Author: Jadwiga Kaminska

Those who love to read cant help but form attachments to fiction characters. If you have
read Wonder by R.J. Palacio you know exactly what I mean. Auggies character tugs at your
heart and restores your faith in humanity. The following activities were used in my classroom
and can be adapted for you to use during your novel study of Wonder.

Unpacking a Common Core Standard

The standard that will be unpacked in this unit is RL 5.2: Determine a theme of a story,
drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to
challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text. After this unit students
will be expected to use text evidence to come up with the theme of a story. The students will also need to
look at each character in isolation and analyze what challenges the characters are facing. Students will
need to learn how to take the key ideas of each chapter and create a summary. The three enduring ideas
are for students to know what theme is, how to find theme, and to learn how to write a summary. Many of
my students do now understand what a summary is and tend to copy the book. The most important
enduring understanding in this unit is learning how to write a summary.

Essential Questions:
Explain: How do the challenges that characters face tie into the overall theme of the story?
Interpret: How did the challenges August was faced with shape him into the character he is?
Application: If you were August, how would you respond to people treating you unfairly based on the
look of your face?
Perspective: What would you have done differently if you were Jack Will or Via? How would you show
August that his friendship is more important to you than the hurtful things others say?
Empathy: How would you feel is you were in Augustss place? How would you respond to bullying and
the situations he was presented with?

Self- Knowledge: Having read the book, do you feel it is fair to judge others on physical appearance?
Throughout the book the author often states choose kind. Throughout your life, how will you choose
kind?
Concept Map
How would you react
differently from
August?

How does August

choose to react to his
challenges?

Choose Kind

What would it feel like

to have a physical
deformity like August?

How do the challenges tie

into the overall theme of
the story?

Table of Test Specifications

Standard: RL 5. 2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from
details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to
challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the
text.

Title of Unit of Study: Wonder Novel Study

Grade Level: Fifth
Content Area: Literacy
Total Points: 10
Type of Items: Multiple Choice
Blooms Taxonomy Cognitive
Levels

Objectives

Number/Percent of Items per Level

Level:
Level:
Level:
Total/Percent

Multiple-Choice Remembering Applying Analyzing

When presented
with the story,
students will
recall key
3 (30%)
3 (30%)
information with
80% accuracy.
(Remembering)
Students will
4 (40%)
4 (40%)

Would you act

differently than Jack
Will or Via? Why?

apply strategies,
such as drawing
conclusions about
the characters
reactions to
challenges and
making
inferences, when
analyzing the text
with 80%
accuracy.
(Applying)
When given a
different
characters section,
students
will summarize and
explain the theme
using evidence
from the text.

(Analyzing)
Total

3 (30%)

4(50%)

3(30%)

3(30%)

3 (30%)

10/ 100%

Curriculum Map
Standard: RL 5. 2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from
details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to
challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize
the text.

Learning Objectives:
1) When presented with the story, students will recall key
information with 80% accuracy. (Remembering)
2) Students will apply strategies, such as drawing conclusions
about the characters reactions to challenges and making inferences,
when analyzing the text with 80% accuracy. (Applying)
3) When given a different characters section, students
will summarize and explain the theme using evidence from the text.

(Analyzing)
Grade Level: Fifth
Content Area: Literacy
Unit Title: Wonder Novel Study
Length of Unit: 1 week
Description of Unit of Study: Through this unit, students will learn

how to identify theme, while focusing how characters respond to

challenges, and summarize text. Students will also use evidence from
the text when making inferences, discussing, and answering
questions.
Content and/
Knowledge Suggested
Or Essential
Activities
Resources
and Skills Assessments
Questions
Find
Story
Formative Day 1:Read Wonder by
Elements: evidence
assessments: chapters 1-3 R.J. Palacio.
from the text
that
to support
-Analyze/
Think, Pair, introduces us Exit Slips
the theme. Share
to August
Evaluate
and create a Notebooks
Information
list of
Use text to Class
for students
- Parts of a provide
Discussions character
to record
traits and his their ideas
evidence to
story:
support your As I See It challenges
and
we are
formative
Characters: thinking on
introduced
to.
how
each
assessments.
Primary &
Exit Slips
character in
Secondary
the book has Student
Day 2:
responded to Reflections Review the
-Setting
his or her
key
own
information
-Problem
personal
we learned
challenge. Summative about August
-Solution
Assessment: in the first
few chapters.
Summarize
Then
Multiplecontinue
choice
Reading
assessment reading the
Strategies:
next few
on Day 5
chapters
Connections
focusing on
the problems
Inferring
August and
his family
Visualizing
face
(visualizing
Theme
and inferring
will be
reinforced
here).
Summarizing

Day 3: Read
chapters 7-9

adding to
character list
of August
and Via.
Continue to
look for
inferences, as
well as how
the author
uses certain
language and
humor to
make a sad
situation
more light
hearted.
Day 4: Read
chapters 1014, inferring
character
traits and
focusing on
what themes
exist in each
characters
section and
how each
character
struggles
with different
challenges
(physical
deformation,
not being
accepted by
peers,
divorce,
health, etc.)

Day 5:
Summative
assessment
and reflection

on chapters
1- 14.