Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for Wonder

Use Wonder by R.J. Palacio to turn your read aloud or small group work into a time to improve comprehension and talk about the text in purposeful ways.

R.J. Palacio's remarkable novel, Wonder, is the story of a boy named August, known as Auggie, who was born with a facial abnormality. He's about to start fifth grade at Beecher Prep, and for the first time will go to school with other kids. Even though he knows he looks different, he just wants to be ordinary. Help readers understand what life is like for Auggie, his parents and his sister, Olivia, by using these Book Club lesson plans and set of resources focusing on perspective.

Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with Wonder in the drop down below.

Instructional Overview

The first page of Book Club for Wonder Instructional Overview

Instructional Overview

The instructional overview includes instructional background for point of view, instructional objectives for each of the Book Club meetings, and a list of the materials and preparation necessary to Wonder Book Club.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Management Resources

The first page of Book Club for Wonder Management Resources

Management Resources

The management resources include a Book Club Calendar, conversation prompts, Student Self-Evaluation forms, Reading Response Board (with optional Common Core alignment), and an Expectations for Book Club anchor chart.

Meeting 1

Point of View can be tricky. Use Wonder by R.J. Palacio and these Book Club resources to show students how to track point of view using a Perspective Chart.

Meeting 2

Discussion in this Wonder Book Club meeting focuses on understanding point of view by looking at a character's actions. Author R.J. Palacio details the same event from multiple character's perspectives, allowing the reader to more fully understand the story.

Meeting 3

Another aspect to understanding point of view in R.J. Palacio's Wonder is to examine the dialogue. Readers will continue adding to their Perspective Chart; using examples from the text that relate to dialogue.

Meeting 4

The well-developed characters in Wonder by R.J. Palacio treat Auggie with empathy at times. Looking at these examples shows the reader important information about the character's perspective.

Meeting 5

Readers form an opinion about events in the story based upon the perspective of the character experiencing the event. This Wonder Book Club meeting focuses attention on how a reader's opinion may change as they learn about the event from different characters.

Meeting 6

R.J. Palacio varies his writing style to match the characters in Wonder. This discussion focuses on the connection between the author's writing style and the character's perspective.

Meeting 7

Careful reading of Wonder will allow students to gather information about a character's point of view by making inferences based on the character's dialogue. This strategy is taught using examples from the text.
The first page of Book Club for Wonder Meeting 8

Meeting 8

During this Book Club meeting, students will discuss how to use a character's perspective to examine conflict in Wonder. R.J. Palacio enhances the reader's understanding of the text by "showing" the conflict from more than one character's perspective.

Meeting 9

One of the ways that author R.J. Palacio shares her message in Wonder is through the changing perspective of the main character, Auggie. Using their Perspective Chart, students will identify key moments in the story where Auggie's perspective changed.
The first page of Book Club for Wonder Meeting 10

Meeting 10

As a final Wonder Book Club meeting, student discussion will focus on the author's changing perspective. Further discussion will examine how an author speaks through characters; some of them sharing her point of view and some not.

Vocabulary Connections with Wonder

The first page of Vocabulary Connections with Wonder

Vocabulary Connections with Wonder

This set of vocabulary development resources for Wonder highlights the words that are most important for students to know and understand while reading the book.  Through engaging in fun word games, matching words to definitions, and practicing how to categorize words, students will develop the vocabulary necessary to comprehend this story and many others.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment

Focus Assessment and Rubric

The first page of Book Club for Wonder Focus Assessment and Rubric

Focus Assessment and Rubric

Use this six-question assessment to determine whether or not students understand the key concepts associated with point of view.

Running Record with Wonder

Thumbnail for Running Record with Wonder

Running Record with Wonder

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with Wonder. Track meaning, structure, and visual accuracy using the first 100 words of the text to determine whether or not this book is a good fit for the readers in your classroom.

Management Resources - Spanish

The first page of Book Club for Wonder Management Resources

Management Resources - Spanish

The management resources include a Book Club Calendar, conversation prompts, Student Self-Evaluation forms, Reading Response Board (with optional Common Core alignment), and an Expectations for Book Club anchor chart.

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About the Book

The cover for the book Wonder
Title: Wonder
Author: R.J. Palacio
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Self Management, Social Awareness, Friendship, Perseverance, Decision Making, Bullying, Relationship Skills, Self Awareness, Family
ISBN: 9780375899881
Publisher's Summary:
"I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse. " August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid--but his new classmates can't get past Auggie's extraordinary face.
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