Here are some questions based around the book we are reading in class right now, Rules by Cynthia Lord. It is a difficult book which deals with some difficult situations. Sometimes the author makes us feel uncomfortable for Catherine, or David, or Jason. Here are some questions I would like you to think about and answer three of them. As usual, use MS Word and Word Talk BEFORE you post. Remember your name (first only) after your entry. Try to be original in your answers and ideas, and give details; don't read other posts by other students.
- What are Catherine’s strengths? What are her weaknesses?
- Name at least three characters who exhibit prejudice in RULES. What do they say or do which shows that prejudice?
- How do Catherine’s feelings change toward Jason as the book continues? What causes that change?
- What do you think would’ve happened if Catherine had been honest right away with Kristi and told her about Jason? Why wasn’t Catherine honest? What do you think she was afraid of?
- Catherine is not the only character in the story who is not always honest. How do the other characters avoid dealing with problems or act in ways that are not completely truthful?
- Do you think it’s true that “Leaving out isn’t the same as lying?” If not, is it ever true?
- Some of Catherine’s rules are what we might call “unwritten rules,” comments on how people behave, such as “Sometimes people don’t answer because they didn’t hear you. Other times it's because they don’t want to hear you." How do people learn these rules? Why do we have them?
- When Kristi has David dance in Catherine’s room, is she being mean? Since he wasn’t upset by it, should Catherine have stopped the music?
6. No they are not the same. I can’t think of a scenario in which it would be true.
ReplyDelete7. We learn these rules through experience mostly. I think we have these rules so we aren’t hurt by not knowing, or getting confused by it.
8. No she was not being mean. Although Catherine should have stopped the music because David was damaging her property.
~Hannah
3) I think Catherine’s feelings change towards Jason in the book because she realizes that he isn’t much different than anyone else the only difference is that he has troubles speaking.
ReplyDelete4) I think if Catherine was honest with Kristi that Kristi would have understood why she didn’t want to ask Jason to the dance. I think Catherine wasn’t honest because she didn’t want Kristi to find out that Jason was in a wheelchair. I think she was afraid because Kristi might have made fun of her if she knew Catherine’s friend couldn’t talk or walk.
8) I don’t think she was being mean I think she was trying to be a nice friend and show her how to dance. I don’t think she should have stopped the music because they were just5 trying to be nice and show her how to dance.
~Carly~
1. Catherine’s weaknesses are she can’t dance unless she’s in her room alone or its pitch black dark. Her strengths are she can draw very well.
ReplyDelete2. She was afraid that she might get embarrassed if she told her that Jason was in a wheel chair.
3. Kristi was not being mean to David; she just wanted to show Catherine how to dance. She shouldn’t have stopped the music because David didn’t care.
Cole
1. Catherine’s strengths is that she is very polite to people. Catherine’s weakness is that she needs to listen more like if Ryan is being mean to David she will help Ryan.
ReplyDelete7. I think Catherine got her odd rules I think by that she did something that was awkward and she doesn’t want to have that moment. So like if she dances horrible then she makes a rule that she can’t dance.
8. I think she stopped the music because she can’t dance so it is not fair that they dance.
1. Catherine’s strengths is that she is very polite to people. Catherine’s weakness is that she needs to listen more like if Ryan is being mean to David she will help Ryan.
ReplyDelete7. I think Catherine got her odd rules I think by that she did something that was awkward and she doesn’t want to have that moment. So like if she dances horrible then she makes a rule that she can’t dance.
8. I think she stopped the music because she can’t dance so it is not fair that they dance.
JK
1. (5) I think Kristy isn’t very honest because when she called Catherine to hang out and when they were walking Kristy looked sad going by Ryan’s house. I think Kristy’s first choice was Ryan, then she turned to Catherine to hang out.
ReplyDelete2. (7) We have these rules so people understand how some people behave and don’t get angry or upset when they do these things. Some people need to know that not everyone is nice and to not get mad at someone for that.
3. (8) I have mixed feelings on the situation. I think Kristy was just trying to have fun and Catherine maybe overreacted, but I know that Catherine just doesn’t want to go to the dance and Kristy is pushing it a bit far.
JP
6. Yes and no because you can ether forget to say something or you are purposely not telling them because you are embarrassed to say the truth.
ReplyDelete7. People learn rule like that one by experience from somebody or on a TV show. We have them so people don’t get their feelings hurt.
8. No she is not being mean she is just showing Catharine to dance.
Jake
1.Catherine’s strengths are Drawing and Babysitting. Her weaknesses are David and Jason.
ReplyDelete4.Kristi maybe wouldn’t be Catherine’s friend if she knew Jason who Kristi calls her boyfriend had a wheelchair.
8.Catherine shouldn’t have stopped the music, But she could have picked up the posters. She was sort of mean. Branden
1. Catherine is good at drawing and swimming but she is not to good at hiding stuff and not being so nervous
ReplyDelete2. She gets more friendly to Jason as the book goes
3. I think that Catherine was to afraid to tell Kristi right away because she was scared that Kristi wouldn’t be her friend
Autumn
1. I think that Catherine is quite intelligent and watches over her brother well. She is quite helpful to people. Her weakness is that she is overprotective and sometimes needs to let go.
ReplyDelete2. For question 3 I think that at first Catherine doesn’t really notice Jason and thinks he is just a random person. Soon though, Catherine becomes best friends with David near the end of the book. I think that after summer ends they will still be friends.
3. I think that if Catherine were to have told Kristi about Jason that may have destroyed their friendship. I think Catherine is a smart girl so she knows what will happen. She was afraid they wouldn’t be friends.
~**Ryan**~
3) Catherine’s feelings change toward Jason like the first time she saw Jason she was kind of scared to meet hem but now she wants to see him a lot more.
ReplyDelete7) I think that if people have to listen to rules all the time then the world would be a better place and you would learn new things and make yourself a better person. If we didn’t have rules then the world would just be chaos and nobody would listen.
8) I don’t think she was mean; maybe she was trying to have a little fun with David. I don’t think that Catherine should have stopped the music because Kristi was having fun and maybe she has never danced with any one before. Jadenn
1) Catharine’s strengths are she is very kind and she is a good friend to Jason and Kristi, her weaknesses’ are she can’t take a lot of confrontation so when Ryan was being mean to David she tried to help but it didn’t really get them anywhere
ReplyDelete3) I think at first Catharine was kind of afraid of Jason because she didn’t really know what to say but when they started to communicate when Catharine started making the cards I think she was a bit confused as to whether she and Jason where friends or if she was just helping him. Right now where we are in the book I think Jason likes Catharine a bit but Catharine isn’t too sure.
7) I think these types of rules are used for when people are trying to be a bit mean or sarcastic because when you’re talking to someone Catherin’s right sometimes they don’t hear you but other times they just kind of ignore you like they have way better things to do than talk to you. People learn these words through experiencing them themselves
Lena
1.) Some of Catherine’s strengths are she is very helpful. For example she makes the cards for Jason. She also is nice because she took Jason for a walk around the beach. Some of her weaknesses are I think she could be more honest and tell Kristi about who Jason really is and she could be a bit more helpful with David.
ReplyDelete3.) I think Catherine’s feelings towards Jason change a lot in the book. For example at the beginning of the book Catherine didn’t really even know who Jason was until she started drawing him. Later in the book I think what caused her feelings to change was that she actually met him and realized he was really nice. I think that Catherine’s feelings for Jason also change when she found out he likes her.
4) I think that if Catherine was honest with Kristi about Jason right away Kristi might have felt a little bit uncomfortable and it might of taken her a little bit to get used to him. I think Catherine wasn’t honest because Kristi might have thought she was weird because Jason isn’t like Ryan and Jason can’t talk. I think Catherine was afraid that if she told Kristi then Kristi might tell Ryan and Ryan might make fun of Jason.
Rebecca
I think that Catherine’s strengths are that she is trying to make a good impression on Kristi by making sure that David doesn’t embarrass her and trying to make David rules when she could be making some for herself.
ReplyDelete2. I think that Catherine’s feelings toward Jason are changing from a friendship to really caring for each other when Jason said that Catherine looks pretty, maybe Kristi was right.
3. Everyone can learn rules when they see other peoples actions, for instance, David thinks that everyone must follow the same rules as him.
1. I think it’s true that “Leaving out isn’t the same as lying. ”
ReplyDelete2. When Kristi has David dance in Catherine’s room, she is not being mean. Kristi just didn’t know that he doesn’t really know how to dance.
3. Catherine’s feelings change toward Jason as the book continues by her developing a liking for Jason. The cause that changed that was she realized that just because someone has disabilities doesn’t mean that they can’t be a great friend.
6. Leaving out isn’t the same as lying.Yes and no because you can ether forget to say something or you are purposely not telling them because you are embarrassed to say the truth.
ReplyDelete7. People learn rule like that one by experience from somebody or on a TV show. We have them so people don’t get their feelings hurt.
8. No she is not being mean she is just showing Catharine to dance.
Jake
4. If Catherine would have would have been honest right away with Kristi about Jason I don’t think they would be friends anymore because of Catherine’s and David’s strong friend ship. I don’t think Catherine was honest because she didn’t want Kristi to know about their friendship. Catherine was so afraid because of Catherine’s friendship with Kristi and she thought she wouldn’t like her anymore.
ReplyDelete6. I don’t think its true that leaving out is lying because if you leave someone out its like lying and telling them they can’t play but they can.
8. I don’t think Kristi was being mean because she was just trying to encourage Catherine to dance. I think Catherine should have stopped the music because she was mad and she shouldn’t have put up with that.
Josh
1.I think that Catherine’s weakness is that she cannot dance when everybody is looking at her; she can dance when she is in her bedroom and she is all alone. Her strengths are that she is a good drawer and that she is really nice to people that are nice to her, example like Jason.
ReplyDelete2.(3) I think that her feelings change toward Jason because she realizes that Jason is same as everyone, but the only thing is that he cannot speak.
3.(8) I think that Kristi was trying to show that its okay to dance in front of peopleven if you are a bad or a good dancer, and she should have not turned off the music because his brother liked it and he wasn’t upset about it.
aastha
1.(3) I think Catherine’s feelings toward Jason change because when she first met him, she drew him in her book. Then they became friends. Now in the part that we are reading in the book, they hang out and have fun. So I think Catherine’s feelings toward Jason are growing stronger and stronger.
ReplyDelete2.(4) If Catherine told Kristi about Jason when Kristi was talking about Jason, she wouldn’t have gotten into this big mess. Catherine wasn’t honest because if she told her about Jason then Catherine thought she wouldn’t be friends with her anymore.
3.(8) I think Kristi was trying to force Catherine into going to the dance, but since Catherine doesn’t want to go to the dance, Kristi got mad and pushed it too far. Catherine should have stopped the music because she didn’t want to go to the dance and she didn’t want Kristi to go to the dance. Martin
6. No they are not that “leaving out is the same as lieing”. I can’t think of a scenario in which it would be true.
ReplyDelete7. We learn these rules through experience mostly. I think we have these rules so we aren’t hurt by not knowing, or getting confused by it.
8. No she was not being mean by turning off the music. Catherine should have stopped the music because David was damaging her property.
~Hannah
6. I think Leaving out isn’t the same as lying because you can ether forget to say something or you are purposely not telling them because you are embarrassed to say the truth.
ReplyDelete7. People learn rule like that one by experience from somebody or on a TV show. We have them so people don’t get their feelings hurt.
8. No she is not being mean she is just showing Catharine to dance.
Jake
1. Catherine is a really good swimmer, a fast runner and a great friend but she doesn’t like dancing.
ReplyDelete2. Catherine’s feelings change toward Jason because she stars drawing for him and they become friends.
3. Kristi was not being mean because David was happy and Catherine should not have shut the music off.
Jacob
6. No I don’t think that “leaving out is the same as lying”. I can’t think of a scenario in which it would be true.
ReplyDelete7. We learn these rules through experience mostly. I think we have these rules so we aren’t hurt by not knowing, or getting confused by it.
8. No she was not being mean by turning off the music. Catherine should have stopped the music because David was damaging her property.
~Hannah
1) I think that Catherine’s strengths are that whenever she notices that something is going wrong she notes on her notepad and somehow makes rules for David. The weaknesses that she has is that she never cares about if she’ll like these rules but she will always think before making the rules that if Jason and David will like it.
ReplyDelete2) Catherine’s feelings are changing toward the book for Jason are that when she went out with Jason “Jason said Catherine pretty” she thought that he meant nice day and then he changed the topic and said that my birthday party is tomorrow even though he meant Catherine is pretty.
3) People learn rules by finding out and by seeing others what they are doing like for example Jason sees what Catherine does and then applies that with what he knows we need rules because if there was no rules then everything would be wrong disasters everywhere.
1. I think it’s true that “Leaving out isn’t the same as lying” because when you lie, you say something that is not true and when you leave out, you don’t say anything.
ReplyDelete2. When Kristi has David dance in Catherine’s room, she is not being mean. Kristi just didn’t know that he doesn’t really know how to dance.
3. Catherine’s feelings change toward Jason as the book continues by her developing a liking for Jason. The cause that changed that was she realized that just because someone has disabilities doesn’t mean that they can’t be a great friend.
1) I think that Catherine’s strength’s are that whenever she notices that something is going wrong then she notes on her notepad and somehow makes rules for others to know and for David. The weaknesses that she has are that she never cares about if she’ll suit on with these rules but she will always think before making the rules that if Jason and David will like it.
ReplyDelete2) Catherine’s feelings are changing toward the book is going for Jason is that when she is finding information on him and when “Jason said Catherine pretty” she thought that he meant nice day and then he changed the topic and said that my birthday party is tomorrow even though he meant Catherine is pretty.
3) People learn rules by finding out and by seeing others what they are doing like for example Jason sees what Catherine does and then applies that with what he knows we need rules because if there was no rules then everything would be wrong.simran
1. Catherine’s strengths are she is good at swimming and drawing. Her weakness is dancing.
ReplyDelete2. It is true, because leaving out is when you’re playing with friends and someone else want to play but you don’t let them, and lying is when you don’t tell the truth to someone.
3. I don’t she was being mean, but I do think Catherine stopped the music because I wouldn’t like it if my brother did that.
anika
1) Catherine strength are she is really good drawer and she’s good with Jason her weaknesses are she says her brother is annoying and she doesn’t like Ryan too much.
ReplyDelete6) I think it’s true because if you don’t want someone to play with you you can lie and there not the same
8) I don’t think Kristi was being mean she was just teaching him how to dance and maybe Catharine turned off the music for a good reason because David was wrenching everything.
Cameron
1. Some of Catherine’s weaknesses are that she loses temper quickly. That may be because David has caused her to be protective. Some of Catherine’s strength’s are she takes care of David anyway. She is also a good swimmer.
ReplyDelete3. As the book continues Catherine’s feelings begin to change about Jason. She starts to feel a little uncomfortable around Jason. I think that Jason and Kristi helped make that change. I think Kristi helped make that change when she saw the unfinished drawing of Jason, and told Catherine that she should go on a date with Jason. I think that Jason influenced Catherine when he said Catherine pretty today, and invited her to his birthday party.
4. I think that if Catherine had been honest with Kristi and told her that Jason couldn’t walk or talk Kristi might have asked some awkward questions. I think Catherine wasn’t honest with Kristi because she didn’t want to admit that Jason wouldn’t be able to do much if they did go out. Jason also wouldn’t be able to dance with her. Catherine
1. When Kristi has David dance in Catherine’s room, is she being mean? Since he wasn’t upset by it, should Catherine have stopped the music?
ReplyDeleteI think Catherine should have stopped the music because he was ruining the posters and her items (ruler, markers, etc.) She wasn’t being mean because she was just keeping her items safe from being harmed.
2. Do you think it’s true that “Leaving out isn’t the same as lying?” If not, is it ever true?
Yes, I think that leaving out isn’t the same as lying. You just aren’t including all the details, not lying, which is not telling the truth.
3. Some of Catherine’s rules are what we might call “unwritten rules,” comments on how people behave, such as “Sometimes people don’t answer because they didn’t hear you. Other times it's because they don’t want to hear you." How do people learn these rules? Why do we have them?
We have these rules because sometimes people don’t want to know the truth or don’t want to face the truth so they pretend they didn’t hear you.
Lindsay
1. I think that Catherine’s strengths are that she is trying to make a good impression on Kristi by making sure that David doesn’t embarrass her and trying to make David rules when she could be making some for herself.
ReplyDelete2. I think that Catherine’s feelings toward Jason are changing from a friendship to really caring for each other because Jason said that Catherine looks pretty, maybe Kristi was right.
3. Everyone can learn rules when they see other peoples actions, for instance, David thinks that everyone must follow the same rules as him so when he was talking to Ryan he said “if someone has something you want you ask for a turn, that’s the rule.
Connor...