Wonder Books
Wonder Books expose children to another avenue for asking questions, organizing thinking, and responding in writing. After reading a thought provoking text, direct students to record at least three things they wonder about (I wonder how a light bulb can burn out if running on electricity? How do the buttons on a remote control work? What came first; the chicken or the egg?) Be sure to model high quality use of Wonder Books to make full use of their potential. This Strategy can also be done in Teams, where each teacm has a Wonder Book and they reflect and list their "wonders" in the team book and then report out.Individual students can also have their own notebook, or section in a notebook to respond and be able to reflect back on. Of course thiis strategy can be taught and used as a whole class activity where the students list there "wonders" and then share out to the whole class.
Sample:
Students read the weather from the newspaper. "Sunny skies hang in there for the morning, but the next storm can't be held off for long. Highs will range between 55 and 60,and winds will be from the south at 10-15 mph. At night, showers are possible,but temperatures will stay in the 60's." Washington Post Newspaper, Friday, March 2nd, 2012.
Next the students write there I wonder statements and discuss them as a class, team , or ponder them as individuals.
They could include: I wonder what mph stands for? 2. I wonder if it will rain all weekend? 3. I wonder if we will have any flooding because of the rain?
Look Fors for Successful Implementation: Students will comprehend text by gaining information. Teacher will demonstrate how a reader uses new information.
Reference: Harvey S. & Goudvis, A. (2000). Strategies That Work. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
