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Wonder · Garden Heights Academy
Part 1
for Wonder · Part 1 · Narrated by August
a novel by R.J. Palacio
35 min6 Parts
This workbook is built on a solid pedagogical foundation, effectively integrating content and language learning based on the CLIL framework (Content and Language Integrated Learning), elevated by our unique 5th C — Connection — and an integrated Standardized Test section that weaves every SAT & TOEFL question type right into the novel, so learners build real test skills easily, naturally, and with fun.
💭 Before You Read · Just for Fun
No right or wrong answers — just think or chat about it: What do you notice FIRST when you meet someone new — and how often has your first impression turned out wrong? Have you ever wanted to be invisible for a day? And is it harder to be kind, or to be honest?
What Happens in Part 1
Ten-year-old August ‘Auggie’ Pullman was born with a facial difference and has been homeschooled all his life after many surgeries. Now he starts fifth grade at Beecher Prep. Principal Mr. Tushman arranges for Jack Will, Julian, and Charlotte to show him around. His English teacher, Mr. Browne, introduces a monthly precept, beginning with ‘When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.’ Auggie makes a true friend in Summer and grows close to Jack — until Halloween, when, hidden in a costume, he overhears Jack say he only befriended him because he was asked to.
What We Will Learn
Literary Element
What It Means
First-Person Narrator
A story told by a character using ‘I’ and ‘me’
Character
What a person in a story is like, shown by what they say and do
Theme
The big idea or message of a story, such as kindness
Chapter Summary
In This Part
Key Events
Starting School
Auggie leaves homeschooling to start fifth grade at Beecher Prep; Mr. Tushman gives him a tour
Precepts
Mr. Browne teaches his first precept: choose kind over being right
New Friends
Summer chooses to sit with Auggie at lunch; Jack Will becomes his friend
Halloween
Hidden in a costume, Auggie overhears Jack say he only befriended him because Mr. Tushman asked
Copyright Notice
Independent study guide by Garden Heights Academy. Not affiliated with or endorsed by R.J. Palacio or Alfred A. Knopf. No text from the novel is reproduced. Students should read the original book.
Part 1
Vocabulary
Study 10 key words from Part One (August), then answer each question.
🧠Knowledge Bank · Behind the Astronaut Helmet
Lexicology · Behind the Astronaut Helmet
For two years Auggie wore a toy astronauthelmet everywhere to hide his face, and he loves Star Wars — even wearing a Padawan braid. These details matter: children who look different often find ways to feel safe and normal. Auggie had also been homeschooled because of his many surgeries, so starting fifth grade at a real school is a huge, scary first step into being seen. It is the medical reality behind his many operations and his ‘ordinary kid, extraordinary face’ story. His English teacher, Mr. Browne, introduces a monthly precept, beginning with ‘When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.’ Auggie makes a true friend in Summer and grows close to Jack — until Halloween, when, hidden in a costume, he overhears Jack say he only befriended him because he was asked to.
Together, these meanings give the episode verbal precision.
ⓘ Vocabulary words are selected to help you understand and complete this workbook. Some may not appear verbatim in the novel.
preceptn.Pt.1
A short rule that helps guide how you live
“Mr. Browne wrote a new precept on the board each month.”
ordinaryadj.Pt.1
Normal; not special or unusual
“Auggie just wants to feel like an ordinary kid.”
self-consciousadj.Pt.1
Worried about how others see you
“The stares made Auggie feel self-conscious.”
reputationn.Pt.1
What people generally think of someone
“Julian had a reputation for being charming to adults.”
sympathyn.Pt.1
Sharing and understanding another person’s feelings
“Summer treated Auggie with real sympathy and warmth.”
overhearv.Pt.1
To hear something you were not meant to hear
“Auggie happened to overhear Jack talking about him.”
betrayv.Pt.1
To break the trust of someone close to you
“Jack’s words made Auggie feel betrayed.”
matureadj.Pt.1
Grown-up in the way one behaves
“Auggie is often more mature than other kids his age.”
reluctantadj.Pt.1
Unwilling or hesitant to do something
“At first Jack was reluctant to be Auggie’s guide.”
isolatedadj.Pt.1
Set apart and alone
“Before school, Auggie’s life had been fairly isolated.”
1A short rule that helps guide how you live is a —Pt.1
2Something “ordinary” is rare and very unusual.Pt.1
3The stares of strangers make Auggie feel worried about how others see him. He feels —Pt.1
4Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pt.1
Word choices:reputationsympathyordinaryprecept- some words will not be used
What people generally think of you is your
Summer treats Auggie with kindness and
5To “overhear” means to hear something you were not meant to hear.Pt.1
6Jack’s words break Auggie’s trust. Auggie feels that Jack has — him.Pt.1
7Auggie often behaves in a grown-up way for his age. He is —Pt.1
8Someone “reluctant” is eager and very willing.Pt.1
9Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pt.1
Word choices:isolatedoverhearbetraymature- some words will not be used
Before school, Auggie’s life felt lonely and
A true friend should never
10Before starting school, Auggie spent most of his time apart from other kids. His life was —Pt.1
Part 2
Comprehension
How well do you understand Part One (August)?
🧠Knowledge Bank · Seeing the Person Before the Condition
Narrative Logic · Seeing the Person Before the Condition
Because August narrates Part 1, we learn his thoughts and feelings directly. Keep the medical background in mind, but do not reduce Auggie to it: Palacio wants readers to notice his humor, fears, intelligence, and longing to be treated as ordinary. Starting School: Auggie leaves homeschooling to start fifth grade at Beecher Prep; Mr. Tushman gives him a tour. Precepts: Mr. Browne teaches his first precept: choose kind over being right. New Friends: Summer chooses to sit with Auggie at lunch; Jack Will becomes his friend. Halloween: Hidden in a costume, Auggie overhears Jack say he only befriended him because Mr. Tushman asked. Ten-year-old August ‘Auggie’ Pullman was born with a facial difference and has been homeschooled all his life after many surgeries.
The resulting chain can be read as a coherent sequence.
1Why has Auggie been homeschooled until now?Pt.1
2August was born with a facial difference.Pt.1
3What does Mr. Browne give his class to think about each month?Pt.1
4What is Mr. Browne’s first precept about?Pt.1
5Put these events from Part 1 in the correct order. Write 1–4 (1 = first).Pt.1
Auggie begins fifth grade at Beecher Prep.
Auggie overhears Jack’s hurtful words at Halloween.
Summer chooses to sit with Auggie at lunch.
Mr. Tushman gives Auggie a tour before school starts.
6Summer chooses, on her own, to be Auggie’s friend.Pt.1
7Who does Mr. Tushman ask to show Auggie around the school?Pt.1
8Which boy is unkind to Auggie from the very start?Pt.1
9At Halloween, Auggie overhears Jack say something hurtful about him.Pt.1
10Why does Auggie like wearing a costume or his old astronaut helmet?Pt.1
Part 3
Literary Elements
Understanding HOW and WHY R.J. Palacio writes Part One (August) the way she does.
🧠Knowledge Bank · Voice, Character, and Theme
Literary Technique · Voice, Character, and Theme
Palacio uses a first-personnarrator so we bond with Auggie, builds his character through small everyday moments, and plants the book’s central theme in Mr. Browne’s precept: choose kind. Culture — the real “Wonder” movement: the novel launched Choose Kind, a real anti-bullying movement adopted by thousands of schools — a book that became a curriculum. Ethics — kind vs. right: philosophers genuinely debate whether truth or compassion should win when they conflict — Mr. Browne’s first precept is a 2,000-year-old debate in ten words. First-Person Narrator: A story told by a character using ‘I’ and ‘me’. Now he starts fifth grade at Beecher Prep. Principal Mr. Tushman arranges for Jack Will, Julian, and Charlotte to show him around. Palacio based Auggie on Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare genetic condition that changes how the bones of the face form before birth — affecting cheeks, jaw, ears and eyes.
The chosen technique controls the reader’s viewpoint.
📚 Literary Devices in This Part · definitions & examples
A first-person narrator tells the story using ‘I’ and ‘me’. In Part 1, August narrates his own life, so we hear his private thoughts.Character is what a person in a story is like, shown by what they say and do. We learn Auggie is brave, funny, and kind.Theme is the big idea or message of a story. The main theme of Wonder is kindness — ‘choose kind.’
The questions below are mixed — not grouped by device. Decide which device each one is about.
1August telling his own story using ‘I’ and ‘me’ makes him a —Pt.1
2We learn about a character from what they say and do.Pt.1
3Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Pt.1
Word choices:thememessagenarratorprecept- some words will not be used
The big idea behind a story is its
A theme is the story’s deeper
4Calling Auggie brave, funny, and kind describes his —Pt.1
5A theme is the big idea or message behind a story.Pt.1
6Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Pt.1
Word choices:first-personIsettingprecept- some words will not be used
A narrator who uses ‘I’ tells the story in the
A first-person narrator often uses the word
7‘Choose kind’ is the book’s main —Pt.1
8A first-person narrator tells the story using words like ‘I’ and ‘me’.Pt.1
9Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Pt.1
Word choices:characteractionssettingprecept- some words will not be used
What a person in a story is like is their
We learn character from a person’s words and
10Palacio never fully describes Auggie’s face in Part 1 — Auggie says whatever you imagine, it is probably worse. What does this FIRST-PERSON choice accomplish?Part 1
Part 4
Think Deeper
Four deeper challenges — no single-word recall. Read, weigh the evidence, and reason it through.
🧠Knowledge Bank · Why Begin with Auggie
Ethical Reasoning · Why Begin with Auggie
By letting Auggie tell his own story first, Palacio avoids making him an object of pity. The structure asks readers to practice empathy: understand his medical reality, but judge the people around him by whether they see his full humanity. Wonder (2012) by R.J. Palacio was inspired by a real moment when her young son became upset at the sight of a child with a facial difference. Auggie’s condition is connected to Treacher Collins syndrome, also called mandibulofacial dysostosis, a rare craniofacial condition that can affect the cheekbones, jaw, ears, breathing, hearing, and need for surgery. Palacio gives Auggie the first voice so readers meet a funny, thoughtful child before they think about his diagnosis. Character study centers on what a person in a story is like, shown by what they say and do.
A defensible conclusion requires balanced judgment.
1Claim: “August is braver than he thinks.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence
2How is August treated at his new school? Tap each item to send it left or right.Sort into two
◄ KindUnkind ►
3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect
August was born with a facial difference→
Mr. Tushman wants him to feel welcome→
Julian singles out Auggie’s face→
Auggie keeps showing up despite it all→
4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument
August keeps coming to school even though it is hard because , which shows the book’s idea that .
Part 5
Standardized Test · Vocabulary in Context & Main Idea
Part 1 builds four exam reading skills — Vocabulary in Context, Main Idea, Inference, and Author’s Purpose — in the styles the SAT and TOEFL use. Read the passage (the highlighted words are tested below), then choose the answer best supported by the text.
🎓Knowledge Bank · How the SAT & TOEFL Ask
Test Skills · Part 1Real reading exams rarely test a single fact. This section practices four question families: Vocabulary in Context (what a word means in this sentence), Main Idea (the central point), Inference (what must be true even if unstated), and Author’s Purpose (why a detail is included). For vocabulary, cover the word, read the sentence, and predict a replacement before you choose. Later parts add more question families and build toward a mixed practice test.
Your brain reads a face faster than you can blink. Within a fraction of a second of any encounter, a specialized region behind your ear has already judged whether a new face looks friendly, safe, or strange. This instinct is ancient equipment: for our distant ancestors, deciding friend-or-stranger quickly could mean survival. The snap judgment happens before thinking does — you do not choose it any more than you choose to blink. The trouble is that the snap judgment is often not accurate. It is built on pattern-matching: the brain compares each new face to the faces it already knows, and anything unfamiliar triggers a small alarm.
That alarm is an assumption, not a fact — yet people routinely mistake it for one, staring at, or turning away from, a face that is simply new to them. The person behind the face has not been seen at all; only the pattern has. The hopeful part of the science is this: the face-reading brain can be retrained. Faces become familiar with exposure, and familiarity switches the alarm off — usually within days. People who spend real time with someone who looks different stop noticing the difference at all; they report, honestly, that they “just see their friend.” First impressions are automatic, but second impressions are a choice — and the brain is fully prepared to revise.
Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.
1As used in the passage, the word “encounter” most nearly means —SAT · Words in Context
2The passage most strongly suggests that a first impression of someone who looks different usually —SAT · Inference
3According to the passage, how quickly does the brain judge a new face?TOEFL · Factual Information
4As used in the passage, the word “assumption” most nearly means —SAT · Words in Context
5According to the passage, what does the brain compare each new face to?TOEFL · Factual Information
6In the passage, the word “revise” is closest in meaning to —TOEFL · Vocabulary
7Which statement best expresses the central idea of the passage?SAT · Central Ideas
8According to the passage, what usually happens within days of spending real time with someone who looks different?TOEFL · Factual Information
9The passage most strongly suggests that a child who stares at an unfamiliar face is —TOEFL · Inference
10Why does the author end with the sentence about first and second impressions?SAT · Text Structure & Purpose
Part 6 · Optional
Creative Writing
A bonus challenge to practice your English.
About This Section
This writing task is optional and not part of your auto-graded score. Feedback checks length, spelling, and grammar only.
Writing Task — Part 1 “Auggie’s First Day”
Write about August’s first day at Beecher Prep from his point of view, using a first-person narrator (‘I’). Show what he sees, hopes for, and fears. Write at least 40 words.
You can start with: “I knew the first day would be hard, but as I walked up to the doors of Beecher Prep, I…”
0 / 40 words minimum
🗣 Teach It · Just for Fun (optional)
No right or wrong — close the screen and tell someone nearby what happened in this part. Can’t find anyone? Tell yourself out loud. The moment you teach it, you truly understand it.
