I couldn't think of anywhere else I would rather be than watching the faces of the 5th graders in Melanie Martino's room as they finished the final chapter of the chapter book, Wonder by R.J. Palacio.
Students were asked to discuss challenges they faced in their own lives (just like the main character Augie) and then think about a character trait for themselves that connect to how they handled that challenge.
Finally, students through a jigsaw activity, were given a character from Wonder and asked to collaborate with 2 other students as they identified a challenge (with evidence from the text) for that character and a character trait revealed through the challenge. Every single 5th grader was totally engrossed in the story and truly knew the characters. It was as if they were actually in the story themselves!!!
Well done Mrs. Martino and your class! I love to see actual books in students' hands; it's so important to keep great texts alive while analyzing a top rated book. Technology has taken away the "wonder" of such activities and it's nice to create a classroom environment which requires students to communicate and converse with their peers.
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