Wonderstruck - Introduction

  • Synopsis: Ben and Rose are the two main characters in this story. Ben wishes he could find the father that he has never met and Rose wishes she could be with an actress whose life she tracks by cutting out newspaper clippings and keeping them in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers something in his mom’s room and Rose reads a newspaper headline, they each begin a journey to find something for which they’ve longed.
    The two stories are set 50 years apart and although they are independent, readers will discover how they intertwine with one story being told through pictures and the other through text. Read along with this, and we hope that you, like us, will be Wonderstruck!

    “Another entrancing, exquisitely illustrated novel…Older kids and adults alike will be mesmerized by the interlocking stories.
    A verbal and visual marvel.”
    — Family Circle

    Introduction Video 


    In this video, we learn about the basic idea behind the story, “Wonderstruck”. Students will use this video to get an idea of how the story will be told, and it will hopefully provide just enough information to entice them to read the book.
    Length of Video: 1:15

    Museum Tour Video 

    We were given permission by Scholastic to download and create an accessible version of this video in which Brian Selznick, the author of Wonderstruck, takes us on a tour of the American Natural History Museum where much of the book takes place.
    Length of Video: 17 minutes

    Annotation Powerpoint
    Annotation PowerPoint Wonderstruck Lesson Plan

    This PowerPoint explains how to use the annotation worksheets that are associated with each section from the book. In each section, you will find a corresponding annotation worksheet.

    Time to Complete: 10-20 minutes

    Roaring Twenties Powerpoint
    Roaring Twenties PowerPoint

    This powerpoint will help guide students through understanding what the 1920’s were like. This type of activity helps students have a clear picture of the timeframe that is shown in the story when they come upon it as they read.

    Time to Complete: 10-30 minutes

    Wonderstruck Vocabulary Powerpoint
    Wonderstruck book cover with "Vocabulary" under the image.

    This powerpoint will help you as you teach the vocabulary that may be new to students as they read the book. It can be used as is, or it can be used to disperse to students and have them insert videos into the “blank” areas showing their comprehension of the vocabulary word. (This would typically be done if students have handheld devices or access to computers/laptops with a webcam.)

    Time to Complete: This will be determined by how it is used by the teacher.

    Wonderstruck Vocabulary List 1

    This is a cloze worksheet to assess student comprehension of the vocabulary that is presented throughout the book, and in class.

    Time to Complete: 20 minutes

    Wonderstruck Vocabulary List 2

    This is a 2nd cloze worksheet to assess student comprehension of the vocabulary that is presented throughout the book, and in class.

    Time to Complete: 20 minutes