Recess Rules Readers Guide
This Readers Guide was developed by Playworks Founder, Jill Vialet, for Playworks Coaches to
utilize with their JCs while reading Recess Rules. The book club is optional and recommended for
Coaches who are interested in reading the book with their JCs and are comfortable leading group
discussions. PMs should discuss the planning and implementation of a book club before launching
it.
This guide includes:
● Discussion questions
● Author’s Comments
● Vocabulary
Recommendations:
● Coaches may want to read along with students, read aloud portions of the book to
students, and/or provide students time for reading during training when homework is done,
or if there’s extra time in the training schedule.
● Coaches and PMs should discuss how to schedule training time use for book club in
advance of launching your book clubs
● If coaches suggest reading time outside of training, be sure it is messaged to JCs that it’s
not ‘required’ like homework
● Each chapters discussion questions and vocabulary can be shared in advance of reading
the chapter. This may help students with comprehension while they are reading
● Consider including incentives or a celebration at the end of the book to keep readers
active
● If interested, end­of­book activities could be used in conjunction with the guide, as long as
extra training time is available. Activity Suggestions: (contact Eileen
[email protected] if you’d like more guidance on these suggestions)
○ Create a Recess Rules movie promotional poster including real actors and
locations
○ Reinact a favorite scene in book
○ Write a letter to your favorite character
○ Create a TV Commercial for the book
○ Write a rap/song about the book: perform it for your JC team!
○ Set up a recess to include some of the games that are in Recess Rules
○ Have a google hangout book discussion with another JC group and Coach
○ Write a letter to the author about what you liked about the book
Recess Rules Readers Guide
Prologue
● What is a prologue?
● Why do you think the author used one?
● What characters did you meet?
● Did anything surprise you?
Author’s Comments:
I didn’t originally start with a prologue, but added it in after I wrote the first draft to
introduce Clarence and let the reader know that the story was going to be a little magical.
I was also inspired by the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” made back in 1946. In the movie,
George Bailey is a man who has given up on his dreams and gets help from a guardian
angel named Clarence. Clarence in Recess Rules is named for both this Clarence and a
Parks and Recreation coordinator I had as a kid.
Vocabulary:
Prologue ­ the preface or introduction to a literary work
Bravado ­ confident or brave talk or behavior that is intended to impress other people
Sarcasm ­ the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say especially in
order to insult someone, to show irritation, or to be funny
Oblivious ­ lacking remembrance, memory, or mindful attention
Provisional ­ temporary
Demeanor ­ outward manner
Chapter One
● Where does the action take place?
● What characters are introduced?
● What problem is introduced?
● Does Magruder remind you of your school?
Author’s Comments: Sir Galahad was a knight from King Arthur’s Roundtable, and
particularly brave and gallant.
Vocabulary:
Menacing ­ threatening
Composure ­ calmness
Unprecedented – not done before
Glowered – to look at someone or something in an angry way
Vehemently ­ marked by a forceful energy
Chapter Two
Discussion Questions:
● Describe the Grove. Are there areas like the Grove in your neighborhood?
● How did the four friends react to Clarence’s arrival?
● What does each of their reactions tell you about their characters?
● Have you ever had a dream that felt almost real?
Author’s Comments: When I was a kid, I used to have a dream that I was riding on my
father’s shoulders at a grown­up party, and then I would take off flying – sometimes
traveling to places I had only read about, like France. My dream was the inspiration for
this part of the story.
Vocabulary:
Desolate ­ deserted
Rhetorical Question – a question asked in order to make a statement rather than to get an
answer
Serene ­ calm
Protocol – a code of behavior
Entrenched – to dig in
Vivid – producing a strong or clear impression
Incredulous – showing an inability to believe something
Chapter Three
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What did you learn about Cassie in this chapter?
Did it surprise you?
Describe how you imagined Clarence drawing with his finger?
What other super powers would you give Clarence if you were the author?
Author’s Comments:
When I was a kid in school they still used mimeograph machines, or mimeos. The machine
was originally invented by Thomas Edison back in 1876. I included this detail because I
worry that the kind of play that happens at recess is seen as old­fashioned and sometimes
overlooked for new technologies.
Vocabulary:
Lapse – a slight error or the passage of time
Hedged – to enclose or protect or to avoid answering directly
Flummoxed ­ confused
Skeptical – expressing doubt
Mischievously –irresponsibly playful
Chapter Four
● Would you like to be invisible?
● What would be good about it? What would be hard?
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What do you think about Mr. Unger?
Why does Clarence want the four friends to involve the other students in the map project?
Did you recognize the clapping attention getter and three lines basketball?
Do you do them the same or differently?
Author’s Comments:
In writing about the grown­ups in Recess Rules, I wanted to make them a little bit silly, but
still likeable. I also wanted to point out that sometimes the way schools are set up – the
rules and the guidelines that teachers and principals are required to follow – can make
people do crazy things.
Vocabulary:
Lingering – slow in parting or in quitting something
Prominently – readily noticeable
Immaculate – having no stain or blemish
Lax – not strict
Ally – one united with another for a common purpose
Chapter Five
● Why are the friends upset abot the other kids being excited about the maps?
● Did you recognize RoShamBo Relay and the way Clarence had the kids pick teams?
● What games would you have started with?
● Why did Kevin say something mean to Marcus when he did?
● Why did Cassie stick up for Marcus?
● Were you surprised?
Vocabulary:
Palpable – capable of being touched or felt
Quizzically – showing puzzlement
Marginally – very slight
Begrudgingly – giving or allowing something in an unwilling or reluctant way
Wryly – cleverly humorous
Derision – the use of ridicule or scorn to show contempt
Valiant – very brave or courageous
Chapter Six
● What happened at the assembly?
● Have you ever played RoShamBo Rockstar?
● Have you ever had the experience of doubting that a game would work, and then having
your classmates really get into it?
Vocabulary:
Reckless – not showing proper concern about the possible bad results of your actons
Smattering – a small amount of something
Excruciating ­ painful
Simultaneous – at the same time
Volition – the power of choosing
Chapter Seven
● What do you think about what Cassie said: “We need each other to play?”
● Did you believe that Marcus could change so quickly?
● What do you think is going on between Mr. Unger and Mrs. Grumble?
Author’s Comments: I wanted to make sure that Clarence, even though he’s an angel,
was portrayed as complicated and imperfect. I tried to make it clear to the reader that he
was growing and changing and learning, alongside of the kids he was sent to “help.”
Vocabulary:
Inconvenience – something that causes trouble or problems
Concession – something done or agreed to in order to reach an agreement
Anxious – feeling afraid or nervous
Intervening – to occur between two times or events
Serendipity – luck in finding something not looked for
Enamored – inflamed with love
Chapter Eight
● What did you think about Toni announcing “new Game” when Carl and Andy couldn’t
agree?
● Have you ever had a classmate refuse to use rock­paper­scissors?
● Why was Ninja Tag a bad idea?
● Do you think Marcus deserved to get into trouble?
Author’s Comments:
I have to admit to having enjoyed playing Ninja Tag, but it can be a dangerous game. The
episode in the book was inspired by a real story when some Playworks staff were playing
together, and one of our Executive Directors got hit in the face!
Vocabulary:
Stampede – a situation in which a lot of people do the same thing at the same time
Intrigued ­ interested
Transformation – a change
Demeanor – behavior towards others
Designating ­ choosing
Clamoring ­ noisy shouting
Rambunctious – uncontrolled in a way that is playful or full of energy
Squeamish – easily shocked or disgusted by unpleasant things
Chapter Nine
● How did Zee explain why Marcus had changed?
● Describe Dr. Kardashian, the superintendent.
● What did the Superintendent plan to do about recess? Did this surprise you?
● Did he intend for the students to understand him?
● Why did Cassie stop Clarence from casting a spell on the superintendent?
Did you agree with her?
● How are the games RoSahmBo and Giants, Wizards and Elves similar?
Author’s Comments: One of the most interesting things about growing Playworks has
been convincing people that while recess can be a place where a lot of conflict and trouble
happens if people don’t pay attention to it, it can also be a place where great things
happen. I wanted a chance to highlight this challenge in Recess Rules.
Vocabulary:
Prioritized – to make something the most important thing in a group
Restraint – control over your emotions or behavior
Steadfastly – firmly fixed in place
Commotion – an agitated disturbance
Entourage – a group of people who go with and assist and important person
Disarray ­ disorder
Benevolently ­ kindly
Patronizingly – adopting an air of condescension, taking down to someone
Indignant – anger at something unjust
Déjà vu – seen before
Chapter Ten
● What happened when Marcus went to talk with his mom?
● Why do you think he started to cry?
● Were you surprised by Mrs. Mackey’s response?
● What did Clarence mean when he said the football game could go “terribly wrong?”
● How are Clarence and Toni alike?
Author’s Comments:
I made fun of Mrs. Mackey in the earlier chapter, showing her being rude on her cell
phone, but I wanted to also be empathic and try and show that sometimes there is more
going on with a person and how they behave than we can easily see or understand.
Vocabulary:
Unbeknownst – happening without the knowledge of someone specified
Sullen – resentfully silent
Obliged – required to do something
Limbo – an intermediate or transitional state
Ventriloquist – a performer who speaks in a way that makes it appear the words are being said
by a large doll (called a dummy)
Chapter Eleven
● Why do Mrs. Grumble and Ms. Houghton not like each other?
● Were you surprised Ms. Houghton wanted to play?
● Do grown­ups play on your recess yard? Do you like it when they do?
Vocabulary:
Transgressions ­ wrongdoings
Exasperated – angered and annoyed
Sincerity – honesty of mind
Elation – euphoria, extreme happiness
Solemnly – seriously, formally
Momentum – the force something has when its moving
Dethroned – to remove from a throne or place of power
Chapter Twelve
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Do stories or rumors ever get exaggerated at your school? Share an example.
Why was Mr. Unger made uncomfortable by Mrs. Grumble’s lecture to the kids?
Were you surprised by Cassie’s response?
Why do you think Cassie made Clarence promise not to use magic in the final decision
around recess? Do you agree with her thinking?
Author’s Comments:
The story about the tagging in the boys’ bathrooms during recess was based on a true
experience and the tagging stopped when Playworks came to the school. A study of
Playworks showed that teachers recovered instructional time as compared to schools
without Playworks.
Vocabulary:
Preposterous – very foolish or silly
Prevailed – defeated an opponent
Fret ­ worry
Discreetly – not likely to be seen
Consolation – something that makes a person feel less sadness
Accolade – an award or expression of praise
Annunciated ­ pronounced
Dreadful – very bad or unpleasant
Ensuing – to come at a later time
Chapter Thirteen
● Do you think Marcus’s mom was being fair to Marcus? Why or why not?
● Were you surprised by her reaction when she learned about the proposal to eliminate
recess?
● Do you ever talk with your family about recess? What do you share?
● Did you recognize the songs being played by the PA machine? If so, which ones?
Vocabulary:
Animated – full of life and energy
Bedlam – a noisy and confused state or scene
Familiarize – to give someone knowledge about something
Resignation – an act of giving up
Sabotage – the act of damaging something deliberately
Shambles – a place or state in great confusion
Prohibited ­ forbidden
Disconcerting – disturbing one’s composure
Chapter Fourteen
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How did Clarence help Mrs. Mackey?
Mrs. Mackey was initially having a hard time getting parents to come to the board
meeting.
What do you think stops people for standing up for what they believe in?
Describe the newscaster, Robert Roberts.
What did Clarence do to Mr. Unger and Mrs. Grumble?
Why is Mr. Rodrigues hesitant to help?
Vocabulary:
Dejected – sad because of failure or loss
Dismay – to feel worried, disappointed
Interjected – thrown in between or among things
Eloquence – persuasive expressiveness
Semblance – being like something, but not truly the same thing
Chapter Fifteen
● How did Toni convince the man at the school board offices that they were supposed to be
there?
● Were you surprised when Clarence’s magic car wouldn’t start?
● Why is Bryant hesitant about locking Mr. Unger and Mrs. Grumble in the PA closet?
Vocabulary:
Triumphantly ­ victoriously
Improvisation – unrehearsed, made up in the moment
Incredulous – not able or willing to believe something
Audibly – heard or able to be heard
Decapitated – to cut off the head
Chapter Sixteen
● Why did the friends start their presentation with Zee leading a game?
● What happened when Cassie told her story?
● What did you expect would happen when Robert Roberts arrived?
● Why do you think Mr. Rodrigues stand up for the kids after all?
Vocabulary:
Pandemonium – a wild uproar
Accustomed – often used or practiced
Disheveled – not neat or tidy
Astonishment – feeling of being very surprised
Despondence ­ depression
Dismissive – not considering something or someone
Marauding – to roam about and raid in search of things to steal
Daunted – made to be afraid
Chapter Seventeen
● Were you able to guess the ending? What were the clues?
● What is another way the story could have ended?
● What was your favorite part?
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Who was your favorite character?
Would you recommend the book to a friend? Why or why not?
Author’s Comments:
In the Prologue when Clarence asks Cassie’s parents if there was anything they wanted him
to tell her, Cassie’s mom said, “Tell her we didn’t mean it.” This was a reference to Cassie
telling her parents she hated them – just like Clarence did with his brother. When an
author gives a hint like that, it’s called foreshadowing.
Vocabulary:
Bashful ­ shy
Stricken – troubled by disease, misfortune or sorrow
Assent ­ agreement
Sheepishly – embarrassed at having been found out
Epilogue
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How many of the games in the Epilogue do you know?
Which ones have you used at your recess?
Are there any that you don’t know that you’d like to learn? If so, which ones?
If you were writing a book about recess, and wanted to include games, which ones would
you include?