TAG RULES! "You're it!" Nevaeh shouted as she tapped me on the arm. I spotted Raymond and charged after him. He veered to the right and I just missed him. Nevaeh was just past him, so I started chasing after her, but she shouted, "No tag backs!" "Yeah there are! We didn't make rules for this tag game, so I can tag you!" I said, out of breath as I ran toward her. "Then I'm not playing anymore," replied Nevaeh. And just like that, our tag game was over. How annoying, I thought. Raymond and I stopped to talk. "I guess this is one reason that people make rules for games," said Raymond. "We could still be playing if we had agreed on the rules with Nevaeh before we played." "I guess," I said, "but rules are boring. I just want to play!" I decided to try playing with someone else, without rules. I played football and tackled Domingo, who hurt his arm. The other kids didn't want to play football with me anymore. Next I went on the monkey bars, and went on before Amelia was to the end of the bars. She surprised me when she turned around and came back on the monkey bars, and we bumped into each other. She cried and told me that now she couldn't break her monkey bar record. I was by myself again. "Maybe there is a reason we have rules," I said to myself as I walked back over by Raymond, who was on the slide. If I would have used rules, Nevaeh would feel like the tag game was fair, so she would still be playing with me. If I had played by the rules and done touch football with the other players, Domingo would not have gotten hurt, and the other kids would still be playing with me. And if I had waited my turn on the monkey bars, Amelia would not be mad at me and could have broken her record, then I could have had my turn. "Raymond, you're right, rules are important. They help keep things fair, safe, and fun for everyone. Let's go talk with Nevaeh about some fair rules for tag." And off we went.
1.Recount the story in your own words. // 2.What is the central lesson of the story? // 3.What other reasons might we need rules in our communities? // 4.What does "veered"mean in the 1st paragraph? How do you know? // 5.Add your own example to the story of what would happen to the main character if he tried playing something else at recess without following rules.
