Challenge:  #2 Elementary

School Name:  Fletcher Elementary

Team Members:  Jacob and Mary

Group Facilitators:  Lynne Fender

Book Summaries:

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes is a book about a boy living during the onset of the American Revolution.  After an accident changes his life and leaves his hand deformed, he must overcome all kinds of obstacles to find a new path for his life.  He becomes an American patriot as he works alongside the Sons of Liberty during the first major battles of the War.  He even participates in the Boston Tea Party!  He learns that the challenges he must overcome and people’s opinions do not define him and that he can have a purpose in life.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio is a book about a boy with a facial deformity who takes on the challenges of everyday life going to school.  He learns about true friendship as his peers have different reactions to his physical appearance.  In the end, all of the characters learn that beauty is more than skin deep as Auggie proves that beauty shines from within.  He discovers who his true friends are and learns how to face his bullies head on.

Friendship through adversity is a key theme in both books.  The characters learn that bullies can come in all shapes and sizes and that true friendship can develop even in the hardest circumstances.

Challenge:

For this challenge, we created a text message thread between two secondary characters in the novels to better understand their feelings about the main characters’ struggles.  Be sure to click “Present” on our slideshow.  Check it out:

Dusty and Via Text Messages

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