Teaching Through Films: Using Wonder and White Bird to Spark Important Conversations
Movies, like books, can serve as a gateway to meaningful family discussions about topics that may be uncomfortable yet necessary. Two films in particular, Wonder and White Bird, provide excellent opportunities to explore issues such as bullying, empathy, kindness, and history. Both films offer different perspectives on how discrimination impacts individuals and how courage and compassion can help transform difficult situations.
Wonder holds a special place in my heart because it was one of the first books my kids recommended to me. It introduces us to August “Auggie” Pullman, a young boy with facial differences, as he navigates his first year of attending a school after being homeschooled through fourth grade. While his story centers on the pain of being bullied for his appearance, the film also showcases how his journey affects his family, friends, and classmates. Through Auggie’s experience, Wonder highlights the importance of empathy, kindness, and inclusion.
Discussion Questions for Wonder:
- How does Auggie feel when people judge him based on his appearance?
- What could the students have done differently to make Auggie feel included?
- Have you ever witnessed bullying? How did it make you feel?
- Why did Via, Auggie’s sister, pretend to be an only child?
- How do Auggie’s parents handle his school experiences?
White Bird, the companion film to Wonder, takes a deeper dive into history, mainly through the lens of Julien, one of Auggie’s former bullies. Julien is trying to fit in at his new high school when he learns about his grandmother’s experiences as a young Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied France. The film juxtaposes Julien’s modern-day decisions with his grandmother’s story of survival and kindness amidst unimaginable horrors. White Bird emphasizes how understanding our history helps us grasp the dangers of hatred and the courage required to stand up against injustice.
Discussion Questions for White Bird:
- How has Julien’s life changed since being expelled from his last school?
- Which characters from his grandmother’s life did Julien most reflect?
- Why is it important to learn about historical events like the Holocaust?
- Why did Julien’s family risk their lives to help Sara, a young Jewish girl?
- Can you think of examples today where people are mistreated because of their ethnicity, ability, or religion?
Why These Conversations Matter
To reduce bullying and increase acceptance (not just tolerance), we must have ongoing, open conversations with our children about empathy, kindness, and standing up for others. Both Wonder and White Bird provide frameworks for understanding the emotional and social impacts of bullying. Auggie and Sara, though from different times and backgrounds, experience discrimination based on physical appearance, religion, and perceived inferiority, and both rely on the kindness of family and friends to get through these difficult moments.
Even with more awareness of the adverse effects of bullying, the problem has only worsened in recent decades, with increased incidents of anxiety, social disorders, and suicide among young people. Bullying has evolved, becoming more complex in the digital age, but the consequences remain the same: emotional harm and long-term mental health struggles.
Relating the Films to Current Events
We can use White Bird to connect historical events with contemporary issues surrounding race relations, immigration, and social justice. Discussing past atrocities alongside modern instances of discrimination helps children understand the importance of standing up for what’s right. Encourage your family to recognize examples of prejudice in your community and the world, and discuss ways to show kindness and courage in the face of injustice.
How to Create Meaningful Family Discussions
It is essential to create a safe space where your children feel comfortable expressing their thoughts without fear of judgment. There are no off-limits questions. After all, where can you go if you can’t ask a sensitive question at home? If you don’t know the answer to a question, look it up together or schedule a future conversation to revisit unanswered questions. Use the questions from this blog to dig deeper into the themes of both films. Inform your children that childhood bullies who don’t curtail their behavior grow up to be adult bullies. Share your own experiences with bullying, either as a child or an adult, and be honest about any situations you didn’t handle well. Use these discussions as opportunities to teach empathy, self-awareness, kindness, and the importance of forgiveness.
Call to Action: Watch Wonder and White Bird Together
Both Wonder and White Bird offer powerful ways to explore empathy, the importance of history, and the reality of race relations. Wonder is widely available on streaming platforms, while White Bird is currently in theaters. Consider organizing a family movie night or a group viewing with your child’s class, sports team, or community group for a more significant impact. Viewing, discussing, and creating action plans from movies can empower us to navigate our lives differently. If we better understand the power of words and their impact on others, it may help us to make wiser decisions, leading to a culture shift. Even reducing bullying by just 25 percent would make a tremendous difference in the lives of countless children and families.
While I haven’t read White Bird, I’ve added it to my queue. Also, I highly recommend reading Wonder in addition to watching the film. There are vital characters in the book the screenwriters couldn’t incorporate into the film adaptation without lengthening the movie. It’ll lend itself to another discussion on books and movie adaptations. Although these movies aren’t on this list, Teach with Movies is a resource with various movie suggestions, lesson plans, and discussion questions for future family movie nights. Hopefully, this tool will positively impact your family, neighborhood, and community.
