BRILLIANT POWERFUL COMPELLING RIVETING INSPIRING SHOCKING EFFECTIVE HEARTBREAKING EXTRAORDINARY The words above perfectly describe the book Wonder by RJ Palacio. I can go on and on talking about this book and how amazing it is. I have read it in each class I’ve taught so far in my career (two 5th grade classes, one 3rd grade class). I have written long posts on this book before, and I regretted it each time because if you haven’t read it, you really need to experience it yourself without someone telling you what it is about. I was introduced to Wonder when I was working toward my Master’s. I needed to read it for a class, and I finished it in a day and I knew right away this book would be an automatic read aloud (if I am teaching 3rd grade or higher). I do not think 2nd graders or below will be mature enough yet to understand the true meaning of this book. R.J. Palacio dug deep and highlighted the reality of bullying. It wasn’t sugar coated at all. The words used throughout the book were intense and heartbreaking. It grasps the students’ attention right away because I believe the students relate to what is happening in the story. The book takes the students and us teachers on a journey. In the beginning, students believe it is a story about a boy with a facial deformity and how he manages through school for the first time. However, that’s not what the story is about….well, it is, but it's not the reason I believe R.J. Palacio wrote the book. I believe this book was written in order to discover who you are. Every student reacts to what happens in the book differently, and the more times that happens, the more the students begin to understand their own identity. Take Jack Will for example. For those of you unfamiliar with this story, he is one of the main characters in the book. I felt he went through the greatest change throughout the book. In the beginning, he was reluctant to help Auggie out. Shortly thereafter, he began to get to know Auggie a little more and started to genuinely like hanging out with him. Then, he felt like he was losing his friends so he made a bad choice, which greatly affected him and Auggie’s relationship. I’ll stop there, but hopefully you get my point. With all of those changes, by the end of the story, Jack Will discovered his identity. Think about it – there are probably many Jack Will’s in your class. The children we teach every day go through the same type of problems the characters in Wonder go through. This story is remarkable because it helps students process the reality of bullying but also allows the kids to discover who they are and what they want to be remembered for. “I AM” POEMS My first class was HOOKED on this book right from the start. They not only enjoyed the story itself, but they learned a lot about themselves after reflecting on the story’s message. They realized the impact words or actions could have on a person. They understood the proverb: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.” Most importantly, the students discovered what they wanted to be remembered for after reading this book. Beforehand, some students were perfectly content being the popular one and being “in control” of many social situations. However, they learned that eventually this would get old and that they would be considered a bully. It’s incredible how LIFE-CHANGING this book can be. That’s why I created the “I AM” poems. This is an activity that should be done AFTER you read Wonder. Something I might try next year is doing the “I AM” poem before I read Wonder and then doing it again after I read Wonder to observe how much the students not only learned from the story, but learned about themselves as well J Please click the picture below to be led to my Teachers Pay Teachers page that will provide the directions for an “I AM” poem as well as a model of the final product.

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Below is example poems use hyperbole : *** full Hyperboles: The Rhetoric of Excess in Baroque Literature and Thought (Harvard Stud...

I Am Poem Worksheet The best worksheets image collection from i am poem worksheet , image source: bookmarkurl.info

For an Ohio learner looking into an online education for K-12th grade there are five major choices: Connections Academy ECOT k12 VCS Virtual School House I took the time to research into all of these possibilities as if I am a parent of a child looking into online education, and I would like to post my results here! First I will discuss the choice I liked the least, ECOT. ECOT stands for the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow. ECOT has more than ten years of experience as an E-School, making it one of ohio's oldest E-schools. Students are expected to complete at least 25 hours of school work, just like a public school-- so there are no "lower standards" there. Students are also expected to pass the OGT to attain a high school diploma. ECOT is tuition free, and gives students free computers and broadband in the safety of their own home. Students can log on and complete their work 24 hours a day. Although all of this sounds great, ECOT's website does not talk about how students can still get in the community interactions with other children they need. Also, are there any extra-curricular activities my kids can get involved in so they can excel in things besides JUST academics? Secondly I will discuss the choice I liked the most, Ohio Connections Academy. This school has just as strong an academic curriculum as ECOT or any of the other schools-- but it goes beyond that. OCA is the only Ohio E-School rated excellent! Growing up in Hilliard City Schools- who rated excellent my entire academic career, I wouldn't expect anything less for my kids! OCA also takes a huge interest in community and interactions with the students. Students will live-chat with students and teachers during class. Students get phone sessions with teachers. They offer many clubs and sports. And a strong PTA schedules fun educational field trips and events for students to partake in.

This is a graphic organizer used to aid students in writing an autobiographical poem. Students choose a hook (I am, I am From, I hear, etc.) and respond to four categories (my home, my neighborhood, food I eat, and expressions/things I hear). The poems work well to teach sensory details and sharing is a great icebreaker. I've used this at the beginning of the school year with middle and high school students and the results are always very creative and impressive-- great for a class bulletin board and families enjoy seeing them at back to school night. Suggestion: This activity works best if you write your own poem and share it first. The examples available for purchase in the product "I Am From Poetry Differentiated Organizers and Examples" could also be helpful.

I put together this “Where I’m From” poem, based on a poem of the same name by George Ella Lyon. There’s a bunch of versions of this template, but I made this one specifical…