Wonder - Tanya Beers

Tanya Beers

IST571: Children's Literature Lit Kit

Book: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Lesson Plan and Selling Tool:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZBILy78yR63fsCfd9Hqw-rVU-Yx7UqVyW0jAt6BJ8sw/edit 

Tanya Beers

IST571: Wonder by R.J. Palacio –Lit Kit

Title: Wonder

Author:  R.J.Palacio

Lexile Level: 790L

Grade Level:  3rd – 7th grade

Age Range:  8 to 12 years

ISBN #: 0375869026

Wonder tells the story of August (“Auggie”) Pullman; a 12-year-old boy whose face is disfigured. 
He has a giant heart and only sees others for who they are on the inside. However, so many people 
failed to see him as a human being; they only see his exterior and think of him and treat him as 
someone to be feared and not accepted. Unfortunately, I think that is a very real response from 
the general public when they see someone who looks different from them. This book deals with
the emotional impact of disfigurement on the child, sister, and parents. The characters are very 
real and that adds to the emotional impact of the story. Wonder is a heartfelt story that will stay 
with you long after you have read it.

Lesson for  5th graders:

A. Students will read the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

B. Students will write a 3-page journal entry answering the following questions:

1. Why does Auggie want to go to school?

2. Do you think he should have gone or stayed home? Why?

3. How do you think Auggie’s sister Via feels about having a brother who looks different? 
Does she avoid him or spend a lot of time with him?

4. How do you think Auggie’s disfigurement affects his parents?

5. If you had a disfigurement, how do you think your family members would react/feel about it?

6. If someone in your family had a disfigurement, how would you react/feel about it?

7. Would you want to be friends with someone who had a disfigurement? Would the disfigurement 
even be a deciding factor in whether you would be friends with someone?

C. In a class lecture, I will talk about what “the Golden Rule” is and what “positive, constructive 
feedback of a written work” means. Then there will be a class discussion about Wonder and 
what students thought of the book.

D. Students will then trade their written journal entries with a student next to them and the 
reader of the journal entry will write down positive constructive feedback of the journal entry. 
The journal entries will then be submitted and returned to the proper students after grading so 
students can learn from the teacher and other students.   

Learning Standards:

Common Core ELA Writing Standards K-5 (Grade 5).

5.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and 
information.

5.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information 
clearly.

5.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective 
technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Common Core ELA Speaking and Listening Standards K-5 (Grade 5).

5.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) 
with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own 
clearly.

5.2. Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, 
including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

5.4. Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate 
facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable 
pace.

Learning Goal:

Students will engage in a class discussion and journal entry based on the reading of Wonder by 
R.J. Palacio that will make them think about how they treat others and how they want to be 
treated by others.

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will write a journal entry based on questions that will engage students in reflection of 
themselves and how feel about how they treat others and how they want to be treated by others. 
(Affective)

2. Through the class lecture, class discussion, and assigned reading, students will be able to 
write positive, constructive feed back of their classmates journal entries that will assist students 
with thinking about the written topic in a different way. (Cognitive and Psychomotor)

Learning Outcome:

Students will discover an understanding about themselves that they may not have had before 
the reading, class discussion, and journal entry assignment.

 

Works Cited:

New York State Department of Education. (2011). New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards 
for English Language Arts & Literacy. Retrieved from https://www.engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-
p-12-common-core-learning-standards-for-english-language-arts-and-literacy.

Palacio, R.J. Wonder. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012.

Selling Tool: Book Trailer for Wonder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntth2qn5MYE