Throughout the book, readers are introduced to a variety of thoughts on how to live a better life. These thoughts are called, "Mr. Browne's Precepts", and each ties into the story. Most come down to the basic idea that being good to others will make our lives better.
In this exercise, have students find Mr. Browne's precepts, or other inspiring quotes from the book, and correlate the words to something in their life. Students can choose three separate quotes and do separate scenes, or they can choose one and use a sequence of events to illustrate how the quote ties into their experiences.
Mr. Browne's precept, "choose kind", is meant to make us realize that our words and actions affect other people.
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that identifies three of Mr. Browne's precepts or other inspiring quotes from the book, and connects each precept to your personal experiences.
As a class, discuss some of the lessons Mr. Browne was asking the students to learn. Use his precepts to anchor the discussion so students can see how they work.
Allow students to discuss with an elbow partner some times that they have experienced what the characters have experienced. They can appreciate their own lessons as well as the lessons of their classmates.
After discussion time, allow students to deepen their connections by drawing some examples of what they have learned, and writing a brief description underneath. This will help them give voice to the connections they have made with the text.
A precept is a rule that is meant to improve life or behavior. In the book Wonder, Mr. Browne offers a lot of saying or lessons that are explored to help make lives better.
One of the main reasons for reading is to make connections with a book. Comparing lessons that characters learn in the book to one's own life is a great way to learn the lessons without experience the trouble that often comes along with a lesson.