to others.
WHY is your precept a good rule to live by?

You never know what

No-one likes self- someone has been
righteous people through – you should be
(big-headed) kind if you can.

When given the choice between being

right and being kind, choose kind.

If someone is wrong and you

are mean about it, they might Treat others the If you act like you’re
be afraid to ask questions way you’d like always right, you’ll
again. to be treated. never learn anything
new.
 Precepts
A precept is a motto or a rule to live by.

A later precept from Mr Browne is:

“your deeds are your monuments”

What do you think this means? Do you

agree?
Precepts:
If you can’tRules To Live By:
say anything nice, don’t say anything at
all.
Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish

much.
Keep calm and carry on.

All you need is love.

Create your own precept with explanation in your
exercise book. Make it your personal motto: it can
be a song lyric, quotation from a novel, a famous
saying or something personal between your friends
and family.
Does August mind that
he’s “not an ordinary ten-
year-old kid”? Explain
your answer using
quotes. (3 marks)
 Example:
In some ways, August does seem to mind
that he’s not ordinary. He says, “I would
wish that I had a normal face”, which
shows his embarrassment for being
disfigured. However, he also says, “I’m
kind of used to how I look by now”; this
leads the reader to believe that he is
becoming more comfortable in his own
skin.
Kindness quote:
Complete the balloon and write
your kindness quote. Don’t
forget to decorate it.
Wonder
 Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson you will…

Explore who John

Merrick was.

To write a biography

on John Merrick.
Activity:
Find out five facts about a
Victorian man named John
Merrick, more famously known
as the Elephant Man.

Discuss:

How his situation could relate to

that of Auggie.
Activity
Using the information that has been given to you, write
a biography on John Merrick’s life.
Include the following:
Wonder
 Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson you will…

Explore the author’s craft

and understanding the
importance of point of view
in writing.

Compare and contrast the

lyrics from Space Oddity
to the novel.
 Space Oddity by David Bowie
As you listen to the song,
think about the following:
The message of the song
How it relates to August
How it relates to Via
The point of view
The mood & atmosphere

Annotate the worksheet with

links to the novel
 Part Two
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue
And there’s nothing I can
do

-David Bowie, Space Oddity

What could these lyrics be about?
What point of view is expressed? Via
What mood is created?
How can you relate the title to August?
Wonder
 Learning Objective:
By the end of the lesson you will…

Explore
characters
through creative
writing and
drawing.
 Auggie was At the last
going to be Boba Jack said he was
minute, he
Fett. going to be a
changed to a
Wolfman.
bleeding Scream
costume.
Julian is going Halloween
to be Jango
Fett. Costumes
 Designing a Halloween Costume
Create a Halloween costume for
one of the major characters. Take
a full page of your exercise book
for the drawing – add labels and
colour when completed.

Then, on the following page,

explain why you chose the
costume: how does it relate to
the character? What are you
trying to reflect about their
personality and behaviour?
Examples of sentence openers:
I designed my Halloween costume for
____________.
The character I decided on was __________.
At the top of the costume,…
Along the front of the top,…
On the back of the top,…
Because Charlotte has such a confident
personality,…
As Summer is very quiet, I…
 Designing a Halloween Costume
Create a Halloween costume for
one of the major characters. Take
a full page of your exercise book
for the drawing – add labels and
colour when completed.

Then, on the following page,

explain why you chose the
costume: how does it relate to
the character? What are you
trying to reflect about their
personality and behaviour?
Wonder
 Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson you will…

To explore
characters
through
inference.
 For each of these words, list the definition, an
antonym and a synonym.

duelling (page 8) pursue (page 41) momentarily (page 115)

hindsight (page 11) precept (page 46) inkling (page 161)

auditorium (page 28) catastrophe (page 89)

stringent (page 162)
 Character Playlist
Imagine you find one of the
main character’s iPod on the
floor.

What music do you think you

would find on it?

Create a playlist of 10 songs

for one of the characters.
Explain why you have chosen
each song.
Wonder
 Tuesday 22nd May 2018.

LO: to write a
presentation on –
ordinary or inspirational?
 Sentence openers:
 Speculating
One of the interesting things
about . . . was . . . She might have been . . .
One of the most remarkable If she hadn’t . . . she would
facts about . . . have . .
Strangely . . .
Another unusual thing about . . . Expressing a viewpoint
was . . .
In my view, . . .
 
Complex sentence starters
As I see it, . . .
Even though . . .
I believe that . . .
Although . . . In my opinion,…
Despite the fact that . . . In many ways . . .
In spite of . . . It’s difficult to understand
why . . .
 Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson you will…


Be able to
write from a
character’s
point of view.
 Tuesday 22nd May 2018.
By the end of the lesson you will…

LO: to write
an informal
letter.
With your partner or small group, summarise
what has happened to the following characters:

August (Auggie)
Via
Jack Will
Julian
Hi Ben,
How are you? I’m sorry I’ve not written in a while but a lot has
been going on.

Do you remember when I told you about this new kid coming to
our school- August. Well, he’s actually become my friend. Or
should I say he’s not my friend now. I know I’m not making any
sense, I’ve been such a fool.

Let me start from the beginning. During the summer vacation, Mr

Tushman called mum and asked if I could help show August
around the school. I’m not going to lie to you, I didn’t want to do
it. It’s his face. He’s deformed. But as usual, mum was right and
explained to me how important it was for me to give August a
chance.
When we arrived at school, we were asked to stand outside Mr
Tushman’s office. Julian (the school bully), Charlotte (the girl
who gets everything right) and I all stood there. I had sweaty
palms.

After a few minutes, Mr Tushman appeared with August and

his mum. I looked up. Then started at the floor. I stared again,
but this time at his face. I couldn’t help it. As we walked
around the school, Julian was being his usual self. Talk, talk,
talk. Blah, blah, blah, blah. This poor kid didn’t stand a
chance. In the science room, I did see a different side to him.
He corrected Julian’s face. It was bright red!

So here is where I made the biggest mistake. On a Halloween,

…
Thursday 7th June 2018.
LO: to write
a descriptive
piece of
writing.
 In ‘Wonder’ it says:
‘Courage. Kindness. Friendship.
Character. These are the
qualities that define us as human
beings, and propel us, on
occasion, to greatness.’ R.J.
Palacio
What greatness do
you hope to
achieve in your
life?
What greatness do you hope to achieve in
your life?
In the future,
When I get to secondary school,
After my G.C.S.E’s,
I hope to…
I plan to achieve this by…
I would like to…
I might achieve this by…
When I’m 16,…
When I’m 18,…
Tuesday 12th June 2018.
LO: to
rewrite a
scene from
‘Wonder’.
 Julian’s Story
Although we see many sides of the
story in Wonder, we never get to see
Julian’s point of view.

Your task is to rewrite a scene from

the novel from his point of view.
Consider his thoughts, feelings,
behaviour and attitudes.
You’re going to write a chapter from
Julian’s point of view.
The Grand Tour.
“Hurry up Julian you’ll be late for Mr Tushman!” shouted mum from the
bottom of the stairs. A few minutes later, I ran out the back door whilst
eating a crisp, green apple. If I’m honest with you, I only said that I’d
help to get some brownie points from Mr Tushman. I mean who wants to
waste their holiday at school?

As I approached the school, I tried to remember the new kids name- I

think it was a season, surely his name can’t be Winter! Charlotte, Jack
Will (kids from my class) and I all stood outside Mr Tushman’s office.
Whilst Mr Tushman started speaking, all I could hear was blah, blah,
blah. It was his face. His face. Did I say his face?

All three of us started the ‘grand tour’. When we got to the top of the
stairs, we went down the hallway leading to Ms Petosa’s room.
“This is our homeroom,” I said standing in the half-opened door. I was in
a rush to get this ‘tour’ over and done with. I had video games to play! I
said I’d help, but I didn’t want to spend all day here. It’s the holidays!
Wonder
Monday 18th June 2018.
By the end of the lesson you
will have…


To describe
a setting.
 Driving.
It was a long, tiring drive home. I fell asleep in the backseat like I
always do, my head on Via’s lap like she was a pillow. As usual, a
towel would be wrapped around the seat belt so I wouldn’t drool all
over her. Via fell asleep too, and Mom and Dad talked quietly about
grown-up things I didn’t care about.

I don’t know how long I was sleeping, but when I woke up, there
was a full moon outside the car window. It was a purple night, and
we were driving on a highway full of cars. Then I heard Mom and
Dad talking about me.

“We can’t keep protecting him,” Mom whispered to Dad, who was
driving.
 Jack will, Julian and Charlotte.
We followed Mr Tushman into a small room across
Mrs Garcia’s desk. He was talking as he closed the
door to his office and sat down behind his big, huge
desk, though I wasn’t really paying much attention to
what he was saying.

I was looking around at all the things on his desk. Cool

stuff like: a globe that floated in the air, a Rubik’s-type
cube made with little mirrors, and a baseball figure
with, how can I say it…a big butt! I liked that there
were all these neat little paintings and drawings by
students on the walls, all framed like they were
Choose Kind.
When the bell rang, there was a lot of shuffling around and
everybody got up to leave. I checked my schedule and it said my
next class was English, room 321. I didn’t stop to see if anyone
else from my homeroom was going my way; I just zoomed out of
the class and down the hall and sat down as far from the front as
possible. The teacher, who was really tall and had a yellow beard,
was writing on the chalkboard.

Kids came in laughing and talking in little groups but I didn’t

look up. Basically, the same thing that happened in the homeroom
happened again; no one sat next to me except for Jack, who was
joking around with some kids who weren’t in our homeroom. I
could tell Jack was the kind of kid other kids like. He had a lot of
friends. He made people laugh.
 Lunch.
Via had warned me about lunch in middle school, so I guess I
should have known it would be hard. I just hadn’t expected it to be
this hard. Basically, all the kids from the fifth-grade classes poured
into the cafeteria at the same time, speaking loudly and bumping
into one another while they ran into tables. Nobody stopped to
apologise. It was just accepted as ‘normal’ behaviour.

One of the lunchroom teachers said something about no seat-saving

allowed, but I didn’t know what she meant and maybe no one else
did, either, because just about everybody was saving seats for their
friends. I tried to sit at one table, but the kid in the next chair said,
“Oh, sorry, but somebody else is sitting here.”
Costumes.
When I was little, I used to wear an astronaut helmet everywhere I
went. To the playground. To the supermarket. To pick up Via from
school. Even in the middle of summer, though it was so hot my face
would sweat. I think I wore it for a couple of years, but I had to stop
wearing it when I had eye surgery. I was about seven, I think. And
then we couldn’t find the helmet after that. Mom looked everywhere
for it. She figured that it had probably ended up in Gran’s attic, and
she kept meaning to look for it, but by then I had gotten used to not
wearing it. Echoey

I have pictures of me in all my Halloween costumes. My first

Halloween, I was a pumpkin. My second, I was Tigger. My third, I
was Captain Hook (my Dad dressed up as Peter Pan). My fourth,…
Tuesday 19th June 2018.


To write a
formal
letter.
Dear Mr Tushman,

I am very, very sorry for punching Julian. It was very,

very wrong for me to do that. I am writing a letter to
Julian to tell him that too.
If you do not mind, I would really rather not tell you
why I did what I did, because it does not really make it
right. Also, I would rather not make Julian get into
trouble for having said something he should not have
said.

Yours sincerely,
Jack Will.
Dear Jack,

Thank you so much for your letter. After being a middle-school director
for twenty years, there are almost always more than two sides to every
story. Although I do not know the details, I have an inkling about what
may have sparked the confrontation with Julian.

While nothing justifies striking another student, I also know good friends
are sometimes worth defending. As the first year of middle school can be
quite testing, I appreciate it has been tough for a lot students. Intention

Keep up the good work, and keep being the fine boy we all know you are.

Kind regards,
Lawrence Tushman
Middle-School Director.
Dear Mr Tushman,
Yesterday, I spoke with Amanda and John Will and they expressed
their regret about Jack punching Julian, our son, in the mouth. I am
writing to let you know that my husband and I support your
decision to allow Jack to return to Beecher Prep after a two-day
suspension. Although I think hitting a child would be valid grounds
for expulsion in other schools, I agree that such extreme measures
are not warranted here. We have known the Will family since our
boys were in kindergarten, and are confident that every measure
will be taken to ensure this does not happen again.

In the last few days, I have been wondering if Jack’s unexpectedly

violent behaviour might have been a result of too much pressure
being placed on his young shoulders? I am specifically talking of
the new child with special needs who both Jack and Julian were
asked to ‘befriend’.
In retrospect, and having now seen this child in question at
various school functions and in the class picture, I think it
may have been too much to ask our children to be able to
process all that. Certainly, when Julian mentioned he was
having a hard time befriending the boy, we told him he was
‘off the hook’ in that regard. We think the transition to
middle school is hard enough without having to place greater
burdens or hardships on these young, impressionable minds.

As a member of the school board, I was a little disturbed that

more consideration was not given during this child’s
application process to the fact that Beecher Prep is not an
inclusion school. There are many parents (myself included)
who question the decision to let this child into our school at
all.
At the very least, I am somewhat troubled that this child
was not held to the same stringent application standards
(i.e. interview) that the rest of the incoming middle-students
were.

Sincerely,
Melissa Perper Albans.
Dear Mrs Albans,

Thank you for letter outlining your concerns. Were I not

convinced that Jack Will is extremely sorry for his actions, and
were I not confident that he would not repeat those actions, rest
assured that I would not be allowing him back to Beecher Prep.

As for your other concerns regarding our new student August,

please note that he does not have special needs. He is neither
disabled, handicapped, nor developmentally delayed in anyway.
Therefore, there was no reason to assume that anyone would
take issue with his admittance to Beecher Prep- whether it is an
inclusion school or not.
In terms of the application process, the admissions director and I both felt it
within our right to hold the interview off-site at August’s home for reasons that
are obvious. We felt that this slight break in protocol was warranted but no way
prejudicial-in one way or another-to the application review. August is an
extremely good student, and has secured the friendship of some truly exceptional
young people, including Jack Will.

At the beginning of the school year, when I enlisted certain children to be a

‘welcoming committee’ to August, I did so as a way of easing his transition into a
school environment. I did not think asking these children to be especially kind to
a new student would place any extra ‘burdens or hardships’ on them. In fact, I
thought it would teach them a thing or two about empathy, friendship and loyalty.

As it turns out, Jack Will did not need to learn any of these virtues- he already
had them in abundance.

Yours sincerely,
Lawrence Tushman
Middle-School Director.
 Sentence openers- do not use contractions in
a formal letter.
• I would like to inform you
Please accept my . . .
that . . .
I hope that . . .
• It has come to my attention that . I trust that . . .
.. It concerns me that . . .
• I am grateful to you for . . . I wonder if you would be kind
• I wish to . . . enough to . . .
• I wish to express . . . I would be grateful if . . .
It would be helpful if . . .
• I would like to . . .
I wonder if . . .
• Thank you for . . . As I see it . . .,
• It is with much pride that I can I would rather not . . .
confirm that . . . I appreciate that . . .
• It is with regret that . . . It is for this reason that . . .
• I write to you because . . .
Wednesday 20th June 2018.

LO: to write a
newspaper report.
Is there a catchy headline?
Is the report written in the past tense?
Does the first paragraph include the most important information?
Who? What? When? Where?
Does the rest of the report include more detail about how and why?

Is it written in the third person?

Have I included inverted commas?

Have I used emotive language?

e.g. struggle, hardship, unfortunate, demise, exciting,
compelling, honourable.
Is the report written in chronological order? (Time order)
Is the last paragraph in present tense- talking about the future?
 Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson you
will…

 Be able to understand the

hidden meaning behind
words.

Be able to explore formal

and informal language
choices.

right, right, right, i say,
shaking my head. i sigh. i’m
wiped, olivia. how the heck
am i going to remember all
these lines?
I hate science the most
out of all my classes.
We get so much work
it’s not even funny!
Who is talking? What does their language suggest
about them?
And this is the way it’s
always been for me, for the
little universe of us. But
this year there seems to be
a shift in the cosmos.
When Julian mentioned
he was having a hard
time befriending the
boy, we told him he was
‘off the hook’ in that
regard.
 Language Choices
 We never hear directly from the adults in Wonder. Why

do you think this might be? Do you think it would add

to the impact of the story or detract from it?
Look at page160: who uses formal language? Why it is

used? What do they want?

Look at page 164: who uses informal language? Why it

is used? What do they want?

Activity:
Salutations activity.
Wonder
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson you will…

 Understand the character of

Jack.

 Be able to use PEE to

display your knowledge of
the character.
 Thinking about Jack:
1. Draw a picture of how you
imagine Jack to look.

2. Label the picture with as many

ideas about his character as you
can from the chapters we are about
to read.

3. Add a quotation from the text to

support each idea you have about
her. Remember to use “inverted
commas”.
 Can you spot the…

Using PEE Point

Evidence
Explanation

Jack is a kind person, but he suffers under the stress of being August’s
friend. I know this as he says “I guess I was just kind of wanting a little
normal time to chill out with other kids.” The sentence begins with “I
guess” as if Jack is struggling with his feelings; he wants to leave August
but he feels guilty about it. “Normal time” suggests when he is with
August he must carry his burden, which he finds difficult. “Chill out”
tells the reader that he feels uncomfortable and wants to avoid the
unpleasant attention that being with August brings. This links to his later
feelings of “having ‘snapped’ under the pressure of being August’s
friend”. He hides this from his friends as he feels ashamed.
Which part of Do you agree or
Why do we use
the PEE is disagree with the
PEE?
longest? Why? comments? Why?
 If you are having trouble creating a
Jack PEE chain, use these prompts:

Point (one sentence only)

Use PEE to answer the following
The writer suggests …
question: Jack seems like …
Palacio uses …

What do we learn about Jack Evidence (remember “quotation

as a character in pages 175-185? marks”)
I know this because …
When he writes …
With the words …

Explanation (your own ideas go here)

This suggests that …
This makes me think that …
I believe that …
Wonder
 Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson you will…

To retrieve
and infer
information
from the text.
Read page 184-204
Wonder
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson you will…

 Understand the character of Justin.

 Be able to use PEE to display your

knowledge of the character.

Justin
Use three PEE chains to answer the Point (one sentence only)
following question:
What do we learn about Justin
throughout his section
of the novel?
If you are having trouble creating a
PEE chain, use these prompts:
The writer suggests …
Justin seems like …
Palacio uses …
Evidence (remember “inverted
commas”)
I know this because …
When he writes …
With the words …
Explanation (your own ideas go here)
This suggests that …
This makes me think that …
I believe that …
Wonder
 Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson you will…

To write a
debate.
Wonder
 Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson you will…

 Know the key

information for one of the
main characters.

 Be able to analyse a
main character.
 Character Analysis
1. Choose one of the main characters
from the novel.

2. Write a list of the five key events in

that character’s life.

3. Link one of the figures on the tree to

each of the events.

4. Explain why the figure’s position

matches the opinions/behaviour of the
character.

Extension Task: complete

the task for another
character
Wonder
 Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson you will…

 Understand how to vary

your sentence openings.

 Be able to create a piece

of autobiographical
writing.
Add variety to your writing

Vary your Sentence Openings…..

Use an ‘ing’ clause
Waiting for her food to cook, Megan played on her PlayStation.

Screaming as loud as possible, Sam took a leap out of the plane.

Starting from the top, he worked his way down the page.

Connecting the dots he found he had made a picture of a

dolphin.
 Use an ‘ed’ clause
Panicked, he sprinted out of the classroom.

Drenched, he went to dry his clothes under the hand dryer.

Inspired by the book she just read, she decided to write a

story of her own.

Surprised by the noise, Shelley gasped.

 Use an ‘ly’ clause
Reluctantly, he went out for shopping.

Slowly, he walked along the thin plank.

Daringly, he jumped over the fence.

Stupidly, he put his life in danger.

Carefully, she opened the castle gate.

 Use a simile
As quietly as a mouse, he crept past his parents’ bedroom.

As fast as a cheetah, she sprinted into the 100m race.

Like a diamond ring, it twinkled brightly in the sunlight.

Like an eagle, Sarah soared above the trees on her hang

glider.
 Autobiographical Writing

It is a rite of passage to go on a
school trip. Your task is to write a
page in your exercise book that
describes a school trip you have
been on.

Be sure to include descriptive

details, thoughts & feelings and
vary your sentence openings.
Wonder
Discuss:
Your homework is to write a
paragraph that predicts what could
happen to August on his adventure
away from home.
 Learning Objective:
By the end of the lesson you will…

Explore the
opinions and
feelings of the
characters in the
novel.
 Precepts
Answer the following questions in full sentences in your
exercise books:

1. Explain what you think Mr Browne’s precept could mean

2. Try to find an example from your life that relates to the
precept
3. Without reading the end of the novel, flip to the appendix
(page 311) and read the different character’s precepts
4. Choose one and explain its meaning. What does it show
about their character? How can you relate it to yourself?
Extension Task: design an
alternative front cover for the
novel.
Wonder
Activities:
Juilian’s guide to bullying.
Girls’ attitude survey
Wonder music activity sheet.
Misspelt word game.
Subconjunctive mood.
 Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson you will…

 Know the structure of a review

 Understand how to use adjectives

to express your personal opinion
 Review
1. Read the review of Wonder.

2. Highlight the adjectives that

show the writer’s opinion of
the book

3. Annotate the various topics of

the review – How is it
structured?

4. Plan your review of Wonder.

 Review Structure
Review Focus

The audience of your review will be young people

The purpose of your review is to inform

Structure (a paragraph each)

1. Introduction

2. Explain the plot (do not reveal too much - like a book blurb)

3. Give your overall impressions of the film and rate it (out of 5 stars)