Wonders Pedagogy

Guided by lead author Dr. Douglas Fisher, an expert in close reading, Wonders provides a consistent Close Reading Routine–Read, Reread, Integrate–with a range of text-dependent questions that challenge the implicit and explicit meaning of each text. The questions and tasks in Wonders allow for surface, deep, and transfer learning at a variety of DOK levels.

Accessing Complex Text

When students close read, they actively engage with complex texts by thinking critically and digging deeper. As students read and reread the Shared Read in Wonders for different purposes, they learn to annotate, ask and answer arising questions, discuss the text with partners, cite text evidence, and apply what they are learning about genre, comprehension, vocabulary, and writing. Hear from Dr. Doug Fisher on the value of close reading of complex text.

Evidence-Based Instruction

By drawing upon decades of literacy research and the expertise of preeminent reading researchers, including Dr. Doug Fisher and Dr. Tim Shanahan, Wonders was built to deliver high-quality literacy instruction supported by the Science of Reading. It provides a comprehensive, integrated plan for meeting the needs of all students.

Foundational Skills

Research shows that explicit instruction for phonemic awareness, phonics, and text reading fluency are critical to building foundational skills. Wonders presents a sequence of research-aligned learning activities in its grade-level placements, sequences of instruction, and instructional guidance across phonemic awareness, phonics/decoding, and text reading fluency.

Reading Comprehension

Wonders provides explicit, research-based lessons in vocabulary and other language skills, guidance for high-level, high-quality discussions, and content aimed at building the executive processes that can shift reading comprehension into high gear.

Writing

Research shows that reading and writing are reciprocal skills that strengthen one another. Wonders provides focused writing instruction in the following areas to help students improve their reading: writing foundations, quality writing for multiple purposes, the writing processes, and writing to enhance reading.

Quality of Instruction

Wonders addresses quality issues in teaching by providing lessons with explicit and appropriate purposes, high-challenge levels, appropriate opportunities for review, quality discussions promoted by high DOK-level questions, ongoing monitoring of learning, supports for English language learners, and connections to social emotional learning.

For a deeper dive into how Wonders aligns to the Science of Reading:

Analytical Writing Lessons

Students write about what they read. They read texts closely and use text evidence to support their ideas and conclusions. Wonders provides scaffolded instruction to help children grow as writers.

Writing Process Lessons

Children learn to write using a six-step writing process: Expert Model, Plan, Draft, Revise, Edit and Proofread, and Publish. The steps of the writing process can be applied to all types of writing.

Grammar Lessons

Grammar lessons are explicitly and systematically taught each week, and scaffolded instruction allows every student to then practice applying these skills to their own writing.

Learn more about the Wonders writing experience.

A Path Forward for Every Learner

Wonders features a collection of differentiated resources and instructional practices that maximize the potential in every student. With scaffolds and extensions built into the resources and lessons, all students can play an active role in their classroom learning environment.

In the Teacher’s Edition, educators will find embedded support for:

• English language learners (ELLs)
• Students who may benefit from Tier 2 support
• Advanced learners

Learn more about how Wonders supports differentiated instruction. 

Developing Life-Ready Learners

Students are learning so much more than reading in their classrooms; they’re mastering new content areas, discovering how to conduct themselves in and out of the classroom, and growing as individuals. With a focus on developing learning habits, creating a supportive classroom culture, and strengthening social and emotional learning skills, Wonders was built to support you in teaching the whole child—for success through the school year and throughout their lives.

Our collaboration with Sesame Workshop focuses on the social emotional skills within the context of literacy instruction. Sesame Workshop, which has provided content for Grades K–1, has collaborated with the Wonders authorship team to develop a comprehensive K–5 scope and sequence for social emotional learning at any age.

We’re also collaborating with Character Lab to provide relevant, research-based SEL support that connects to the Essential Question for each genre study and text set within Wonders. 

Learn more about the benefits of incorporating social emotional learning in your classroom.

Reach Every Learner

We are committed to supporting strong educational outcomes for all learners. Wonders helps you deliver impactful instruction with research-based instructional routines, embedded scaffolded supports, and data-driven differentiation to teach, reteach, or extend lessons. Our high-quality, rich content promotes meaningful learning and collaboration while building students’ knowledge in diverse topics.

Learn more about our commitment to educational equity.

Building on the Strengths of English Learners

The English language learners in your classroom are not “blank slates.” Their oral language proficiency and literacy in their first language(s) can be used to facilitate literacy development in English. When teachers provide sufficient time for systematic, explicit, and appropriately scaffolded instruction, ELLs are well-positioned to attain English proficiency and excel in core academic subjects.

Wonders provides whole group, integrated, scaffolded instruction at several proficiency levels—newcomer, beginner, intermediate, and advanced/advanced-high—as well as research-based routines to support English learners in both content and language acquisition. 

Learn more about how Wonders supports English language learners.