Wonder by RJ Palacio Novel Study Guide: Comprehension Questions & Vocabulary

This Wonder novel study for the book by R.J. Palacio will save you hours of prep for literature circles and book clubs. The novel unit includes chapter questions that focus on text analysis and responding to literature, and the daily vocabulary builds word knowledge and academic language skills.

Have your readers do more than regurgitate the plot of Wonder!

So many novel studies focus center on pages of comprehension questions or multiple choice quizzes based on the book. While this work may keep students busy, it won't build transferable reading skills.

This standards-aligned book companion pack is designed to develop vocabulary and a deep understanding of reading comprehension skills. The plot of Wonder becomes the vehicle for teaching and practicing these skills instead of the end result.

Your download includes

✔ Daily comprehension in 2 formats

• Weekly paper-saving trifolds
• Cut & paste reading journal prompts

✔ Vocabulary flip books for text-based vocabulary

✔ Instructional planning guide with student objectives, vocabulary, & more

✔ Comprehension Question Answer keys

✔ BONUS: Vocabulary Word Wall cards - including additional cards for differentiation

✔ BONUS: Reading Journal Novel Mini-Projects for post-reading enrichment

This Wonder Novel Unit includes:

1) Student comprehension practice (up to 20 instructional days)

• Each day's work focuses on a single standards-based comprehension skill
• Short, written responses include opportunities to apply thinking to text
• Designed with reluctant and struggling learners in mind
• Built-in graphic organizers to support skill acquisition
• Approachable questions help make connections & start conversations
• No boring multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank questions!
• Available in both printable trifolds and journal prompt formats

2) Approachable practice with key reading standards and skills including:

• Generating main ideas & writing a concise summary
• Analyzing text, characters, and settings to develop deep understanding
• Identification of cause and effect relationship
• Making inferences based on text clues
• Analyzing problems and their solutions
• Examining how point of view influences the reader's understanding
• Identifying and supporting key themes of the story with text evidence
• And so much more!

3) Text-based & academic vocabulary

• One target word identified for each day's reading
• A flexible foldable format allows for the study and application of new vocabulary
• Opportunities to make connections to academic vocabulary for daily skills
• Additional word wall cards to allow you to differentiate & target more text-based vocabulary

4) Teacher support materials

• Unit scope & sequence lays out the day's comprehension & vocabulary focus
• Answer Keys for all comprehension activities
• Tips for preparation and implementation

5) Culminating project option

• Mini-book perfect for inclusion in reading journals
• Includes both text reflection and creative options based on the plot
• Great for enrichment or post-reading

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 How Novel Units from Differentiated Teaching Work...

▸ Teachers can introduce the day's vocabulary word & discuss before reading.

▸ Students complete just one section of the trifold or a single Google Slide each day.

▸ Daily work focuses on target skills needed for success in reading vs. plot recall.

▸ The low-pressure format provides novelty & encourages student engagement

▸ Less overwhelming to reluctant readers and writers

▸ Requires deep analysis and application of text-based knowledge

▸ Encourages discussion about skills & strategies

Here's why teachers love these novel units...

♥  We used these for a whole-class novel study.  Pre-printed brochures fully encompassed ELA skills for the novel.  This is an extremely easy, but very rich set of activities for understanding and enriching student's ELA skills.  I will be using this for our first novel study again in class this fall.  I highly recommend this!  -Allison M.

♥  This has helped me so much in teaching novels to my students this year. Other resources overwhelm students with too much vocabulary and literal comprehension questions but these slides give students one vocabulary word for each chapter and a grade-level higher-order comprehension skill to practice.  - Kristin P.

♥  This does a really good job of focusing on vocab and using context clues, practicing quoting from the text, and target skills.  I really liked the way it focused on one skill for every two chapters, which made things really manageable for my students.  - Beth A.

Here's what homeschool families have to say about the novel studies...

★  My kids LOVED this book companion. The vocabulary was rich, and I liked the focus on one word a day. I also liked that they had to use context clues rather than dictionary definitions...  The tasks were a great review of skills I covered throughout the year. Parent-friendly and easy to implement. - Corinne M.

★ I am a homeschool mom and my daughter is enjoying the book and I am loving that she is able to respond to the reading through various aspects and not just answering questions.  She is more engaged in her reading and asking more questions after she completes each task. - Terri B.

★I purchased this resource for my son to use with his novel that I planned for our homeschool education. The last couple of years, I have really struggled to get him to work in his reading journals or to even get him to just discuss his reading with me. I came across your studies... It has literally CHANGED reading in our homeschool. He is reading more than ever without struggle but he is also completing the digital work for the chapters without issues and his responses have been amazing...it's been a HUGE change and reading is one of his favorite parts of every day. Thank you SO much.  - Kristy D. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other Novel Study & Literature Circle Resources You Might Also Enjoy...

• Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
• The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
• Rules by Cynthia Lord
• Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
• Restart by Gordon Korman

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terms of Use:

© Rebecca Davies. All rights reserved by the author. These materials are intended for personal use by a single classroom only. Copying for more than one teacher, classroom, department, school, or school system is prohibited. For use in multiple classrooms, please purchase additional licenses. This product may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view. Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Clipart and elements found in this PDF are copyrighted and cannot be extracted and used outside of this file without permission or license. See product file for clip art and font credits.