UNIT 4: You and Me, Makes us We

Through this unit, we aim to create reflective thinkers who practice a growth mindset.

In this unit we will-

❖ read a story and a poem.

❖ use personal experiences to express
ourselves creatively through texts.
❖ evaluate similarities and differences
by connecting features (writing style
and structure of a text) across and
within genres and texts.
❖ analyze the effects of the creator’s
choices on an audience.
❖ justify opinions and ideas, using
examples, explanations, and
terminology.
❖ employ organizational structures that serve the context and intention.
❖ use referencing and formatting tools to create a presentation style suitable to the context and
intention.
❖ learn to use ‘Simple and Progressive Tense’.
In this unit, we are reading a story and a poem to explore style, structure, and connections.

Before you read-

‘Fair and Unfair’ is a poem about inequality, difference, and inclusion. The poet writes simply, but
insightfully, about common, ordinary experiences. These show ‘fair’ and ‘unfair’ in the society. The
poet’s style is about using homonyms for a better understanding and interpretation of deep ideas.
We will also read three parts of the novel - ‘Wonder’ written by R.J. Palacio. The novel is about
August, a ten-year-old boy with facial differences. August goes to a traditional school for the first
time in fifth grade. At school, he makes new friends, has conflicts with some of them and deals with
a bully. The experiences help August to see that he is capable of being independent.

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Activity 1: Homonyms
Individual Activity 🕒 15 mins

Read the list of words given below.

These words have the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings and functions. Such
words are called ‘HOMONYMS’.

The poem that you are going to read next employs the use of homonyms. Do you think you can
locate the homonyms as well as the purpose they serve as you read the poem?

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Activity 2: Fair and Unfair-Poem
Group Activity 🕒 30 mins

Here is a poem in which the poet uses ‘Homonyms’ to convey different ideas that exist in society.
Read and discuss the poem. Note its key points.

● What is the poet trying to convey?

____________________________________________________________________________.

● Can you identify certain key points about the writing style? (Style in poetry refers to rhyme,
rhyme scheme as well as choice of words.)

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● What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

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Activity 3: Part-1 First Day Jitters (from the novel - Wonder)
Individual Activity 🕒 35 mins

Let us read about a boy ‘Auggie’ who creates a unique impression in a world that thinks of him as
‘different’. Let us understand how he faces indifference and then moves to inclusion in a new school.

Part 1_First Day Jitters

Okay, so I admit that on the first day of school, I was so nervous that the butterflies in my stomach
were more like pigeons flying around my insides. Mom and Dad were probably a little nervous, too,
but they acted all excited for me, taking pictures of me and Via before we left the house since it was
Via's first day of school, too. Up until a few days before, we still weren't sure I would be going to
school at all. After my tour of the school, Mom and Dad had reversed sides on whether I should go
or not. Mom was now the one saying I shouldn't go and Dad was saying I should. Dad had told me
he was really proud of how I'd handled myself with Julian and that I was turning into quite the strong
man. And I heard him tell Mom that he now thought she had been right all along. But Mom, I could
tell, wasn't so sure anymore. When Dad told her that he and Via wanted to walk me to school today,
too, since it was on the way to the subway station, Mom seemed relieved that we would all be going
together.

And I guess I was, too. Even though Beecher Prep is just a few blocks from our house, I've only
been on that block a couple of times before. In general, I try to avoid blocks where there are lots of
kids roaming around. On our block, everybody knows me and I know everybody. I know every brick
and every tree trunk and every crack in the sidewalk. I know Mrs. Grimaldi, the lady who's always
sitting by her window, and the old guy who walks up and down the street whistling like a bird. I
know the deli on the corner where Mom gets our bagels, and the waitresses at the coffee shop who
all call me "honey" and give me lollipops whenever they see me. I love my neighborhood of North
River Heights, which is why it was so strange to be walking down these blocks feeling like it was all
new to me suddenly. Amesfort Avenue, a street I've been down a million times, looked totally
different for some reason. Full of people I never saw before, waiting for buses, pushing strollers. We
crossed Amesfort and turned up Heights Place: Via walked next to me like she usually does, and
Mom and Dad were behind us.

As soon as we turned the corner, we saw all the kids in front of the school—hundreds of them
talking to each other in little groups, laughing, or standing with their parents, who were talking with
other parents. I kept my head way down.

"Everyone's just as nervous as you are," said Via in my ear. "Just remember that this is everyone's
first day of school. Okay?"

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Mr. Tushman, the principal, was greeting students and parents in front of the school entrance. I have
to admit: so far, nothing bad has happened. I didn't catch anyone staring or even noticing me. Only
once did I look up to see some girls looking my way and whispering with their hands cupped over
their mouths, but they looked away when they saw me notice them.

We reached the front entrance.

"Okay, so this is it, big boy," said Dad, putting his hands on top of my shoulders.

"Have a great first day. I love you," said Via, giving me a big kiss and a hug.

"You, too," I said.

"I love you, Auggie," said Dad, hugging me.

"Bye." Then Mom hugged me, but I could tell she was about to cry, which would have totally
embarrassed me, so I just gave her a fast hard hug, turned, and disappeared into the school.

While reading, identify words that describe feelings. Choose any FIVE to make sentences.

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Activity: 4: Know Your Characters
Group Activity 🕒 30 mins

Now that you have read the first chapter from the novel ‘Wonder by R. J. Palacio, fill in the
relationship Graphic Organizer given below for characters. In each box, you can describe the
characters, their personality traits, and their relationship with each other. You can also draw as per
your understanding.

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Activity 5: Styles of Writing
Individual Activity 🕒 35 mins

Go through the information about writing styles given below. Identify the writing style that you
come across in the novel ‘WONDER’.

Types of Writings
Expository Writing Narrative Writing

Writing in which the author's purpose is to Writing in which the writer tells a story. The
inform or explain the subject to the reader. story could be a fact or fiction.

It gives facts or directions, identifies terms, Narrative writing includes-

or clarifies ideas. It includes- ● accurate ordering of events
● definitions ● conflict that generates action
● cause and effect relationships ● a climax or turning point in the action
● comparisons and contrasts ● a satisfying resolution
● illustrations and examples

Examples- Encyclopedia entries, news Examples- Personal narratives, short stories,

reports, research papers, manuals novels, biographies

Persuasive Writing Descriptive Writing

Writing that states the opinion of the writer Writing that uses the five senses to paint a
and attempts to influence the reader. picture for the reader. This writing
incorporates imagery and specific details.
Persuasive writing includes-
● a clear and direct opinion statement Descriptive writing includes-
● specific facts ● a clear focus on the subject
● examples or statistics to back up the ● significant details that appeal to the
opinion and disprove opposing opinions senses
● specific, lively, and interesting words
Examples- Editorials, essays, reviews, and ● figurative language when appropriate
advertisements Examples- Character sketch, poetry, book
reports, science observations

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Activity 6: Exploring Writing Styles
Individual Activity 🕒 30 mins

Identify the style in the following text and write in the space given below -
Silhouetted against a golden moon, which "I am sending you a copy of my CV in order to
grew larger each moment, was a big, oddly apply for the managerial position which you
lop-sided creature, which was coming in advertised in the local newspaper. You will find
Harry’s direction. He stood very still and that I have exceptional abilities when it comes to
watched it sink lower. For a moment, he this type of role and my past experience will
hesitated with his hand on the latch of the further demonstrate this.
window, deciding whether he should slam it In my previous post, I successfully managed a
shut, but the strange creature soared over a team of twenty people whose efforts under my
streetlight of Privet Drive, and then Harry, guidance, brought the company into new financial
who had realised what it was, jumped heights.
aside.” I am capable and willing to expand my knowledge
through training and applied learning. I think you
(Harry Potter and the prisoner of will find that there is no-one more qualified for this
Azkaban - JK Rowling) position than me."
___________________________________ (A cover letter handed to a prospective employer)
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"It was a grey and cold day at the end of "As Boris Johnson returns to his post next week in
November. The weather seemed to have Downing Street, he is going to have to make a
changed overnight, with a backing wind series of difficult decisions that are set to define his
which brought a sky like granite and a premiership as well as the future of the nation. It
miserly rain too. Although it was only just has been less than three weeks since he left
after two in the afternoon, it seemed that the intensive care at ST Thomas' hospital and the
pallor a the winter evening had already Prime Minister will need to decide how and when
closed upon the hills, covering them in to ease the restrictions of lockdown that were
mist." imposed by him over a month ago."
(Daphne Du Marier's Jamaica Inn) (A British newspaper)
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Activity 7: Exploring the Text
Individual Activity 🕒 30 mins

Let’s go back to the text. What do you think is the style of the text that you are reading in this
unit?

Wonder is written in ________________________________style.

Find extracts from the text (Part-1) to exemplify the features of the ‘Writing Style’ identified by you.
Note these down in the space given below.

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Activity 8: Reading-Part-4
Individual Activity 🕒 35 mins

Read the text: The text given below is Part-4 from the novel, ‘Wonder’. It gives the
perspectives of other students at the school.

Part-4_Why I Didn’t Sit with August the First Day of School

Why I Didn't Sit with August the First Day of School

Okay, I'm a total hypocrite. I know. That very first day of school I remember seeing August in the
cafeteria. Everybody was looking at him. Talking about him. Back then, no one was used to his face
or even knew that he was coming to Beecher, so it was a total shocker for a lot of people to see him
there on the first day of school. Most kids were even afraid to get near him.

So when I saw him going into the cafeteria ahead of me, I knew he'd have no one to sit with, but I
just couldn't bring myself to sit with him. I had been hanging out with him all morning long because
we had so many classes together, and I guess I was just kind of wanting a little normal time to chill
with other kids. So when I saw him move to a table on the other side of the lunch counter, I
purposely found a table as far away from there as I could find. I sat down with Isaiah and Luca even
though I'd never met them before, and we talked about baseball the whole time, and I played
basketball with them at recess. They became my lunch table from then on. I heard Summer had sat
down with August, which surprised me because I knew for a fact she wasn't one of the kids that
Tushman had talked to about being friends with Auggie. So I knew she was doing it just to be nice,
and that was pretty brave, I thought.

So now here I was sitting with Summer and August, and they were being totally nice to me as
always. I filled them in about everything Charlotte had told me, except for the whole big part about
my having "snapped" under the pressure of being Auggie's friend, or the part about Julian's mom
saying that Auggie had special needs, or the part about the school board. I guess all I really told
them about was how Julian had had a holiday party and managed to turn the whole grade against
me.

"It just feels so weird," I said, "to not have people talking to you, pretending you don't even exist."

Auggie started smiling.

"Ya think?" he said sarcastically. "Welcome to my world!"

While reading_Vocab

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● Find the word given in Column 1 in the text.

● In Column 2, write the sentence from the text that has this word.

● Now, use the same word in a sentence of your own and write it in Column 3.

S. No Column 1 Column 2 Column 3

Word Find the word in context and Use the same word in your
write the sentence here. sentence

1 cafeteria

2 counter

3 snapped

4 purposely

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Activity 9: Summarization (SWBST)
Individual Activity 🕒 25 mins

You have read two parts from the novel ‘Wonder’ by R J Palacio. Here is a template given below
for summarizing the text.

Go through the given example. This will help you in understanding the structure of a text.

Example: Why I Didn't Sit with August the First Day of School

Okay, I'm a total hypocrite. I know. That very first day of school I remember seeing August in the
cafeteria. Everybody was looking at him. Talking about him. Back then, no one was used to his face
or even knew that he was coming to Beecher, so it was a total shocker for a lot of people to see him
there on the first day of school. Most kids were even afraid to get near him.

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Summary: I did not sit with August. Everybody looked but no one knew that he was coming
to Beecher. So, it was a total shocker. Kids were afraid to go near him.

Now, pick at least three incidents from Part 1 or Part 4 and summarize them on your own.

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Activity 10: Structure in Literature
Pair Activity 🕒 35 mins

Here are the five types of text structures.

Graphic organizer for Text Description: The

author describes a topic, idea, or person by
listing its features, characteristics, or examples

Cause and Effect: The author explains

Compare and contrast: The author shows
why/how something happened, and the results
how two or more texts are alike and/or
(effect)
different

Chronology: The author describes events in

Problem and its solution: The author tells
order. Uses time words ( First, then, next, last,
about a problem and gives one or more
finally)
possible solutions.

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Read the text for Wonder-Part 1 and Part 4 again and identify the type it belongs to.

Now, use the identified structure with the appropriate Graphic Organizer. Quote examples from the
text to show the features of the ‘Type of Text Structure’ in the space given below.

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Activity 11: Comprehension Worksheet
Individual Activity 🕒 35 mins

Part - 1: First Day Jitters

Answer the following questions:

Q.1 Why do you think August kept his head down while walking to school?

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Q2 Why was August feeling nervous while going to school?

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Q3 Why did the neighborhood seem strange to August?

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Q4 In the story, the word ‘jitters’ means:

a. excited

b. nervous

c. gloomy

d. jovial

Q5 Use the phrase ‘butterflies in my stomach’ in a sentence of your own.

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 Part-4 Why I Didn't Sit with August the First Day of School?

Q1 Where did Jack see August first?

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Q2 With whom did Jack sit at the cafeteria?

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Q3 According to Jack Will, why did Summer sit with August?

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Q4 Find the meaning of the word “Hypocrite’.

a. frank

b. pretender

c. honest

d. trustworthy

Q5 Use the given phrase in a sentence-

Having “snapped” under pressure

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Activity-12: Past or Present?
Individual Activity 🕒 35 mins

Look at the following sentences-

● Everybody looks at August.

● Everybody was looking at August
● Everybody is looking at August.
● Everybody looked at August.
Let’s look at them on the Tense time-line

Pick at least five sentences from the text that you have read and write it in all four tenses in
the table given below-
S. Past Progressive Simple Past Tense Simple Present Present
No Tense Tense Progressive Tense

Everybody was Everybody looked Everybody looks Everybody is

looking at August. at August. at August. looking at August.

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Activity 13: Reading- Part-8_The Shift
Individual Activity 🕒 35 mins

● While reading, observe the degrees of comparison through the used ‘Vocabulary’.
● Using ‘Word Power’ is a writer’s unique style. Understand how R. J. Palacio uses this to create
her unique style.
Part-8_The Shift

When I went back to school the next day, the first thing I noticed was that there was a big shift in the
way things were. A monumental shift. A seismic shift. Maybe even a cosmic shift. Whatever you
want to call it, it was a big shift.
Everyone—not just in our grade but every grade—had heard about what had happened to us with
the seventh graders, so suddenly I wasn't known for what I'd always been known for, but for this
other thing that had happened. And the story of what happened had gotten bigger and bigger each
time it was told.
Two days later, the way the story went was that Amos had gotten into a major fistfight with the kid,
and Miles and Henry and Jack had thrown some punches at the other guys, too. And the escape
across the field became this whole long adventure through a cornfield maze and into the deep dark
woods. Jack's version of the story was probably the best because he's so funny, but in whatever
version of the story, and no matter who was telling it, two things always stayed the same: I got
picked on because of my face and Jack defended me, and those guys— Amos, Henry, and
Miles—protected me. And now that they'd protected me, I was different to them. It was like I was
one of them. They all called me "little dude" now— even the jocks.
These big dudes I barely even knew before would knuckle-punch me in the hallways now. Another
thing to come out of it was that Amos became super popular and Julian, because he missed the
whole thing, was really out of the loop. Miles and Henry were hanging out with Amos all the time
now as if they switched best friends.
I'd like to be able to say that Julian started treating me better, too, but that wouldn't be true. He still
gave me dirty looks across the room. He still never talked to me or Jack. But he was the only one
who was like that now. And me and Jack, we couldn't care less.
Explain in your own words what you understand about the following.

A big shift. A monumental shift. A seismic shift. Maybe even a cosmic shift.

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Activity 14: Act-It-Out
Pair Activity 🕒 35 mins

You have read three chapters from the Novel- Wonder by R. J. Palacio. You know a lot about the
main characters in the story.

● In pairs, choose any two characters from a scene from the text.

● Prepare a 1-minute role play to be performed in the class.

● Include at least 2 dialogues for each character in your script.

Act it out: Act out the ‘role play’ prepared by you and your partner in the class.

Note : For students who are watching the Role-Play

1. Can you guess the characters and what’s happening?

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2. Can you explain the context in which these characters are talking like this?

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Activity 15: Summarization and Illustration
Individual Activity 🕒 35 mins

Given below is an example that summarizes a part of the text.

You did this in activity 9 also. But this time it is a ‘Foldable’ that has illustrations as well.

Choose any one of the three chapters that you have read and create one for the ‘Gallery Walk’
on an A4 sheet. Peer assessment will be done for the displays.

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Activity 16: Gallery Walk & Peer Assessment
Individual Activity 🕒 35 mins

All the ‘FOLDABLES’ are displayed in the classroom for Gallery Walk. You will be assigned TWO
displays for Peer Assessment. Take a walk along the displays and use the RUBRICS given below for
Peer Assessment.

Excellent Satisfactory Approaching Not Meeting

Content Shows thoughtful Shows analysis, Shows inconsistent Does not include
analysis, connections, or analysis, connections, adequate analysis,
connections, or questions. Some or questions. Scanty connections, or
questions. Strong evidence from the evidence from the text questions. Text
evidence from the text is included. is included. evidence is needed.
text is included.

Organiz Well organized in Organized in Some attempt at Poorly organized in

ation SWBST, includes SWBST, easy to SWBST organization SWBST, confusing
transition words read for readers.

Style Chosen words Chosen words try Chosen words have Chosen words can
explain the text to explain the text problems explaining not explain the text;
clearly; smoothly clearly; sentences the text clearly; some sentences are
written sentences. are easy to read. unclear sentences difficult to read.

Convent Very few errors. Few obvious Some errors do not Multiple errors
ions Choice of words errors. interfere with interfere with
enhances meaning meaning. meaning.

Assessment for Peer-1

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Assessment for Peer-2

Content-__________________________________________________________________________

Organization-______________________________________________________________________

Style-____________________________________________________________________________

Conventions-______________________________________________________________________
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Activity 17: Style & Structure

Group Activity 🕒 35 mins

You have read three parts of ‘Wonder’ by R. J. Palacio. Comment upon-

‘Wonder’- In-a-Nutshell

Style

Structure

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