Wonder

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY 1: “Minor Character Creative Writing”

While we hear from several characters in Wonder, some of their perspectives are shared only briefly. Many characters don’t get their own narrative section at all. Pick a minor character and write a short story about their life, focusing on a single scene or incident. Just as each of the stories in Wonder has a different lesson to teach us, try to add a lesson to your story.

Teaching Suggestion: This could be implemented in a single day, or over a longer period of time if students write a longer piece. You may create a list of the characters so that students know who they can choose from. To make this activity more challenging, students can write about characters who we don’t know much about, such as Ximena Chin or Maya.

Paired Text Extension:

This activity can connect to R.J. Palacio’s companion book, Auggie & Me, a collection of short stories from Julian, Charlotte, and Christopher’s perspectives. You could read one of these stories as a class, or students who are interested might want to read on their own.

ACTIVITY 2: “Venn Diagrams - Acts of Kindness”

One of the most powerful themes in Wonder is kindness. Mr. Tushman shares the following quote in his graduation address: “Shall we make a new rule of life...always be a little kinder than necessary” (Chapter 119: “A Simple Thing”). Little acts of kindness are what change Auggie’s life and the lives of characters around him. For Summer, sitting at a lunch table with someone new is a small act. However, this makes a big difference in Auggie’s life.

Teaching Suggestion: Give each of the students a full-sized piece of construction paper. Have them draw a circle in the middle that represents themselves. Then have them draw a circle joining it for each of the places/context that they live in. For example: my neighborhood, my school, my family, my swim team, etc. For each of those circles, have them write down a specific action that they could take to show kindness to someone. (For example: Bring cookies to my piano teacher with a thank you note.)