Hello everyone!
I am your English reading coach, Minhee Teacher.
Today, we are opening a truly beautiful and famous book called
Wonder.
We are going to explore Part One, which is titled Ordinary.
Grab your imaginary movie director's chair, because today, we
are going to look at this story like a film director.
We will paint the scenes in our minds, look closely at the
characters' feelings, and make the English words come alive.
Let's start by looking at our story through the camera lens.
Imagine our movie starting with three simple scenes.
In scene one, we see a ten-year-old boy named Auggie eating ice
cream, riding his bike, and playing ball.
He looks like any other kid.
But when he goes to a playground, other kids scream and run
away.
In scene two, the camera moves to Auggie's cozy living room.
He is talking with his mom.
He has been homeschooled his whole life, but now, his parents
want him to start a real school called Beecher Prep.
He is terrified.
In scene three, the camera follows Auggie as he walks through
the school hallways.
He meets the principal, Mr.
Tushman, and three classmates who are showing him around.
He can feel everyone’s eyes staring at him.
Now, let's zoom our camera in close on Auggie's face during that
first scene.
Auggie tells us, I know I am not an ordinary ten-year-old kid.
He explains that he does normal things.
He plays Xbox, he loves ice cream, and inside his heart, he
feels completely ordinary.
But then, the camera pulls back, and we see the sad truth.
When he goes to a playground, other kids look at his face, get
scared, and run away.
Can you picture that?
Imagine how heavy and lonely his heart must feel.
He just wants to play, but his outside appearance stops other
kids from seeing who he really is.
Why does this happen?
Let's explain this in a very simple way.
Imagine you go to a bookstore and see a book with a very
strange, unusual cover.
Because the cover looks different, you might hesitate to touch
it, or you might even walk away.
But if you actually open the book and read the pages, you find
the most wonderful, funny, and exciting story inside.
Auggie is just like that book.
His face looks different because of a medical condition he was
born with, but his inside story, which is his feelings, his
humor, and his kindness, is totally ordinary and wonderful.
The problem is that other people get stuck looking at the cover
and forget to read the book.
To help us direct this movie, we need to understand a few
important words.
The first word is ordinary.
This means normal, or just like everyone else.
Think of an ordinary day with no surprises, where you just eat
breakfast, go to school, and come home.
Auggie wishes for an ordinary life.
The second word is stare.
This means to look at someone for a long time, often rudely.
Imagine someone opening their eyes really wide and pointing
their face at you without blinking.
That is staring, and it makes people feel very uncomfortable.
The third word is petrified.
This means so scared that you freeze like a stone.
You can think of the word petrified as turning into a rock
because you are so frightened.
Auggie feels petrified about his first day of school.
The fourth word is homeschooled.
This means being taught at home by your parents instead of going
to a school building.
Auggie was homeschooled because he had to have many surgeries.
Our fifth phrase is cleft palate.
This is the medical term for a split in the roof of the mouth
that Auggie was born with, which made it hard for him to speak
and eat before his surgeries.
Now, let's practice speaking like the characters in our movie.
It is time for our shadowing practice.
I will say a sentence, and I want you to repeat it right after
me with real feeling.
Let us begin.
Number one: I know I am not an ordinary kid.
Number two: Ordinary kids do not make other kids run away.
Number three: I felt petrified on my first day.
Number four: I want to be seen as just another student.
Number five: It takes courage to walk into a new school.
You did an amazing job repeating those sentences!
You sound so natural and expressive.
Before we wrap up our lesson today, I have one final question
for you to think about.
If you were a student at Beecher Prep, and you saw Auggie
walking down the hallway on his very first day, what is one
small thing you could do to make him feel welcome and safe?
Think about your answer, and keep reading this wonderful book.
I will see you in our next lesson.
Bye-bye!