Positive Thoughts About Sara

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Wonder - Pages 294-315, The End

The graduation program includes three songs. One previously mentioned ("Light and Day"), one traditional song (Pachelbel's "Canon in D"), and one of my personal favorites ("Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie).

In his commencement speech, Mr. Tushman quotes three authors. I'm only including the first of the three quotes here, just in case one of them might give away something from the story. The first quote is from J. M. Barrie who wrote Peter Pan. The quote Mr. Tushman uses, however, is from the book The Little White Bird. Here is J. M. Barrie along with the quote from the original text.

Mr. Tushman's second quote is from Under the Eye of the Clock by Christopher Nolan. Christopher Nolan was born with cerebral palsy and could only move his head and eyes, yet he wrote award winning books and was first published at the age of fifteen. Here is a picture of him with his book.

Finally, Mr. Tushman quotes Henry Ward Beecher and describes him as a "nineteenth century abolitionist - and a fiery sermonizer for human rights." Their school is named after him. Here is a picture of him as a younger man, followed by an image of a statue of Beecher currently in downtown Brooklyn, New York.

These last images are reversed, but I thought the last one was the best way to end our read aloud. Auggie mentions a red carpet. A red carpet is traditionally used when important people arrive somewhere, like when a president arrives to visit another country. This is a picture of the president of Japan arriving in the United States.

Red carpets are also used for celebrities when they arrive at fancy events like award ceremonies and movie premiers. This is probably the sort of red carpet Auggie is referring to.

And finally ... well ... I'm not even going to introduce this one. I'll just say this: I hope you enjoyed the book, and I especially hope you enjoyed the ending.

*All images linked to their source.

Create a Chart in Google Drive under Spreadsheet

Title your chart Character Problems and Resolutions
For each of the characters listed below write
1. Character's main problem
2. Events that led to a solution
3. Solution to the Problem

Characters
1. August
2. Via
3. Summer
4. Jack
5. Justin
6. Miranda

When finished attach link to chart with your name to this post.

Last Questions

How might things have been different for August if he had decided not to go to school?  Would he have had the same amount of growth do you think?  What about the the other characters in the book?

Positive Thoughts about Natalie

Wonder - Pages 275-293

When Auggie goes to school after the fifth grade trip to the nature reserve, he says there was a shift in the way things were. "A monumental shift. A seismic shift. Maybe even a cosmic shift." Now I can't find any videos that correctly illustrate a cosmic shift, but here's a great example of a seismic shift. Would you say the entire ground moving is a big change?

And now a great quote from Mr. Tushman: "Sometimes a duck is just a duck!" Here's the story he was thinking about when he made that memorable statement.

Free Kids Book Download The Ugly Duckling Picture Reader free ebook download

Mr. Brown's June Precept, the final precept for the school year, comes from a song by The Polyphonic Spree. JUST FOLLOW THE DAY AND REACH FOR THE SUN! is from the song "Light and Day."

Just before the graduation ceremony, Auggie's dad tells him a secret, but then immediately wishes he hadn't said anything. He wants Auggie to keep the secret, but Auggie thinks he might as well try to get a little something out of it. He says he'll keep the secret if he gets the new Xbox when it comes out and his own car in about six years. A red Porsche.

Right after that conversation, Auggie and his dad sing their favorite song. It includes lines like "But I'm the luckiest guy on the Lower East Side, 'cause I got wheels, and you want to go for a ride." The song is by The Magnetic Fields and is titled "The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side." So close your eyes and picture Auggie and his dad sitting in the car belting this one out at the top of their lungs.

*All images linked to their source.

Wonder - Pages 248-274

There are certain things you need to take on a camping trip, and moms are the ones who help us remember to pack them and actually use them when camping. Auggie's mom is no different. Sunscreen and bug spray are two big ones. But having a rain poncho, especially with a hood, is very important for Auggie as well. Why?

Auggie is reading one of my favorite books of all time, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. In the part quoted on page 255, it tells how the White Witch knows the Deep Magic but that "there is a magic deeper still which she did not know." The White Witch is evil and knows Magic. What might this "deeper magic" be like? And why does author R. J. Palacio include that phrase here? Here's a picture of the original cover of the book.

The woods at the Broarwood Nature Reserve are not like the woods in Central Park. Auggie calls it "real woods." Central Park is an 843 acre public park in Manhattan in New York City. Here you can see what Central Park looks like in New York and part of the woods as well.

And even though they are camping in "real woods" there are still some modern games. Well, kind of modern, anyway. Auggie says they have Pac-Man and Missile Command classic arcade games.

Auggie says when the stadium lights go on in the field all at once, "I thought of that scene in Close Encounters when the alien ship lands and they're playing that music: duh-dah-doo-da-dunnn." Here is that scene from the movie, but the part Auggie mentions starts at the 5:00 mark. Skip ahead.

The movie for the twenty-third annual Big Movie Night is The Sound of Music. A couple of the songs are mentioned including "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," "My Favorite Things," and "The Lonely Goatherd." Here is a clip of one of the songs, "My Favorite Things."

More names for Auggie. This time it's Gollum and Alien and orc (again).

Gollum

Alien

Finally, Auggie mentions an "emperor's guard." In Star Wars the Emperor's Royal Guard are the characters in red in this image, and their only job is to protect the emperor. Although Auggie doesn't say exactly "Emperor's Royal Guard," does it make sense that he'd use a Star Wars reference? And considering the situation when Auggie uses the reference, why does this one seem especially important?

*All images linked to their source.

August

Beautiful Child by Eurythmics

Something that I said made you wear a frown.
The way you hang your head has made the tears come down.
But don’t you wear a sigh my beautiful child.

You know it doesn’t burn when you touch the sun.
So don’t be concerned my golden one,
You’re gonna reach the sky
Fly ... Beautiful child

There is no other place.
The human race is running out of space.
There is no better love,
And human love is what it takes.

And I’ll be at your side when you’re falling down.
You’ll be feeling fine when you hit the ground.
So don’t slip away
Stay ... Beautiful child

Wonder - Pages 235-248

Miranda says she watched all six episodes of Star Wars just so she could talk to Auggie about "aliens and bounty hunters and all that." She even lets readers know where Auggie got the astronaut helmet he wore for two years. Now, I'd like to take the time to watch all six episodes in school - all in the name of research, of course - however I think it's best if we settle for the one-sheet for each of the films.

I put the images in the order the films were released, which is why it starts with Episode IV and ends with Episode III. The first three movies were released in 1977, 1980, and 1983. Over fifteen years later, the final three movies were released, all prequels, that tell the events that happened before the original three films. The final three episodes were released in 1999, 2002, and 2005.

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Although Miranda only says she "watched all six episodes," who thinks she watched The Clone Wars too? The movie was released in 2008 as an introduction to the television series.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Emily Gibbs is the main character in the play Our Town. Miranda mentions Emily's costume at the end of her section. Here are some images of how Emily Webb was dressed in various productions of the play.

*All photos linked to their source.

Miranda

Beautiful Things by Andain

Got up early, found something’s missing
My only name
No one else sees, but I got stuck
And soon forever came
Stopped pushing on for just a second
Then nothing’s changed
Who am I this time, where's my name?
Guess it crept away

No one's calling for me at the door
And unpredictable won't bother anymore
And silently gets harder to ignore

Look straight ahead, there’s nothing left to see
What’s done is done, this life has got its hold on me
Just let it go, what now can never be

I forgot that I might see
So many beautiful things
I forgot that I might need
To find out what life could bring

Beautiful things

Take this happy ending away
It's all the same
God won't waste this simplicity
On possibility
Get me up, wake me up, dreams are filling
This trace of blame
Frozen still I thought I could stop
Now who's gonna wait?

No one's calling for me at the door
And unpredictable won't bother anymore
And silently gets harder to ignore

Look straight ahead, there’s nothing left to see
What’s done is done, this life has got its hold on me
Just let it go, what now can never be

So many beautiful things
So many beautiful things

Now what do I do?
Can I change my mind?
Did I think things through?
It was once my life
It was my life at one time

Positive Thoughts About Matt

Positive Thoughts about Eve

Positive Thoughts About Brian

Question for August Pages 215-234

Why do you think Mr. Davenport paused when he Via introduced August?  Surely he had already seen him standing there.

Positive Thoughts About Michelle

Interactive Periodic Table Games- Please No More Singing :)

After you guys sang me the the Periodic Song, I figured I would find some interesting sites to help you along the way.
Interactive Periodic Table
Periodic Table Info
Periodic Game
Periodic Table Games
Setting the Periodic Table

August Question from pages 205-215

"The ocean just wasn't leaving inside my head anymore." Do you think other kids may have gotten teased about their hearing aids?  Why do you think it isn't a big deal that August got them?  Was Via right about this? Do you think these new hearing aids will have a positive effect on August's life?

Positive thoughts about ANKIT!!! Sorry!

Positive Thoughts about Julian

Wonder- Pages 186-204

Pages 186-204

Take a look at the first pages of Justin's part. Notice anything interesting? Why do you think it is written like that?

At the end of Part Four, Justin tells Auggie and Jack that he is the fiddler in a zydeco band. He describes zydeco as a type of music, like Creole music that began in Louisiana. Now at the beginning of Part Five, Justin mentions zydeco again. I'm not too familiar with zydeco, but I do know Sesame Street has been teaching kids for over 40 years.

Justin talks about how cool it is that Olivia makes things like earrings our of pieces of circuit boards or dresses out of t-shirts, or bags out of old jeans. For Valentine's Day she gets him a messenger bag made out of old floppy disks.

Justin explains how he traded his baroque violin for an eight-string hardanger fiddle. They look pretty similar, but do you notice the biggest difference?

Baroque Violin

Hardanger Fiddle

We learn that Olivia and Justin are trying out for a role in the play Our Town. We also learn that, according to the grapevine, the drama teacher had been planning to do The Elephant Man, but at the last minute he changed his mind. Wonder why...? (Skip ahead to the 0:55 mark for quick look at the play. Keep watching for more details.)

Justin walks with Jack to the bus stop. He says Jack's "got a gravelly voice, like a little tough guy. he kind of looks like one of those little-rascal kids in old black-and-white movies, like he should be wearing a newsboy cap and knickers."

When Justin is on stage he sometimes forgets his lines. When that happens he plays a little "Soldier's Joy" which relaxes him and gives him a few moments to remember his lines. It might have sounded something like this fiddle player.

At the end of his part, Justin says his mind is full of thoughts that won't turn off. One of them is the elements of the periodic table which he's supposed to be memorizing. Each box on the Periodic Table shows one element.

Eventually, calmer thoughts soothe Justin "like a flatted third on a major chord." That's basically the difference between a major chord and a minor chord (or so I'm told). I looked and looked for a short video clip that would show the slight difference, but instead we'll visit the music room and hear the difference.

So with that ... off to the music room!

*All images linked to their sources.

Part Five: Justin

Justin's part is introduced with a quote from The Elephant Man, a play written by Bernard Pomerance that is based on the life of Joseph (sometimes called John) Merrick. John Merrick was a real person who lived in the 1800s. When he was two years old, growths began to appear on his face. As he grew older, his appearance continued to change until, according to Wikipedia, "His skin appeared thick and lumpy, he developed an enlargement of his lips, and a bony lump grew on his forehead. One of his arms and both feet became enlarged." His head grew to be 36 inches around.

The name "The Elephant Man" comes from John Merrick's time in a carnival freak show where people paid to look at "freaks." He was advertised at "The Elephant Man." He eventually did leave the freak show, but died in a hospital at the age of 27.

In one line of the play, John Merrick says the words quoted at the beginning of Justin's section.

"Sometimes I think my head is so

big because it is so full of dreams."

*All photos linked to their source.

Positive Thoughts about Nicholas

Wonder - Pages 158-185

Photoshop is a computer program that allows users to easily edit photos, including removing someone completely from an image. The name of the program has become a verb - to Photoshop is to edit a digital image. Here are some example of what can be done with Photoshop.

In an email to Mr. Tushman, Julian's mom reminds him that Beecher Prep is not an inclusion school. An inclusion school allows and encourages students with special educational needs to be included in the general education classrooms. What Julian's mom is saying is that Auggie has special education needs. Does Auggie have a disability, or does he just look different from other students? Here are some images that illustrate ways students with disabilities can be included with all students.

Charlotte tells Jack about Julian's plan and shares a list of the students in the class and what group they fall into. One of the groups is the "Neutrals." To be neutral simply means to not take sides in a dispute. Many times it is used to describe countries that refuse to take sides in a war.

When Jack goes to Auggie's house to work on their science project, he comments that Auggie has a cool iMac. He also says that his family has an "ancient Dell that's practically dead."

The title "Darth" in Star Wars is given to Sith Lords. The Sith are the people who use the dark side of the force, and Sith Lords are their leaders. Or, as quoted on Wookieepedia,

"The Darth title was more than just a symbol of power; it was a claim of supremacy. It was used by those Dark Lords who have sought to enforce their will on the other Masters. It was a challenge — a warning to bow down or be destroyed."

In the simplest terms, in the Star Wars world, people named "Darth Someone" are bad, bad dudes.

So now, think about Daisy the dog's official name: Darth Daisy. This evil Sith Lord was a shabby mutt bought from a homeless person. I actually Googled "Darth Daisy" and this is what I found.

Jack and Auggie are partners for their science project. After suggesting a sun clock, a volcano, and growing crystal spikes, the partners settle on an organic battery made out of potatoes. Auggie reads that they can power a lamp with it and says, "We could call it the Spud Lamp or something."

*All images linked to their source.