Wonder of Wonder

This school year I began my year by reading the book  Wonder with my sixth grade reading group.  I work with students in my school that have reading difficulties.  Students are on an IEP with a diagnosed disability.  I have five sixth graders in my class that read or comprehend below grade level.  They are a great group of kids and I enjoy starting my morning with them each day.

I read Wonder last spring for the first time and loved it!  I thought it was a book that everyone should read.  As a middle school teacher I have seen how cruel kids can be to other kids at times, but I have also seen a community of learners who are kinder then most adults you meet on a daily basis.  We have a strong climate of kindness in our school building because that is what we expect from the students and they strive to meet this expectation. 

My students while reluctant readers at times have enjoyed Wonder we have chuckled many times at the antics of the characters and we have questioned how kids could be so cruel.  We are about half way through the book right now and are getting into the strongest part of things.  They have enjoyed the story and I hope it is a book that has an impact on them.

As a part of our reading Wonder we created Vokis, which are virtual avatars.  We created characters and typed 3-5 sentences about the book.  This was our first time creating vokis and writing about this book so we kept it simple this time.  My kids were excited to share their thoughts and ideas.

Here are the Vokis we created...