"Wonder" by R.J. Palacio tells the story of August "Auggie" Pullman, a boy with a facial deformity who enters a mainstream school for the first time in fifth grade. The novel explores many themes. Including kindness, acceptance, and the challenges of being different through multiple perspectives, including those of Auggie's classmates, sister, and friends. As Auggie navigates friendships, bullying, and for acceptance. He teaches those around him valuable lessons about empathy and the importance of inner beauty. The book highlights the power of kindness and the impact of support.

I chose this book as my Core Text because while this book is challenging for 4th graders, since it is a level or two above where they are reading at when they enter 4th grade. They are able to learn many more skills than just literacy skills. Such as inclusion, kindness, acceptance, and empathy. The book also talks about elements of health and well-being, making it relevant to discussions about disabilities and diversity.

F&P - S

This is the level that students should be at when they leave 4th grade. This book is a little bit above their grade level and that is why I do most if not all of the reading to the students since it is a little bit above their grade level.

The reason that I chose this as one of my supplemental texts is because the novel Wonder is all about being kind and making kind choices. Throughout the book there are many instances where they show that kind choices bring people together and create relationships between the kids.

As stated in the reading from Fostering Comprehension of Complex Texts "A mental search for meaningful connections activates previous learning and taps into past experiences, enabling a reader to understand new information and establish interest, motivation, and purpose for reading a specific text" The novel Wonder does just that, it opens the students eyes to things that have happened in their life and they can connect them to the story.

Some potential challenges that this novel has are that it is full of sensitive content. Wonder deals with difficult issues, including bullying, social exclusion, and physical differences. For 4th grade students this is a longer novel and its chapter-length and structure (told from multiple perspectives) can sometimes be overwhelming for struggling readers.

Due to me teaching in a predominetly white community some of my students may have difficulty relating to the socioeconomic or cultural contexts of the characters’ lives.

Some instructional areas or learning objectives addressed by Wonder would be character analysis. Students can explore the development of Auggie and other characters. This includes examining how characters grow over the course of the novel, how they respond to challenges, and how their relationships evolve. This is especially prevalent because Auggie goes from a student who has never been to public school to a thriving student who loves school. Another instructional area that is addressed in Wonder is themes and social-emotional learning. Wonder provides a lot of opportunities to address themes of empathy, kindness, inclusion, and the impact of bullying. Students can discuss how these relate to their own experiences and lives. Something that we do a lot during our novel study of Wonder is writing and reflection. I have a lot of different writing assignments, such as character diaries, reflections on personal experiences related to the novel’s themes, or creative writing from different character perspectives.

Some instructional areas or learning objectives not addressed by Wonder would be historical and cultural context. Although Wonder touches on diversity and social issues, it doesn’t dive into any historical, or cultural contexts. This novel also does not touch on any scientific concepts. Wonder mentions Auggie’s medical condition (Treacher Collins syndrome), but it does not dive deep into the science behind his condition or any other medical issues that he may have.

Auggie’s story is one of personal growth and resilience. For students facing their own challenges whether social, or cultural. Wonder offers a wonderful model of perseverance. It encourages students to embrace their unique stories and face difficulties with strength and courage.

Although this film does primarily focuses on themes of physical difference, it also subtly addresses issues related to cultural sensitivity. Such as navigating a new environment, understanding different perspectives, and accepting people who come from different backgrounds than your own.

The movie is told from multiple perspectives, showcasing not only Auggie’s experience but also the viewpoints of his family and classmates. Auggie’s loving parents, Isabel (Julia Roberts) and Nate (Owen Wilson), support him as he navigates the challenges of school life, encouraging him to embrace his uniqueness and encouraging others to see beyond his appearance.

I chose this as a supplemental text because it is a movie based on the core text. It highlights the best parts of the book and brings them to life for students.

When I was completing the qualitative measures’ rubric I learned that the Novel Wonder fell in the middle of being complex. Text structure the text was very complex. I think that when I use this text in my classroom I will use the fact that the novel shifts perspectives multiple times to help my students understand that stories can be told by different people and you can still get the same message.

The novel Wonder contains some abstract, ironic, and/or figurative language. We also work a lot with vocabulary when we are doing our novel study because there are some use of unfamiliar, subject-specific, or overly academic language.

Due to the many complex sentences with several subordinate phrases or clauses and transition words I read this book out loud to my students rather than have them silent read it. I want the students to get as much out of the book as they can, and I think they have an easier time understanding when I am reading and we are discussing it as a class.

This novel gets closer to less complex in the category knowledge demands because students are able to relate this book to their own life experiences really easily. They all know what it's like to have someone be unkind to them and make them feel sad. This novel also makes a few references to other cultures but they aren't as prevalent as other things are.

This strategy was found in Power Tools : 30 Critical Disciplinary Literacy Strategies for 6-12 ClassroomsPower Tools : 30 Critical Disciplinary Literacy Strategies for 6-12 Classrooms

The area that this strategy is addressing is vocabulary

The verbal and visual word association literacy strategy is an approach that helps students connect new vocabulary words to their existing knowledge by using both verbal and visual methods.

I plan to implement this strategy during reading, they would be able to use the new words that they learn in the novel.

This strategy supports my students learning because they have a hard time with vocabulary so if they are able to connect it to things that they are already familiar with will help them understand these new words that they are learning from this novel.

This strategy was found in Power Tools : 30 Critical Disciplinary Literacy Strategies for 6-12 Classrooms

The area that this strategy is addressing is writing/composing.

The Double Journal Entry strategy is a reading comprehension and reflection tool that helps students engage more with a text by making connections between the text and their own thoughts/reactions. This strategy consists of dividing a page into two columns: one for direct quotes or passages from the text and the other for student responses to those quotes.

This is a strategy that I can implement during all parts of reading. Before, during, and after reading, I can use this before to have them make predictions, they can use it during when they are able to connect what they are reading and their own thoughts, and after reading to how they feel now that they are finished with the novel.

One thing that I can do to adapt this strategy to my students needs is that I start with smaller journal entrees and have them work uo to longer/more detailed ones. Fourth graders have a hard time writing for long periods of time so I think having them gradually build their stamina will help this strategy be more affective.

I found this strategy in Power Tools : 30 Critical Disciplinary Literacy Strategies for 6-12 Classrooms

The area that this strategy is addressing is comprehension and writing

A Venn Diagram is a graphic organizer used to visually show the relationships between two or more sets. It consists of overlapping circles, with each circle representing a category. The sections where the circles overlap show the similarities or shared characteristics between the sets, while the areas outside the overlap highlight the differences.

I plan to implement this strategy after we finish the book and watch the TED talk. This strategy will support my students needs because they will be able to compare the theme of the story which is kindness to the ted talk which is also all about kindness.

I found this strategy Power Tools : 30 Critical Disciplinary Literacy Strategies for 6-12 Classrooms

This strategy addresses the area of comprehension

This strategy is one where we would pause the Ted Talk and talk about what is happening. I would lead the discussion during the think-aloud, I would verbalize my thought process as we watch the video. This helps students see how to actively engage with the text and make sense of it.

I would plan to implement this during the watching of the video. We could also do this after because then we would talk about what we comprehended from the whole video.

This strategy supports my students needs because they will find it easier to do it with a video but then they will be more likely to continue to do it when they are reading texts on their own or during other novel studies.

I found this strategy at Power Tools : 30 Critical Disciplinary Literacy Strategies for 6-12 Classrooms

This strategy is addressing talk

Interview Me is a strategy that improves student comprehension by having the student pose questions to solidify knowledge or expand it. This particular strategy is useful in all subject areas because the student draws on prior knowledge of a given topic or problem and uses his or her own understanding (or lack thereof) to augment his/her thinking.

I plan to implement this strategy after watching the movie to monitor student understanding and give them an opportunity to demonstrate their learning through conversation.

The strategy interview me supports students needs by creating an interactive and reflective space for students to engage with a text, this strategy not only strengthens comprehension but also encourages students to connect personally with the material.

I found this strategy in Power Tools : 30 Critical Disciplinary Literacy Strategies for 6-12 Classrooms

This strategy is addressing a critical disciplinary strategy

A Peer Review Circle is a collaborative literacy strategy where students engage in a structured process of reviewing and providing feedback on each other's work. This strategy promotes critical thinking, reflection, and constructive criticism, helping students improve their writing and communication skills. It also fosters a sense of community and support in the classroom.

I would implement this strategy after watching the movie. Students would have to peer review each others work on reviewing the movie/the book.

This supports my students needs because my students love to work in groups especially when they get to choose their own partners. I think that this would keep them more engaged because they would be getting to review work based on a movie as well.