Rules of the Game

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Rules of the _____”

In this activity, students will impart family wisdom through written narratives.

Think about the important lessons you learned from your parents or caregivers. Then, write a brief family narrative of one to two pages using the following prompts and framework:

• What was one skill or attitude your parent, a caregiver, or an important mentor conveyed explicitly or implicitly to help you survive in the world, whether physically or socially? If it was a concrete skill supporting physical survival, what else might it have taught you or prepared you for in life?
• Use sensory detail and narrative elements such as dialogue, plot development, and characterization. Also, consider employing literary devices such as metaphors or similes.

Volunteers can read aloud from their narratives. Based on these texts, discuss which students might be friends with or opponents of Waverly and why.

Teaching Suggestion: Model for students the completion of the frame: When I was _____ (age) my _____ (mother, father, another caregiver) taught me _____. It was a strategy for _____ and _____. For example, “When I was eight my teacher taught me the art of passive resistance.