Wonder - The Theme of Appearances!

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to understand the role that the theme of ‘appearances’ plays in R.J. Palacio’s Wonder. In particular, students consider how appearances impact upon our lives on a daily basis, learn more about TCS (the condition affecting the protagonist - Auggie), and link what they find out to information in the novel. They then communicate their own ideas on the subject of judging people based on appearances.

There is easily enough content for 2-3 lessons here, following a step-by-step learning journey. Children learn through:

-Comprehending how appearances influence our lives - touching on the ideas of representations and stereotyping;
-Learning about Treacher Collins Syndrome, through a short engaging video, and distilling key information;
-Hot-seating, demonstrating empathy for characters whose appearance is ‘different’;
-Linking what they have learnt to what is read in the opening pages of Wonder;
-Communicating their ideas about judging people based on their appearances, as a part of a well-structured debate;
-Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts.

Included is:
Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive;
Research template;
Writing to Argue helpsheet;
Comprehensive lesson plan.

All resources are provided in Word (for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure formatting remains fixed between different computers). Word documents are in the zip file. There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with a year 6 class, however colleagues have used them for between years 5 and 8 with only minor adaptations.

All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.