A theme is a central idea, subject, or message in a story. Many stories have more than one important theme. For this activity, students will identify and illustrate 2 of the themes in Rules. Teachers may want the students to identify and illustrate 2 themes, one for each cell, or identify one theme and show two examples of it, one example per cell.
Catherine dreams of the perfect friendship with her cool new neighbor, Kristi. However, the friendship doesn’t seem to blossom, as the girls are more different than Catherine had hoped. On the other hand, Catherine forms a strong friendship with Jason, who is the last person she ever thought she’d be friends with. Friendship often comes in the most surprising places.
It is often very difficult for Catherine to accept David as he is; he can be embarrassing and very difficult. Catherine desperately wants to be accepted and liked by Kristi, until she realizes that accepting herself and who she is is far more important.
Catherine communicates with the other characters in the book in different ways. With her brother David, she communicates with him through a set of rules, and through dialogue from the Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel. She communicates with Jason using word cards, and she struggles to communicate with Kristi, for fear that Kristi won’t be her friend if she knows all about her.
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Due Date:
Objective: Create a storyboard that identifies recurring themes in Rules. Illustrate instances of each theme and write a short description below each cell.
Student Instructions:
Encourage students to discuss themes by planning a short, focused conversation. Shared dialogue helps students deepen their understanding of story messages.
Choose a scene that highlights a main theme, such as friendship or acceptance. Reading aloud allows all students to focus on language and context together.
Prompt students with questions like “What is Catherine learning here?” or “How does this part show friendship or acceptance?” Open-ended questions invite participation and deeper thinking.
Write down key words, phrases, or examples students share. Visual notes help everyone track the discussion and see connections.
Ask students to share one thing they noticed about the theme or how it relates to their own lives. Reflection makes the theme more meaningful and personal for each student.
Rules by Cynthia Lord explores key themes such as friendship, acceptance, and communication. The story shows how Catherine learns about accepting others and herself, the complexities of friendship, and different ways people communicate.
Students can identify themes in Rules by looking for recurring ideas, challenges, and lessons the characters experience. They should find specific scenes or examples that show these themes and illustrate or describe them in a storyboard or worksheet.
The theme of acceptance in Rules means learning to appreciate people for who they are, including their differences. Catherine learns to accept her brother David and herself, realizing that being true to yourself is more important than trying to fit in.
In Rules, Catherine hopes to become friends with Kristi but struggles because they are different. Unexpectedly, she builds a strong friendship with Jason, showing that real friends can come from unlikely places. These relationships highlight the theme of friendship throughout the book.
Teachers can ask students to create a storyboard that identifies two themes from Rules. For each theme, students draw a scene and write a short description explaining how that scene represents the theme. This makes theme identification interactive and visual.