Wonder

media type="custom" key="24944344" ** Wonder - Part 1 intro to page 26 ** ** Reading ** media type="youtube" key="Q2a6c8JfiOo" width="560" height="315"

media type="custom" key="24944356" [|"Wonder" lyrics by Natalie Merchant] __Thought to Ponder__ Auggie says that Charlotte is wearing green Crocs. Is it important that Auggie has already mentioned other people's shoes three times? Does that tell us something about him? The author, R.J. Palacio, has said that they book's title was inspired by the song "Wonder" by Natalie Merchant. What do you think she was drawn to in the song? ** Wonder Part 2 - pages 27-50 ** ** Reading ** media type="youtube" key="mqgyFQS_4Vs" width="560" height="315" __Thought to Ponder__ Mr. Browne's September precept is, "When given the choice between being right and being kind, be kind." Is this a thought to live by? Can you always follow this?

"Like a lamb to the slaughter." Why would Auggie's dad use this saying when talking about Auggie starting school?


 * Wonder Part 3 - pages 51-80 ** ** Reading ** media type="youtube" key="DaFFXIGNFQ4" width="560" height="315"

__Thoughts to Ponder__ Auggie loves Halloween because when hiding behind a mask and a costume, he gets to look like every other kid and blends in. Lots of people hide behind "costumes' and "masks" everyday to blend in. How does this happen in school?

Via's point-of-view section starts with this quote from David Bowie's "Space Oddity", "Far above the world, planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do". Besides the obvious reference of the astronaut helmet, why do you think this quote was chosen?

media type="youtube" key="JLck8h8__0U" width="560" height="315" media type="custom" key="24945394" [|"Space Oddity" lyrics by David Bowie]
 * Wonder - Part 4 pages 81-108 Reading **

media type="custom" key="29551603" Bill Nye the Science Guy on genes and inheritance [|Auggie's Syndrome (Treacher-Collins Syndrome)] __Thoughts to Ponder__ Via describes Auggie for the first time in this section. Did he look like what you thought he would? Via says, "August is the Sun. Me and Mom and Dad are planets orbiting the sun. The rest of our family and friends are asteroids and comets floating around the planets orbiting the sun." What does she mean? Why is Auggie the one in the middle? Why is everyone else moving around him?

Via is a carrier of the genes that caused Auggie's deformity. On page 106 she implies that she won't have children because being a carrier of this gene. Why do you think she makes this decision? ** Wonder - Part 5 pages 109-132 ** ** Reading ** media type="youtube" key="3MhP3mTn4YQ" width="560" height="315" media type="custom" key="24945442" [|"Beautiful" lyrics by Christina Auguilera] __Thoughts to Ponder__ What does the following quote say about Summer? "Everyone was in costume. Skeletons. Pirates. Princesses. Vampires. Superheroes. But not one unicorn."

** Wonder - part 6 133-159 ** ** Reading ** media type="youtube" key="OnZKDLwF6No" width="560" height="315" __Thoughts to Ponder__ The author has explained that she was inspired to write Wonder after an experience at a local ice cream parlour, very similar to the scene described in the chapter ‘Carvel’, where Jack sees Auggie for the first time. In this scene, Jack’s babysitter Veronica chooses to get up and quickly walk Jack and his little brother Jamie away from Auggie, rather than risk Jamie saying something rude or hurtful. What do you think you would have done, if put in that position? media type="file" key="Wonder NPR interview.mp3" width="240" height="20" National Public Radio interview with author, R.J. Palacio over what inspired her to write __Wonder__ In Jack's section, we find out that he is also kind of an outsider at Beecher, since his family is not as well off as many of the other kids who attend there. How does this new information change how you think of Jack and does is explain about why he chose to say all those horrible things about Auggie to Julian? ** Reading ** media type="youtube" key="ZcqtZZAe8DM" width="560" height="315"
 * Wonder - part 7 160-185 **

__Thoughts to Ponder__ In an email to Mr. Tushman, Julian's mom reminds him that Beecher Prep is not an inclusion school. An inclusion school allows and encourages students with special educational needs to be included in the general education classrooms. What Julian's mom is saying is that Auggie has special education needs. Does Auggie have a disability, or does he just look different from other students? ** Wonder - part 8 186-204 ** ** Reading ** media type="youtube" key="zslxkJaeTQs" width="560" height="315" __Thoughts to Ponder__ Justin thinks the universe was not kind to Auggie, but he also thinks the universe has a way of taking care of the fragile. How does the universe take care of Auggie?

** Wonder - part 9 - 204-234 ** __Thoughts to Ponder__ media type="custom" key="25011086" August's second part in the story, begins with a quote from //Hamlet//: > **"What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world!..."**

Knowing how each part is introduced by a song or quote, and knowing that the songs and quotes refer to the narrator of that section, what does this Hamlet quote seem to tell us about Auggie? Or any of the other characters? Auggie puts off getting hearing aids for a long time because he is afraid that people will react negatively to them. No one at school thinks they are a big deal. He says at the end of page 215, "Now that I look back, I don't know why I was so stressed about it all this time. Funny how sometimes you worry a lot about something at it turns out to be nothing." Do you think he is speaking about just the hearing aids, or more than that?

**Wonder - part 10 235-255** media type="custom" key="24977078" [|"Beautiful Things lyrics by Andain]

__Thoughts to Ponder__ In Miranda's point of view section, she explains how she lied at camp and told everyone that Auggie was her little brother and loved the attention she got as result of it. How do her feelings (loving the attention) compare to Via's feelings about being Auggie's big sister?

Why did Miranda fake an illness to Via could do the play?


 * Wonder - part 11 256-272 **

media type="custom" key="24977126"  [|"Beautiful Child" lyrics by Eurythmics]

__Thoughts to Ponder__

Do you think that Eddie, the instigator in the group of bullies, would have acted the same way towards Auggie and his group if he had been alone?

A group of boys from Beecher prep (some of the same kids who had bullied him during the "war") come to Auggie's rescue and surround him like an "Emperor's Guard". It suprises Auggie. Does it surprise you? __Precepts__ Mr. Browne's Precepts [|Mr. Browne's Precepts]