Weedsport Central School District

This year, 6th Grade Teacher Jennifer Bell is teaching “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio and, as part of her Project Based Learning work with BOCES and the Teacher Center, she is planning two hands‑on projects this year.

The first project was the game‑making unit. She launched the unit with the guiding question: “How can we use stories to inspire empathy and create positive change?”

Throughout the novel study and related texts, videos, and activities, students collected examples of empathy and non‑empathy. They recorded passages, character traits, and mini‑lessons on topics like bullying and stereotyping in their Empathy Journals. Those journal entries helped them write and refine game questions that first graders could understand.

With support from Karen Shaub and the Maker Space, students moved into design and production. Some groups made traditional board games with 3D‑printed pieces; others used chop saws and cardboard tools to shape their game boards. John Schillace taught students how to use Canva to design game cards for matching and card games. A few projects were more active — Spinning Wheel, Bean Bag Toss, and the Ping Pong Galaxy game — and many games used a space theme inspired by Auggie’s astronaut helmet.

When the ELA students finished their games, they made buttons using illustrations from the Wonder picture book with the Maker Space Button Makers. Each sixth grader made one or two buttons to give to the first graders as a thank‑you after playing the games and sharing the read‑aloud.

“The first-grade teachers were gracious hosts, welcoming us to share our projects,” Bell said. “Their support gave our students a real audience — a chance to teach, learn, and practice kindness. It was a wonderful day of creativity, collaboration, and empathy in action.”