One of my favorite things about teaching 5th grade is watching my kiddos transition into tweens. A great book for supporting this transition is Wonder, by R.J. Palacio. The story is about a 10 year-old boy named August Pullman that is born with a facial deformity. He is homeschool up until 5th grade when he goes to a real school for the first time. The story takes you on Auggie's journey through middle school, while telling the story from many different people's perspective. It covers issues like acceptance, friendship and bullying and is great for class discussion. I read Wonder aloud to my students at the beginning of each year. It builds a sense of community within the classroom and creates a safe environment for students to discuss their ideas about the book. It's a must-read!
This is a bulletin board I created for this unit. I included Mr. Brown's Precepts, the postcards that are discussed throughout the book, as well as the different characters perspectives we hear from.
Interested in reading this book? You can purchase it here!
