Hello there.

It's great to see you.

My name is Ms. Afzal and I am super thrilled to be back here exploring "Wonder" by R.

J.

Palacio.

That's our novel we'll be sharing and discussing our responses to so that you can pause video while you go and get your copy of the novel.

Okay, this is a great, great moment as we launch into our rich discussions about this incredible, inspiring, unique novel.

Let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can develop my own response to "Wonder." Our lesson today has a number of keywords.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Character trait.

Perspective.

Connection.

Recommendation.

Great to hear those loud and clear.

Let's find out more about these keywords.

Character traits are the special qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting.

Perspective refers to the point of view or position from which the reader reads, influencing the way events or ideas are portrayed and understood.

How a text relates to a reader, another text, or the wider world can be called a connection.

A recommendation is a suggestion for a text that is well suited to a reader's age and their interests.

Let's make sure we look out for these words.

Let's listen for them.

Let's think carefully about these keywords.

Our lesson today is all about developing responses to "Wonder" through rich discussions.

It has two parts to it, exploring characters and relationships, and making connections and recommendations.

Let's get started with exploring characters and relationships.

"Wonder" is a novel written by R.

J.

Palacio, with cover and interior illustrations by Tad Carpenter.

The protagonist of the story is August "Auggie" Pullman.

Auggie was born with a facial deformity that has made him an outsider and subject to bullying.

Despite his challenges, he is intelligent, witty, and resilient.

The novel chronicles Auggie's journey as he enters Beecher Prep School and interacts with classmates, who initially struggle to accept his appearance.

Through friendship, empathy, and understanding, Auggie gradually wins over his peers and becomes an integral part of the school community.

Okay, I've got my first question for you.

Who do you think the main characters in "Wonder" are? Pause the video and tell someone nearby who are the main characters in this novel? Okay, let's see what Sofia has to say.

"The Pullmans, August Auggie, his mother, father, and sister Olivia, Via.

Their dog, Daisy, also plays an important role." Absolutely, we mustn't forget our fur family members.

And Izzy has this to say.

"August becomes friends with Jack Will and Summer Dawson when he joins school.

Julian is the school bully who torments August." Yeah, so friends are a big part, and friends and peers are a big part of the novel.

And here's Jun.

"Miranda and Justin might also be considered main characters, as we read from their perspectives.

They are Via's friends." Yeah, absolutely.

Great point there, Jun.

All right, so there's so many characters in this novel.

It's so rich.

There's so many people involved.

I wonder who you thought were the main characters? August is the protagonist of the story, and a protagonist is a lead character.

His appearance makes him stand out and leads to challenges when he begins middle school.

How would you describe August at the beginning of the text? In the middle? And at the end? What character traits and emotions does he exhibit? So remember, character traits are those qualities that make a character unique and interesting.

Pause the video while you tell someone nearby how you'd describe August at different points in this text, and what character traits and emotions does he exhibit? Okay, let's see what you came up with.

So at the beginning of the text, August is worried.

He struggles with insecurities and feelings of self-doubt.

Yeah.

And illustrated on pages 24 to 25.

Then in the middle, August is resilient.

He returns to school after being bullied.

With support from his friends, he finds solutions and support.

Pages 208 to 210.

And then towards the end, August is confident both in school and out.

He has a good circle of friends and embraces his identity.

Pages 305 to 310.

Fantastic! Love those traits.

So, worried at the beginning, resilient, and then confident.

Oh, love it.

What about you? What character traits do you exhibit? Maybe you take a moment to just reflect on some of your character traits.

Okay, good.

Hope you enjoyed thinking about what some of your character traits are.

Check for understanding.

Match the following characters to their relationship with August.

Via, Daisy, and Mr. Tushman.

And their relationships to August.

The principal of the middle school.

He helps August settle into a new environment.

August's older sister.

She looks out for August and supports him.

And August's pet dog.

She provides August with comfort when he needs it.

So pause the video while you match up the characters to their relationship with August.

Okay, so did you match up Via is August's older sister? And she really looks out for him.

Daisy is August's pet dog and she also is a very big supporter of August and provides him with comfort.

And Mr. Tushman is the principal of the middle school.

He helps August settle in.

Well done if you made these connections.

Throughout the text, August has a close relationship with his parents.

He feels like he's able to talk to them about most of his worries and troubles.

Refer now to pages 13 and 14.

August is initially quite apprehensive about visiting his new school.

How does August's father convince him to visit? So pause the video while you refer back to these pages and reflect on this question.

Share your answer with someone nearby.

Here's Lucas.

"August's father uses humour to encourage his son.

He pokes fun at the principal's surname.

August mentions that his father finds a way to make him laugh no matter what.

This is something he does later in the text, too.

It cheers August up when he is feeling down." That's lovely, isn't it? It's great when we have someone in our life that can help us out with some humour and making things fun and a little bit lighter.

Julian is introduced initially as a buddy for August, someone who can show him around school and support him.

Throughout the text, Julian is rude towards August and bullies him.

I'd like you now to refer to pages 28, 29, and 44.

How was Julian rude towards August? So pause the video while you refer to those pages and answer the question.

Share your answer with someone nearby.

How was Julian rude towards August? Here's Aisha.

"When Julian is showing August around school, he asks questions about his face and mocks him for being home-schooled." Oh my goodness.

Really, really not very kind at all.

And here's Jacob.

"On page 44, Julian compares August to a 'Star Wars' character, Darth Sidious.

The comparison is hurtful, as it's based on August's appearance." Really hurtful.

Really, really unkind.

Check for understanding.

True or false? August's mother is happy about him going on a tour of the school with the other children.

Refer to page 23 for support.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer.

August notices his mother looks scared.

He mentions that her voice is higher than normal when he leaves with the other pupils.

August's mother stays to have a conversation with Mr. Tushman.

It is likely they will discuss how August will be supported in school.

Pause the video while you decide which of these statements best justifies your earlier answer.

Well done if you selected the first statement.

Both of these statements are true, but it's the first one that is more directly justifying your earlier answer.

Via, August's sister, also experiences challenges in her school.

The reader gets to read from her perspective from page 81.

We find out how she feels about her family and August.

Refer to pages 82 and 83.

In what ways has Via become independent and self-reliant? And self-reliant is an adjective.

It means reliant on your own resources rather than those of others.

So pause the video while you refer to pages 82 and 83 and share your answer with someone nearby.

In what ways has Via become independent and self-reliant? Here's Sam.

"Via has had to organise all of her events, ensure she studies hard, and completes homework on time.

If she doesn't understand something, she has had to find alternatives, as she says that her parents have lots of their time spent on Auggie, on August.

She is very understanding." Well done if you came up with an answer perhaps similar to this one.

Summer is one of August's first friends who stick by him and supports him through challenges.

Although she initially feels sympathy towards August, this quickly changes.

What traits and emotions does Summer show in the text that make her such a positive character? And you might refer to page 120 for support.

Pause the video while you refer to page 120 and share with someone nearby, what are some of those traits and emotions that Summer shows that makes her such a positive character? Okay, maybe you came up with something like this.

Summer is friendly.

She enjoys spending time with August because he is fun.

They play Four Square, similar to Champ, together at lunch and break times.

Summer sticks up for August.

She finds out about a game called "Plague," which discriminates against August.

She tells her friends it is dumb and continues to stand by him.

Fantastic.

What a great friend.

What a positive character.

Let's all be more like Summer.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following are true? Via doesn't understand why her parents cannot spend time with her.

Via's friend Miranda has always been friendly towards August.

Initially, Via does not want August to come to her play.

Pause the video while you decide which statements are true.

Well done if you selected the last two statements.

Indeed, Via's friend Miranda has always been friendly towards August.

And initially, Via doesn't want August to come to her play.

And now it's time for your first task.

Who is your favourite character in "Wonder" and why? You might like to consider the following things.

Character traits.

What are the qualities that make this character unique and interesting? How characters develop within the text.

Memorable moments in the story.

How characters relate to characters from other texts or people you know.

And you can begin your sentences, "I like" and "because," give your reasoning.

So pause the video here while you decide who is your favourite character in "Wonder" and why? Share it with someone nearby.

Okay, so who did you come up with? So many amazing characters in this text.

Let's see what Andeep has to say.

"I like Via because she understands what August has been through.

Even when she's having problems of her own, she takes time to check in with her brother and support him." Yeah, that is so lovely.

What a wonderful character she is.

So caring.

See what Laura says.

"I really like Jack Will.

He learns to repair a broken friendship.

I remember when that happened to me.

It's much better to talk things through than ignore them." Yeah, a really good point, Laura.

Thanks for sharing that and for sharing your own experience too.

Yeah, it is important when we have a true and precious friendship to make that time and effort to repair if that's what's needed.

And now we're moving on to the next part of our lessons, connections and recommendations.

Connections are ways in which you connect personally with a text.

The way that one reader connects might be different to another based on their own life experiences.

Connections can be from text-to-self, text-to-text, or text to the world.

Text-to-self is when the content of the text relates to personal experiences, feelings, or thoughts.

Text-to-text is when the context of the text.

Text-to-text is when the content of the text relates to another text, including anything you've seen, read, watched, or heard.

And text to the world is when the content relates to events and issues in the real world.

And connections can also relate to patterns that you spot when reading.

I'd like to share some of the connections that I make to the text.

To music and song lyrics.

Lots are quoted in the text.

E.

g.

David Bowie and The Magnetic Fields.

To graphic novel "Speak Up!", which shares similar themes of overcoming challenges.

And to the novel "Auggie & Me," which explores additional perspectives in the world of "Wonder." Okay, over to you.

Which connections do you make to the text? Are they text-to-self, text-to-text, or text-to-world connections? So pause the video while you share with someone nearby, what are some connections that you make to the text? Okay, I hope you enjoyed sharing your connections and maybe you've heard some, you've got some inspiration from your partner as well.

Maybe you've heard some interesting connections from them.

Making connections and recommendations can significantly enhance the reading experience and broaden our understanding of literature.

Here are some recommendations based on the themes, form and connections in "Wonder." "The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree," "White Bird," "The Little Prince," "The Amazing Edie Eckhart," and "Check Mates." Let's explore these texts in a little more detail.

"The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree." Moving and empowering, this is an novel about a young girl losing her sight, inspired by the author's own experiences.

"White Bird" follows Julian, from "Wonder," as he starts his new school and learns about his grandmother's experiences during the Second World War.

In "The Little Prince," an airpilot finds a boy from another world.

It is a thoughtful and reflective read.

Funny, warm, and uplifting, this text, "The Amazing Edie Eckhart," explores Edie's experience starting secondary school.

Edie has cerebral palsy, which affects her speech and movement.

Felix is finding school difficult.

His ADHD makes studying very challenging.

"Check Mates" finds him connecting with his grandfather and learning more about himself.

So which text would you recommend for Jun? Jun wants to read about experiences of starting secondary school.

So pause the video while you decide which of these texts would be a good recommendation for Jun? Well done if you selected "The Amazing Edie Eckhart." And why would this make such a good recommendation? Pause the video and tell someone nearby.

Well done if you told someone nearby that it would be a good recommendation because "Edie Eckhart" is all about Edie starting at secondary school, and that is exactly what Jun wants to learn about.

And now it's time for your final task.

I would like you to research one of the recommended texts and discuss the following with your partner.

Which one would you like to read? And do you have a text that you would like to recommend, and why? So here are our texts once again.

"The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree," "White Bird," "The Little Prince," "The Amazing Edie Eckhart," and "Check Mates." So pause the video while you research one of these texts.

Which one would you like to read? Discuss this with your partner, and also, is there a text that you would like to recommend, and why? Pause the video here.

Okay, great to be back with you.

I wonder, which text did you research? Let's find out from Jacob.

"I really want to find out more about Julian's background.

He is such a mean character in 'Wonder.

' I think it will show a different side to him." Yeah, a really interesting point there, Jacob.

Yeah, we all have different sides to our characters.

So yeah, really interesting to explore that in "White Bird." And how about Sofia? " 'The Little Prince' is quoted in Part Four of 'Wonder' when we read from Jack's perspective.

I'm really interested in seeing if it has similar themes." Yeah, really interesting.

I like your curiosity there, Sofia.

I hope you enjoyed researching these texts and I wonder what recommendations you gave.

It's always fun to recommend texts and to find out what people are, what's the buzz? What are people talking about? In our lesson today, "Developing responses to 'Wonder' through rich discussions," we have covered the following.

By reading for a range of perspectives, readers can discover more about characters and their relationships with one another.

During the story, characters and their relationships change and evolve.

Connections are ways in which you connect personally with a text.

The way that one reader connects might be different to another based on their own life experiences.

Connections can be from text-to-self, text-to-text, or text-to-world.

Making connections and recommendations can significantly enhance the reading experience and broaden the reader's understanding of literature.

Thank you so much for joining in with this lesson.

I especially loved finding out about your favourite characters in this text and also the connections that you made from "Wonder" to other texts that you have experienced and enjoyed.

It was great to be with you and I look forward to seeing you at another lesson.

Bye for now!.