Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Rules: What Does Catherine Learn?



Click on this link and watch the video.  Then read the following and answer the questions as best you can from your memory of the story.

"...Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life, which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"---in order to head off David's embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?"

Here are some questions I would like you to think about and answer two 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. 


  1. What choices does Catherine make near the end of the book that show growth on her part?
  2. Why does Catherine risk in inviting Jason to the dance? Do you think that risk was worth it? Why or why not?
  3. What does Catherine give up at the dance? What does she give up in the final chapter with David?
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21 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 14, 2012 at 1:38 PM

    1) Near the end of the book Catherine decided to ask Jason to the dance which was a struggle she was trying to make for a while.
    3) I think she gave up trying to impress Kristi and trying to avoid Ryan at the dance. I think in the last chapter of the book she gives up on making rules for David to become normal
    ~carly~

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  2. PaulJune 14, 2012 at 1:42 PM

    I like your answer to question#3,Carly; well done.

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  3. AnonymousJune 14, 2012 at 1:53 PM

    1.(2)Catherine risk in inviting Jason to the dance because she thought that what if Jason is thinking about that she cannot dance or she just doesn’t want to dance with him because he cannot speak that is why. And I think that the risk was worth it.

    2.(1)I think the choices she makes near the book is that she asks Jason to come to the dance, but she really did not want dance in front of so many people

    aastha

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  4. AnonymousJune 14, 2012 at 5:21 PM

    1. Some choices Catherine makes near the end of the book are: Catherine decides to try to be more normal around Jason so she can ask him to the dance, which she does, but was probably very hard for her as she knows he can’t actually dance. Catherine also doesn’t know what Kristi will think of Jason and herself after she sees Jason. These choices show growth in Catherine as she wouldn’t have done that in the beginning of the book. She is getting stronger.

    2. Catherine risks asking Jason to the dance because she doesn’t want them to stop being friends. She knew that Jason obviously wanted to go to the dance with her, and he was very angry when she told him her dancing rule. (Only in the dark or alone in her bedroom.) I think the risk of asking Jason was worth it. I think so because if she didn’t Jason would think she was embarrassed about him and not her own dancing. If Jason thought that he wouldn’t want to be Catherine’s friend. That would make Catherine and Jason both sad.
    ~Catherine~

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  5. AnonymousJune 15, 2012 at 9:11 AM

    1 Catherine’s choice near the end of the book that had shown growth was to admit to Kristi that she was hiding the identity of Jason from her and she finally admitted who he was.
    3 What Catherine gives up at the dance is her rule about not dancing. What she gave up with David was to make rules constantly and she decided that she would not enforce the rules.

    ~Hannah

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  6. AnonymousJune 15, 2012 at 9:11 AM

    2. Catherine risks inviting Jason to the dance because she found out that Kristi couldn’t go without her. I think it was worth it because she did something she had never done before.
    3. Catherine gives up the point that David has autism and is herself at the dance. She also doesn’t care about Kristi knowing about Jason because she knows that they want to meet each other. Branden

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  7. AnonymousJune 15, 2012 at 9:17 AM

    1. Why does Catherine risk in inviting Jason to the dance? Do you think that risk was worth it? Why or why not?
    Catherine risks inviting Jason to the dance because Jason got mad at her because he thought she was making up the dance rule so that she didn’t have to be seen with him and Catherine wanted to make it up to him.
    2. What does Catherine give up at the dance? What does she give up in the final chapter with David?
    Catherine gives up at the dance because Jason won’t accept her apology for not taking him to the dance the first time then when she asked him again he didn’t accept so she gave up. Catherine gave up on David in the last chapter because he wouldn’t learn the rules and he just kept putting toys (like the wizard) in the fish tank.

    Lindsay

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  8. AnonymousJune 15, 2012 at 9:22 AM

    1.)Near the end of the book I think Catherine makes choices about telling Kristi about Jason because she never told Kristi and Ryan the truth about it. She has changed because she is more honest now and she has made a choice to be honest.
    3.) At the dance I think Catherine gave up trying to hide Jason from Kristi and Ryan. In the final chapter I think she stops caring so much about what people think about David and stops getting so embarrassed about him.
    Rebecca

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  9. AnonymousJune 15, 2012 at 9:32 AM

    1. Near the end the choices that Catherine makes are choices that she would not have made at the start such as: asking Jason to the dance, and sort of accepting David for the way he is.
    2. I think Catherine risks in inviting Jason because she thinks people will look at them weird because Jason is in a wheel chair and right now Catherine wants to just be normal.
    Lindsey

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  10. AnonymousJune 15, 2012 at 9:48 AM

    1. She makes the choice to invite Jason to the dance even thought he can’t dance and is not afraid to introduce him to Kristi and Ryan. It shows growth by not being afraid to be embarrassed because she likes Jason.
    2. She risk bringing Jason to the dance because she loves him and she thought she was mean to him at his birthday party and had to make up with him. I don’t think it was very much of a risk because she known he wanted to come to the dance but Catherine said she had a rule against it a Jason called it an excuse. Jake

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousJune 15, 2012 at 9:48 AM

    1.What choices does Catherine make near the end of the book that show growth on her part?

    She finally tells Kristi about Jason releasing that Kristi won’t have care about Catherine being friends with a boy who disabilities if she is really a true friend.

    2.Why does Catherine risk in inviting Jason to the dance? Do you think that risk was worth it? Why or why not?

    Catherine invites Jason to the dance to show that she really is sorry and that she is not embarrassed about his disabilities.
    I think the risk was worth it because people should not be put aside or be put second by their friends just because they have disabilities and in taking the risk Catherine should that she was mature and didn’t care that Jason had disabilities.

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  12. AnonymousJune 15, 2012 at 9:49 AM

    1. She makes the choice to invite Jason to the dance even thought he can’t dance and is not afraid to introduce him to Kristi and Ryan. It shows growth by not being afraid to be embarrassed because she likes Jason.
    2. She risk bringing Jason to the dance because she loves him and she thought she was mean to him at his birthday party and had to make up with him. I don’t think it was very much of a risk because she known he wanted to come to the dance but Catherine said she had a rule against it a Jason called it an excuse. Jake

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousJune 15, 2012 at 9:50 AM

    1) The choices that Catherine made at the end of the book were that first Catherine thought that if she takes Jason to the dance she will get embarrassed but after thinking slowly she found out that it doesn’t matter how the person looks but it matters how they are in the inside and that’s she was not embarrassed to go to the dance with Jason.

    2) Catherine risked inviting Jason because she already has a fight with him and she did it to cheer him up and feel better. I believe that the risk was worth it because if she did not ask him for the dance you never know for how long Jason would be mad and not understand the concept Catherine was in.Simmy :)

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  14. AnonymousJune 15, 2012 at 9:53 AM

    1.) At the end of the book Catherine and Jason go to the dance together and then Kristi arrives and sees Jason then Kristi starts to get mad at Catherine but Catherine doesn’t really care after she starts to dance with Jason.
    2.) I think it was a risk worth taking because David and Jason are both handicap but Catherine just wants everything normal but at the end she starts to relieze that there people just like you and me.
    Kobe

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  15. AnonymousJune 18, 2012 at 9:25 AM

    2. I think that Catherine risks her friendship with Kristi by inviting Jason to the dance. I think the risk was worth it because Kristi isn’t really that good of a friend. She doesn’t do anything that Catherine really wants.
    3. Catherine gives up her friendship with Kristi at the dance because she knows that it’s really not worth it. In the last chapter she gives up making rules.

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  16. AnonymousJune 18, 2012 at 9:30 AM

    1. Catherine’s choices near the end of the book were inviting Jason to the dance and she had a really hard time asking Jason because of Catherine didn’t want Kristi to know about Jason.

    2. Catherine risks inviting Jason to the dance because she didn’t want Kristi to know about Jason. I think that risk was worth it because Catherine shouldn’t care if Kristi judges Jason or not. And she realized everyone is the same.

    Josh

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  17. AnonymousJune 18, 2012 at 9:49 AM

    1 The choices that Catherine makes at the end of the book are when she was going to invited Jason to the dance but she was too scared to ask because she didn’t want Kristi and Ryan to find out.
    2 Catherine risks inviting Jason to the dance because Ryan and Kristi could find out and say something mean about Jason. I don’t think she should have been scared to ask Jason to the dance because she has been around him for so long and she went to his party but why not to the dance.

    Jadenn

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  18. AnonymousJune 18, 2012 at 9:57 AM

    1) Catherine made choices at the end of the book to not be prejudice towards people who are different and to except everybody.
    2) Catherine’s risks inviting Jason to the dance because she is worried of what other people will do when she shows up with someone in a wheel chair. I don’t think it was worth it because it risked their friendship and Jason got mad at Catherine.
    Lena

    ReplyDelete
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