Name: Date:

Critical Reading and Writing

Level 8

Symbolism and Context

Austen Term
Lesson 7
Wonder – Recap & Genre
Lesson 7: Wonder – Recap & Genre

Year Focus – Symbolism and Context

Austen Term Focus – Literary Analysis

Lesson Learning Objectives

1. Skills for Reading Unseen Poetry (I)

2. Skills for Reading Unseen Poetry (II)

3. Essay Writing (I): Analysing a Question and Making an Essay Plan

4. Essay Writing (II): Structuring and Developing Points

5. Essay Writing (III): Writing and Assessing an Essay

6. Writing a Letter of Advice

7. Wonder: Recap & Genre

8. Wonder: Letter of Advice to Auggie

9. Wonder: Themes + Perspective

10. Wonder: Tone, Mood, & Context

11. Wonder: Characterisation (Character Arcs)

12. Unseen Poetry Test

Note to Parents:

In the second half of this term, we will be focusing on a single reader, Wonder. The
focus of this first lesson will be genre. After some introductory discussion of what
genre means and different examples of it, students will move on to thinking in more
depth about the genre of Wonder.

After discussing genre conventions and how these help us to understand a text as a
whole, students will write an essay about how Wonder relates to its genre. Essays
which cover large-scale ideas across a whole novel are very useful ones to learn to
write, as they’re a great way of ensuring that a student can explain complex ideas in a
clear and purposeful manner.

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Lesson 7: Wonder – Recap & Genre

Genre

A genre is a category of literature (or music, art, film, etc). Genres often come with their
own conventions or ways of doing things, although these tend to be flexible and often
change or develop over time.

Some people argue that in fact the best works of art take the conventions of a genre and
vary, adapt or manipulate them to create something new.

Below is a mind map showing a few examples of genres in literature. Can you add any more
to this list? What are typical features of these genres?

magic/the supernatural
set in the past, some
are important
basis in historical fact

fantasy
historical fiction

Genres

fairy tale

Discussion
Do you have a favourite genre that you like to read? Why?
Topic
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Lesson 7: Wonder – Recap & Genre

Coming of Age Genre

A genre that you may not have thought about previously is one called ‘Coming of Age’. This isn’t as
conspicuous a genre as fantasy or historical fiction, since the setting and props of the genre are not
very different to those of your own lives. In fact, this genre is probably the one which is closest to
describing your own experiences as this genre is related to the process of young people growing up.

Read the blurbs from some famous Coming of Age novels and see if you can identify the main
conventions of the genre. Make a list in the left hand column on the next page.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky1

The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky, Perks follows observant
“wallflower” Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between
adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs,
and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the
fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must
learn to navigate those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger2

Over the course of three days, a rich kid who can't stop getting expelled from every
school he attends wanders around Manhattan trying to get (1) drunk and (2) a date.
The Catcher in the Rye is a book about a teenager trying to find a way to be true to
himself while growing up in a world full of phonies—and a book about post-World
War II America burrowing into the “phoniness” of consumerism while trying to
pretend that the trauma of the atomic bomb didn’t happen.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee3

To Kill a Mockingbird is primarily a novel about growing up under extraordinary

circumstances in the 1930s in the Southern United States. The story covers a span of
three years, during which the main characters undergo significant changes. The key
event in the book is the trial of a black man named Tom Robinson, who is accused of
raping and beating a white woman. Scout and Jem’s father is the lawyer who defends
him. Suddenly, Scout and Jem have to tolerate a barrage of racial slurs and insults
because of Atticus' role in the trial. Through this experience, Scout learns valuable
lessons about what it means to be a woman and also how to have courage in the face
of adversity.

1
Taken from https://www.kingscountylibrary.org/staff-picks/2013/11/20/staff-pick-the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower
2
Adapted from https://www.shmoop.com/catcher-in-the-rye/
3
Adapted from https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird/book-summary

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Lesson 7: Wonder – Recap & Genre

Typical features of ‘Coming of Age’ novels Example of this in Wonder

Once you have filled in the left column of this table with all of the
genre features you can find (you may not need to fill all of the rows
for this), find an example of each feature from Wonder (again, you
may not be able to fill in all the rows – we’ll discuss this later).

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Lesson 7: Wonder – Recap & Genre

Essay Practice

Using the skills which you’ve learned over the past few weeks on how to plan and write an essay,
complete the following essay:

Can R J Palacio’s Wonder be described as a typical ‘Coming of Age’ novel?

(Hint: in this sort of essay, you can give both sides of the argument, but you should come to an
overall decision. This decision should be clear right from the first line of your introduction.)

Planning Space:

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Lesson 7: Wonder – Recap & Genre

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 Lesson 7: Wonder – Recap & Genre

Critical Reading and Writing

(Day Book and Literature Oriented)
2018-2019 Regular Term Timetables
(September 2018 – June 2019)
Grade Time
Fri 1400-1510
Mon 1600-1710 Tue 1720-1830 Wed 1640-1750
L1 Fri 1600-1710
Tue 1600-1710 Wed 1600-1710 Thur 1400-1510
Sat 0900-1010

Mon 1720-1830 Thur 1600-1710 Fri 1640-1750 Sun 1020-1130

L2
Tue 1600-1710 Thur 1720-1830 Sat 0900-1010 Sun 1140-1250

Mon 1720-1830
Sat 0900-1010
L3 Tue 1600-1710 Wed 1600-1710 Sun 1140-1250
Sat 1520-1630
Sat 1640-1750
Tue 1600-1710 Sat 1020-1130 Sat 1400-1510
L4 Sun 0900-1010
Sat 0900-1010 Sat 1140-1250 Sat 1520-1630
Sun 1140-1250
L5 Mon 1720-1830 Tue 1800-1910 Fri 1640-1750 Sat 1640-1750

Tue 1600-1710
L6 Mon 1600-1710 Thur 1640-1750 Sat 1020-1130
Wed 1800-1910
Mon 1610-1720 Fri 1530-1640 Fri 1800-1910 Sat 1640-1750
L7
Wed 1720-1830 Fri 1640-1750 Sat 1520-1630 Sun 1020-1130
Sat 1520-1630
L8 Mon 1600-1710 Wed 1600-1710
Sun 1020-1130
Grade Elementary Intermediate Advanced
CRW L9
Wed 1720-1830
S3 Wed 1815-1925
DSE Foundation Thur 1600-1710
DSE Preliminary
Mon 1800-1930 Sun 0900-1010
Tue 1800-1930
Thur 1400-1530 Sun 1400-1510
S4 Applied Critical Thinking
Sun 0900-1010
DSE Merit DSE Distinction
DSE Essentials Sat 1640-1910 Wed 1800-1930
S5-S6
Fri 1800-1910 Sun 1400-1510 Thur 1800-1930
Sun 1640-1810
家長可自行組班，四人成班。 如少於四人，課堂將於開班前取消。本中心保留最終決定權。
Parents can form your own group with a minimum of 4 students.
Classes will be cancelled one week before the lesson if there are fewer than 4 students.
Update: 18/7/2018