Wonder--The impact and change shown by students' behaviors

Last semester I taught Wonder by R.J. Palacio.  This is the third year that I've taught this book and I've written about it a few times before on my blog.  If you're looking for an engaging book that allows students to really connect with characters and teaches empathy and compassion and kindness, then this is a great read!  It can be used as a read aloud, but I teach it.  If you're looking for books that are focused on common core, you can definitely apply Common Core Standards to this. At the beginning of the year, my students learn how to do a close read with this book.  We study selections of this in detail, and it's set up in short chapters that are sometimes just a page long--lending to easy close reads.

One of the most interesting aspects of Wonder is that it's told from different points of view.  This is amazing for my students because they make assumptions about characters, choose sides, and make decisions based on their gut reactions, only realize that maybe they should stop and consider the other side of the story.  In our discussions we don't excuse the actions of the bullies.  We acknowledge the actions of the characters as being mean, awful, and terrible.  The hard part is getting them to see past those actions to the underlying causes and if those underlying causes are enough to make that character a bad person.  Will they always be a bad person?  Also can you be forgiven?  We focus a lot on point of view and perspective as we read the story.

In addition, I really hone in on the "Choose Kind" idea.  If you haven't googled it, do so.  There is a whole campaign out there and it's amazing what students and schools have done in embracing the story and the idea that they have a choice in how the world will be.  This year I had my Honors class create their own Choose Kind campaign.  They chose and planned the entire project.  They wrote the the proposal, spoke with administration, made school-wide announcements, and encouraged our school community to think about others and choose kind.  This was their project and they owned it!  

Now, at the end of each class, I dismiss my students by saying "Choose Kind and make good choices."  It's a reminder of our obligation to one another and ourselves.  I use it to address behavior now, by asking students if they are choosing kind and when they stop to think and they say no, they've actually stopped to consider their behavior instead of me telling them that it was a bad choice. 

I love this book and I'm so happy that I am able to teach it.  I'll be posting some different projects and ideas that we used this year for you to see how I approached teaching it this year.  Of course, next year I'm sure that approach will change as it has changed each year that I've taught it!