Hello everyone!
It is so wonderful to see you today.
I am your reading coach, Minhee Teacher.
Today, we are diving back into the beautiful book Wonder, and we
are looking at Part Seven: Miranda's Camp Lies.
Let's get ready to see this story come alive like a movie in our
minds.
Before we yell action and zoom in on the details, let's look at
the big picture.
This part of the story has three main scenes.
In the first scene, we see Miranda at summer camp.
She feels lonely, so she changes her look and starts telling big
lies to make herself look cool and get attention.
In the second scene, she is back at school, but she feels
distant and cold toward her old best friend, Via, because of
those lies.
In the third scene, we are backstage at the school play.
Miranda makes a big, generous choice to let Via shine, and she
realizes how much she still loves Via's family, especially
Auggie.
Now, let's put on our movie director hats.
Imagine you are looking through the camera lens.
Zoom in on Miranda.
She is holding a bottle of bright pink hair dye.
Why is she doing this?
She wants to wash away her old, quiet self.
Now, pan the camera over to the camp campfire.
Miranda is talking to a crowd of cool kids.
She tells them, "I have a brother who has a deformed face."
Wait, cut!
That is not her brother.
That is Auggie, Via's little brother!
Why did she say that?
As directors, we can see the look in her eyes.
It is not malice; it is a desperate need to be noticed.
The other kids gasp and suddenly think she is so interesting.
But look at the cost.
When camp ends, Miranda cannot face Via.
How can she look at Via after using Via's sweet little brother
to buy popularity?
The camera shows Miranda sitting alone, looking at her phone.
She dials Via's house just to hear Auggie's voice.
When he answers, she smiles and says, "Hey, Major Tom!" That was
her special nickname for him, from a famous song about an
astronaut.
Even though she made a huge mistake, she still loves this
family.
Let's break down why this matters.
Why do people lie to fit in?
It is like wearing a mask that is too tight.
At first, everyone looks at the mask and says, "Wow, cool mask!"
But inside, you are suffocating.
Miranda wanted to feel special, so she borrowed Auggie's
real-life struggle to make her own life sound dramatic.
But here is the simple cause and effect: when you pretend to be
someone else, you lose the people who love the real you.
The good news is that true love does not just disappear when we
make mistakes.
At the end of the chapter, Miranda lets Via take the lead role
in the play because she knows Via's family is in the audience.
She watches Via get a massive standing ovation, and instead of
being jealous, she feels happy.
When she hugs Auggie at the end, she is taking off her mask and
coming home to the people who truly know her.
Let's look at some key words that help us paint this picture.
First, we have camp lies.
These are the silly or big untruths people tell at summer camp
to make themselves sound cooler to strangers.
Think of it as a temporary fictional identity.
Next is pink hair.
Miranda dyed her hair bright pink.
It is a visual symbol of her trying to change who she is on the
outside.
Then we have understudy.
An understudy is a backup actor who learns all the lines and is
ready to jump on stage if the main actor gets sick.
Via was Miranda's understudy.
Our fourth word is standing ovation.
This is when the audience is so amazed that they do not just
clap; they stand up on their feet and cheer.
Finally, Major Tom.
This is the sweet nickname Miranda gave Auggie, inspired by a
song about an astronaut.
It shows the deep, gentle connection they shared.
Now, let's practice speaking!
I want you to repeat these five short sentences after me.
Imagine you are Miranda, feeling these emotions.
Ready?
I told camp lies to make new friends.
I said I had a brother who was deformed.
I lost my real best friend for a while.
I let Via take the lead role.
I still love Auggie like a little brother.
Fantastic job!
You sounded just like actors delivering their lines.
To wrap up our lesson today, I have one question for you to
think about.
Why do you think it is so tempting to lie about our lives when
we meet new people, and how can we find the courage to just be
ourselves instead?
Think about it, and I will see you in our next reading
adventure.
Bye-bye!