Rules Novel Study Unit: Literature Guide, Comprehension & Vocabulary for Rules by Cynthia Lord

This easy-to-implement novel study unit for the book Rules by Cynthia Lord is engaging and approachable even for reluctant learners. The resource includes daily comprehension questions, a targeted vocabulary word from each day's reading, and bonus activities for post-novel reflection.

Aligned with state standards, this Rules Novel Study is a 3-week unit that includes opportunities for short written responses like those that will be used on the new state testing formats in several states.

Select from three options for this digital download: 

• Printable access - download and print student-friendly trifolds or cut & paste journal prompts
• Digital access - download the teacher guide to access Google Slides for students
• Hybrid - both the printables & digital student materials; great for differentiation!

The print and digital material for this Rules Novel Study covers the same material, making it easy to meet accommodations for typing without adding more work to your plate or changing the assignment. 

In this Novel Unit for Rules you'll find:

1) Student comprehension practice (up to 15 instructional days)

• Each day's work focuses on a single standards-based comprehension skill
• Short, written responses include opportunities to apply thinking to text
• Designed with reluctant and struggling learners in mind
• Built-in graphic organizers to support skill acquisition
• Approachable questions help make connections & start conversations
• No boring multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank questions!

2) Approachable practice with key reading standards and skills including:

• Text analysis and responding to literature
• Summarizing and identifying the main idea of large and small passages of text
• Exploring how character development and change occurs through events of the plot
• Making inferences and drawing conclusions based on text clues
• Analyzing figurative language
• Identifying cause and effect relationships
• Interpreting theme
• And so much more!

3) Text-based & academic vocabulary

• One target word identified for each day's reading
• Includes opportunity to generate a definition & use the word in context
• Make connections to academic vocabulary for daily skills

4) Teacher support materials

• Unit scope & sequence lays out the day's comprehension & vocabulary focus
• Answer Keys for all comprehension activities
• Tips for preparation and implementation

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How Novel Units from Differentiated Teaching Work...

▸ Teachers can introduce the day's vocabulary word & discuss it before reading.

▸ Students complete just one section of the trifold or a single Google Slide each day.

▸ Daily work focuses on target skills needed for success in reading vs. plot recall.

▸ The low-pressure format provides novelty & encourages student engagement

▸ Less overwhelming to reluctant readers and writers

▸ Requires deep analysis and application of text-based knowledge

▸ Encourages discussion about skills & strategies

Here's why teachers love these novel units...

♥ We used these for a whole-class novel study. Pre-printed brochures fully encompassed ELA skills for the novel. This is an extremely easy, but very rich set of activities for understanding and enriching students' ELA skills. I will be using this for our first novel study again in class this fall. I highly recommend this! -Allison M.

♥ This has helped me so much in teaching my students this year. Other resources overwhelm students with too much vocabulary and literal comprehension questions but these slides give students one vocabulary word for each chapter and a grade-level higher-order comprehension skill to practice. - Kristin P.

♥ This does a really good job of focusing on vocab and using context clues, practicing quoting from the text, and target skills. I really liked the way it focused on one skill for every two chapters, which made things really manageable for my students. - Beth A.

Here's what homeschool families have to say about the novel studies...

★ I LOVE the layout and how it guides my son and me through our reading time. As a homeschool parent, I still wanted to give him that opportunity to discuss and grapple with the text and I love this quick format as a brochure. I also love the vocab focus for each section and the skill listed so I can monitor his understanding of these as we move through a variety of texts this year. - Antonia S.

★ My kids LOVED this book companion. The vocabulary was rich, and I liked the focus on one word a day. I also liked that they had to use context clues rather than dictionary definitions... The tasks were a great review of skills I covered throughout the year. Parent-friendly and easy to implement. - Corinne M.

★ I am a homeschool mom and my daughter is enjoying the book and I am loving that she is able to respond to the reading through various aspects and not just answering questions. She is more engaged in her reading and asking more questions after she completes each task. - Terri B.

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