1. Rules
Cynthia Lord

2. Pre-Reading Questions
*ANSWER IN AT LEAST 3 COMPLETE SENTENCES*
1. Think about the title. What comes to mind?
2. What expectations do you have about the book from previewing the cover?
3. How do you feel about rules, in general?
4. Describe one situation where rules are necessary.. Explain your reasons.
5. Imagine a world without rules. How would life be different?
6. Name one rule you wish everyone in your school would follow. Why?
Pre-Reading Questions

3. Read what is written on the back cover. What are you thinking now?
Write down at least 3 questions you want answered as you read “Rules.”
Pre-Reading

4. Why is the start of summer vacation disappointing to the narrator?
What is David’s relationship to the narrator?
The narrator says David loves to go to the video store, but “…the hardest part is when David kneels in the aisle to see the back of a video box a complete stranger is holding in his hand.” Why is this the hardest part?
How does David stand in the way of what Catherine wants for herself?
In this chapter, we find out David has autism. We also discover that he loves rules. Why might rules be helpful for David? Why might the narrator want to create these rules for him? How might Catherine’s rules hold David back?
Chapter 1 Discussion

5. Grab a privacy board
Take Quiz on Chapters 7-9
Agenda for 5/28/13

6. Chapters 7-9 Comprehension Questions
Why do you think Jason wanted to change his shirt before OT?
At the end of chapter 7, Catherine makes up a new rule: “Sometimes people think they know who you are when really they don’t.” Why did she make up this rule?
Why does Catherine say Kristi will be popular?
Why is babysitting David a hard job for Catherine?
What does Kristi say that upsets Catherine on page 84?
How does the rule “If you can only choose one, pick carefully” apply to this chapter? What could the consequences of Catherine’s choice be?
In chapter 9, we learn that Kristi’s parents are separated. How does Kristi feel about her parent’s situation? How do you know?
Catherine returns home happy, but her “happiness deflates like a balloon with the smallest tear.” What changes her mood?
Chapters 7-9 Comprehension Questions

7. Chapters 7-9 Answers He wanted to impress Catherine.
The therapist acts as if Jason loves coming to therapy and treats him like he cannot understand what she says.
Catherine thinks she is very pretty.
He is constantly wreaking havoc and needs a lot of attention. She is scared of him embarrassing her in front of other people.
She says, “Even regular brothers are a pain.”
Catherine must choose between keeping her promise to Jason and going to OT, or going to Kristi’s for a chance to have a new, ‘popular’ friend.
She is defensive and upset. On pg. 92, the author writes “‘My parents arent divorced.’ She says it so sharp, I gasp.”
Catherine’s mom told her Jason said he missed her at OT and that he brought her a present. She feels guilty for not visiting him.
Chapters 7-9 Answers

8. Chapters 10-12 Review Questions
What does Catherine do to mend her relationship with Jason?
Why does Mom buy Catherine the new colored pencils she has been wanting?
When Mom, Catherine and David are coming home from OT, they see Ryan and Kristi playing basketball. What is Catherine’s problem? What does Ryan do to create conflict?
Catherine compares David to an apple, “red perfect on the outside, but mushy brown at the first bite.” What does Catherine mean by this?
How does Catherine use her sketchbook to describe her feelings?
As Catherine waits for Jason at OT, how does she feel about the new word cards she has created for him? Why?
What does Jason sometimes wish that surprises Catherine?
What do Catherine’s actions (helping Jason “run”) show about her character?
Chapters Review Questions

9. Chapters 10-12 Answers She brings Nutmeg, her guinea pig, to OT.
Catherine has been helping Jason and doing extra babysitting.
She wants to hang out with them, but she is embarrassed of her brother, David. Ryan creates conflict by telling David to jump for a piece of gum.
David’s looks are deceiving. He looks like a perfectly normal boy on the outside, but the way his brain works is very different from other kids and makes them wary of him.
She writes angry words that describe her feelings. She presses down angrily on the pencil so it bleeds through the paper.
She feels selfish because her problems are nothing compared to what Jason has to go through on a daily basis.
He tells her that sometimes he wishes he could die.
Catherine is encouraging and fearless. She is a good friend and wants Jason to have as many positive experiences as he can.
Chapters Answers

10. Chapters 13-15 Comprehension Questions
Why is Catherine jealous of her father’s tomatoes?
Why does Catherine believe she is Kristi’s second choice?
Ryan reminds Kristi to ask Catherine a question. What does Kristi want Catherine to do?
At the end of the chapter, Catherine writes words to describe her day, but the only words that come to mind are “guilty,” “complicated,” “hidden,” and “weak.” Why?
What did Jason’s parents buy him as a birthday present? Why might this be a good gift for Jason?
Why does Catherine pretend she does not see Kristi?
Jason invites Catherine to his birthday party. Why is it on a “good day” for Catherine?
Chapters Comprehension Questions

11. He shows love and attention to taking care of his tomatoes
She slows down and glances at Ryan’s house as they walk past it on the way to the pond.
Kristi wants Catherine to come to the dance with her and Ryan on Saturday.
She feels those things for lying about Jason and being unable to tell them about him.
A motorized wheelchair. This will help him to be more independent.
She is embarrassed and does not want Kristi to see her walking with Jason.
It is a “good day” because it gives her an excuse not to go to the dance with Ryan and Kristi.
Chapters Answers

12. Chapters 16-18 Comprehension Questions
Why does Catherine turn off the music when Kristi and David begin to dance?
Why does Catherine go to Elliott’s Antiques?
When Catherine sees Jason at OT, he invites Kristi and David to his party. Why is she hesitant to ask either one of them to come?
After the incident with the “together” card, Catherine wants to write a new rule for herself but can’t think of one. What would you write if you were her?
What 3 things does Catherine give Jason for his birthday?
Catherine turns down Jason’s request to go to the dance. What are her reasons? Is she making excuses, as Jason suggests?
Why does Catherine run out of the party crying?
Chapters Comprehension Questions

13. She thinks Kristi is trying to make David look “stupid,” and that makes her angry.
She wants to apologize to Jason and buy him a guitar for his birthday.
She is nervous for Kristi to find out about Jason, and she is nervous for how David would act at the party if she brought him.
An old guitar, a bag of jelly beans, and a hand-painted birthday card
She says she is a horrible dancer, Ryan probably doesn’t want her hanging around with him and Kristi. Yes, she is making excuses because she feels embarrassed to be seen with Jason.
Jason gets upset with her for making excuses about not going to the dance. She doesn’t know what she should do.
Chapters Answers

14. Chapters 19-22 Comprehension Questions
After the party, Catherine is watching David alone when his cassette snaps. Catherine “snaps” as well. What is she really angry about? What does she realize?
Why does she invite Jason to the dance?
Catherine becomes insistent with her father. Is she right to use this tone with him? What is she really telling him?
Jason finally arrives and Catherine has to apologize. What does she admit to herself? What was she really afraid of?
Catherine finally comes face to face with Kristi and Ryan. Why is Kristi upset with Catherine? Is she right?
Why does Catherine come to the realization that David needs to use his own words?
In what ways has Catherine’s relationship with David changed? Why do you think this is so? How is the relationship better?
Chapters Comprehension Questions

15. Chapters 19-22 Comprehension Questions
She is upset that she can’t “fix” it. She is really angry at herself for not being able to fix her relationship with Jason.
She wants to apologize to him and show him that his friendship is more important to her than what people think.
Yes, she is right to use this tone because it gets her father’s attention and shows how serious she is. She finally expresses how she feels and tells him that she really needs him too.
She was afraid of what Kristi would think of her, not of Jason.
Kristi is upset that Catherine did not tell her the truth about Jason. (Your own answer if you think she is right or not).
He needs to be able to express himself in his own way, and articulate his own thoughts and feelings.
Catherine has learned to accept David for who he is and she realizes she needs to stop trying to change him. This makes their relationship better and more special.
Chapters Comprehension Questions