Category: Rodrick Rules

MEANS

pit	a large hole in the ground
grateful	thankful
receipt	the small piece of paper that you get as a record of buying something; if you want to return something, you need to show your receipt (to prove you bought it)
idiom: cracking down (to crack down)	to put limits on or stop something from happening
Hawk	kind of bird with great eyesight
idiom: to watch someone like a hawk	to always watch someone very closely
glass eye	a fake eye made of glass that people use when they have an injury to their real eye and it can no longer see
wacky	silly or funny or crazy
to aim	to direct something toward the way you want it to go (ex. if you want to shoot a basketball into the net, you aim/point your hand and the ball in the direction of the net)
Flunked (to flunk)	To fail, to not pass
pop quiz	a quiz that you did not know was happening; a surprise quiz
budget cuts	when someone decreases your budget (the amount of money an organization has to run their programs)
drum pad	a small piece of wood that is used to learn how to play the drums before you get a real drum set
Utensils	Fork/spoon → relates to kitchen
To get fed up	An idiom that means to get annoyed or frustrated
Evolved (to evolve)	Change over time
idiom: hitting the books (to hit the books)	To study hard, to get your work done related to school
idiom: to wing it	Make it up as you go; to not have a plan for something; synonym phrase: go with the flow, play it by ear
idiom: there is/was a catch	idiom – means something good is happening, but then you realize that you have to do somethings to earn it OR there is a disadvantage

SAYS

receipt	re-seat
hawk	like walk and talk

Means

Constantly	All the time
Dang	similar to damn, but more appropriate than that; used when someone is frustrated
Primitive	Not smart, not well-developed
idiom: to get/be under someone’s thumb	they have control over you
idiom: to get your kicks where you can	to have fun when you can, even if it is making fun of someone else
eventually	over time, in the end, finally
Apparently	obviously, easy to see
Potty-trained	potty: a bowl used by small children as a toilet; potty-trained means you know how and when to use the toilet, so you no longer need to wear diapers
pre-school	the class 3-4 year olds go to before kindergarten
Bugging (to bug)	annoy or bother someone
idiom: losing my marbles	Going crazy
idiom: to put two and two together	to look at a clue or evidence and NOT connect it with the crime or the thing that was done
Privileged	having special rights; honored, feeling special
Acquaintance	basic experience or knowledge of something; a person that you know slightly, but is not your close friend
Babysitter	a person who is paid to take care of someone’s children when they are away from home
Cologne	Nice smelling oil that men wear
Dungeon	a strong underground prison place, usually in a castle
Nerd	A person, especially a man, who is not attractive and boring; people make a lot of fun of people who are nerds (too smart, not interesting, not cool)
Suspicious	a feeling that something wrong is going on or something bad is about to happen, based on observations
to Approve	to agree with someone or think it is appropriate and good
Dork	A loser, not a cool kid, lame
Loophole	a way of figuring out how to get what you want by “bending” the rules
Tavern	a bar or restaurant, where people go to eat and drink beer
Pint	a pint of beer, a pint of milk. A unit used to measure liquid
battle	to fight, a fight
to be “a regular”	to go to a place over and over, so it is normal for you

Says

Jacques	jock, but with a zj sort of sound
Primitive	prim-ih-tiv
Acquaintance	uh-qwain-tince
Cologne	co-lone
Heather	heh-thur
Dungeon	dun-jin
ORCS	orks

MEANS

juicy	describes interesting information, usually about something someone wants to keep secret
Phys Ed	stands for Physical Education and means playing sports and learning about health
permanent	something that stays; opposite of temporary
doomed	in big trouble
scot-free	without any punishment
heinie	the bottom/butt of something or someone
darn	a word that people say when they miss something, or something bad happens; it is similar to damn
pounded (to pound)	hit something with a lot of force, knock
to crank	turn
idiom: to drown someone out	to be so loud that someone or something can’t be heard
spare	extra, additional
hinges	ears of the door (in Khmer)
tightening (to tighten)	make or become tight or tighter
tattletale	someone that tells someone else that you have done something bad
idiom: to squeal on someone	to tell on someone about something bad they did
allegory	a story, poem, or picture which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning,
evidence	clues or pieces of information that tell that something bad has happened in this place (ex. blood on the floor)

SAYS

allegory
should’ve	should-of

Comprehension Check

Name: Samady
Date: 10/12/2015

1. Why does Greg want to read Rowley’s diary? What is the problem? How does he solve the problem? What would you do if you were in his place (would you use the same solution or a different one)?
Greg wants to read Rowley’s diary because he really desires to know what Rowley writes in the book because everyday he sees Rowley talking about many things with the girls. Greg thought in amazement, did Rowley talk about him?
Anyway, Greg was pretty ingenious about that. All he had to do to get Rowley’s diary was to buy the same diary, get the same key and unlock Rowley’s diary.
If I were in his place, I would choose his solution but when I got the key, I would switch Rowley’s diary and my new diary that I just bought. When I did that, it would be really hard to recognize.
Also I could ask Rowley for the diary because Rowley is my best friend. Maybe I could buy a lollipop for him or ask him did he ever talk about me because sometimes Rowley talked about me but he didn’t write in the diary. Great explanation Samady, and only a few corrections!

2. What do you think he means when he says “Dad wasn’t too thrilled” about him buying the diary?
When Greg said “Dad wasn’t too thrilled” about him buying the diary, I think it means that his Dad doesn’t want him to buy that diary because it wastes his money. Dad didn’t feel satisfied about that girly diary. Good! But was it Greg’s money or Dad’s?
It was Dad’s money.

3. Why did Mom and Dad decide to go out of town?
Dad and Mom decided to go out of town because they want their sons, Greg and Rodrick to spend time with each other because every day Dad and Mom see both of them fighting with each other, and the witness one was Manny, Greg’s younger brother. This might be one benefit to their trip, but it is not the main reason why they decide to go. Think again.
Another reason is that Mom and Dad already knew if they were gone, the house will get burned, but with Rodrick getting a flu, they must’ve seen their big chance. Their big chance to what?!
Their big chance to go outside to visit some places. They will not get tired with their children. Yes.

4. Why doesn’t Greg call Mom and Dad to tell them what is going on?
Greg didn’t call Mom and Dad to tell them what was going on because he was desiring to know what a high-school party looks like. So all he had to do was to shut his mouth and soak it all in. Good!

5. What does Rodrick do to Greg when his friends get there? Why do you think he does that?
Rodrick told Greg to go down to the basement when his friends get there to get more tables, but what he really meant was, Rodrick wanted him to go down to the basement, so Rodrick could shut the door, which didn’t allow Greg to go in and know what is happening in the room. I think Greg was regretting about how he trusted Rodrick to not tell Mom and Dad about the party. Awesome explanation!

6. Why does Greg help clean up?
Greg helps clean up the room because Rodrick told him that, if Greg didn’t help clean up the room, when they get busted, Rodrick will take him down. It means that, if their parents knew about the party, Rodrick will say that Greg also helped him organize the party. Another reason is, Rodrick will spoil everything that happened to Greg this summer to his friends.

7. What is their “genius plan?”
Thier genius plan for the problem at the bathroom was to change the bathroom door and the basement door. What they did was take the screwdriver to get the door off the hinges.

8. What is the problem with Manny?
Manny is a tattletale. Rodrick was lucky enough that Manny wasn’t there. If Manny was there, he would tell everything to the parents about what he had seen. He also could tell on someone what they had done wrong even though he couldn’t talk.

Means

ringleader	person who is causing the most trouble or leading a joke
marched (to march)	to walk somewhere quickly
drilled (to drill)	to prepare or practice over and over
to deny (dee-ny-d)	to say you didn’t do something you are accused of doing
relieved	to become less stressed or upset; to feel better about something bad that was happening
incident	something that happened; event; situation
idiom: to ground someone	a punishment from a parent, where the kid has everything taken away (TV, video games) and cannot leave the house (ex. to play with friends, go to a party)
gumdrop	some kind of candy, similar to jelly and has sugar sticking on it
crumb	a small piece (fragment) of cake, or bread, etc.
to fess up	comes from the word to confess; to admit that you have done something that someone else will not like
fib	small lie
backfired	describes a plan that goes the opposite of how you expected or wanted
celebrity	a famous person
to harbor	contain or have or keep or make
tempt—– ation	a desire to do something, especially something wrong
unforeseen	not predicted, not seen, surprising
squeaky clean	well-behaved
dentures	fake teeth
liberating	freeing, makes you feel free
streak	a short period of good or bad luck
porch	a place that is in front of a house or building; connected to and usually used for sitting outside when it is nice out
formulate	create, think of
concept	ideas
mansion	very large expensive house
clerk	office worker
sanitation	keeping things clean, related to health, អនាម័យ
sanitation worker	garbage man
nurse	medical professional, connected to doctor
rake	collect (collect leaves to put in the bag)
idiom: forking over	giving
skit	small play/performance at school
rear	at the back (ex. rear end = butt)
display	show
juicy	describes interesting information, usually about something someone wants to keep secret
gossip	to speak about other people’s private information
thrilled	extremely excited and happy about something

Says

Kratz

cratz

Comprehension Check

Name: Samady

Date: 12/8/2015

1. What does it mean that Greg thought he was “in the clear” about the Chirag joke?

Greg thought he was “in the clear” about the Chirag joke means he is out of trouble.

 

2. Explain the difference between deny and confess. What is the idiom for confess? Who denies something in this “chapter” and who confesses?

 

The difference between deny and confess is:

 

Deny	Confess
To say that you didn’t do it, to accuse someone else.	to know, or admit that you did something that people do not like.

3. Why does Chirag feel relieved? What is something that you have been relieved about before?

Chirag felt relieved because Greg came to apologize to him about the prank that he did in class.

Something that I have been relieved about before was sometimes I stayed up late at night. It is the rule that I should get to bed on time. It happened most of the times that I got up late. Sometimes I talked with friends or did my work, and the RE would knock on the door, and open it to see if there were any more kids left. Sometimes I nearly got busted by her, but I hid, and I felt relieved when she left without seeing me. Great grammar on that last sentence!

4. Why don’t people appreciate Greg’s honesty?

People didn’t appreciate Greg’s honesty because his honesty makes people angry. He is telling too much truth that makes people upset.

5. Do you think any of the kids want to be an electrical engineer after hearing the man’s presentation? Why or why not?

I think no kids want to be an electrical engineer after hearing the man’s presentation because the job was too difficult for the kids to do, and as Greg said, in the next 15 years, he’ll be in the mansion, counting his money! Samady, EXCELLENT grammar! Thank you but the first sentence I was duplicated from you and the last sentence I take from the book so, only the middle sentence that I wrote my own.

6. Why did Rodrick want to fill the bags less? What was the benefit?

Rodrick wanted to fill the bags less because it is really helpful for him, and the benefits are he and Greg could be done a lot quicker than just putting the leaves inside the bag until it is full, so they can get the free chocolate from their grandma. Their grandma didn’t seem so happy about that, but a deal’s a deal, so their grandma forked over the chocolate to them. I think this advice from Rodrick made Greg feel relieved and it was a good concept for Greg to learn.

7. What was your favorite part of this “chapter” and why?

My favorite part is when Greg is being honest. I think I am also one of the honest people too, but what Greg does was an exaggeration of honesty. It is just over or too much honesty. He keeps telling things that he thinks are true, just like Rowley’s grandpa’s birthday. Greg had said something that means maybe Rowley’s grandpa will not live anymore, in the next year. Another thing that is really funny is, Greg’s mom wanted Greg to tell the woman that called to her that she wasn’t in the house right now, but Greg doesn’t want to lie, so he told his mom to go outside the house, to stand on the porch and then Greg replied to the woman, “My mom is not in the house right now.” What do you think about that?  

Means

Cocky	you think you are the best, (overly confident) – this is negative thing
idiom: to let your guard down	to stop paying attention to a situation, and then things start to go wrong
idiom: to pick on	to tease or trick
To hover	Hanging above
To pluck	Pick, grab
Decency	behavior that is good
Crucial	Very important
Satisfied	Happy, pleased
To tack on	to add
Firsthand	knowing something because you experienced it
idiom: to chew someone out	to yell at someone and blame them for something bad they have done
idiom: to be broke	to not have any money
idiom: to stiff someone	to not pay someone the money they deserve or are owed
Bucks	dollars
Gun-shy	shy about doing something in front of others
Foyer	front entrance hallway
Deeds	kind actions to others; favors; help
idiom: Struck it rich	become rich very quickly
Stash	a secret, hidden amount of something special
Convenience store	small market, indoors, sells drinks, snacks, gas, etc.
Dopey	silly, stupid
To track down	to find
idiom: To tick someone off	to annoy or make them mad
To slug	To hit or punch
To bug	to annoy
Flattered	honored, happy
Trousers	pants
Bandanna	a small piece of colored cloth folded and worn on the head
Thug	a bad man
cruel	very mean and awful
idiom: to let someone off the hook	to stop forcing someone to do something they don’t want to do, or stop being mean to someone
idiom: to set someone off	to make someone angry by doing something mean that you know they don’t like
idiom: to get someone to crack	to tell you what you want to know, or do what you want them to do, after a time that they have refused (not done it/said it)
idiom: to blow the joke	to destroy or ruin the trick/joke
flea	a tiny insect, similar to lice, that live on dogs/animals

Comprehension Check

Name: Samady

Date: 11/16/2015

1. What does it mean to be cruel? Summarize the cruel thing the kids and Greg did to Chirag.

Cruel means to be really bad to something, or be something awful and sometimes it can be very atrocious.  

The cruel thing that kids including Greg did to Chirag is: prank him, that Chirag is invisible. About the chocolates chips, at lunch time, Greg pretended that Chirag was invisible, and said: “I wish Chirag was here, oh how he loved chocolate chip cookies.”   

 

2. Why does Greg think it is okay for him to tease Chirag?

Greg thinks it is okay for him to tease Chirag because Chirag is one of Greg’s friends. Good, but also because Greg has been bullied and teased before and he doesn’t get many opportunities to tease other kids.

 

3. Who is the weak one in the Chirag joke? Why?

Rowley, because Rowley nearly destroyed the prank when Chirag talked to him.

Chirag: Rowley, do you think I exist?

Rowley: Nope, I can’t even hear you or see you – this means if Rowley didn’t see or hear Chirag how could he look at Chirag and answer the question. Yes!

4. Why was it easy for Greg to apologize to the student in the Vice Principal’s office?

It was really easy for Greg to apologize to the student in the Vice Principal’s office because the Vice Principal got a really crucial fact wrong: the victim was not Chirag, it was another student named: Sharif. Yes!

5. What does it mean to be “broke”?

To be “broke” means, it doesn’t work anymore. Another thing it means is, last but not least it means to have no money.

6. What was Greg’s plan for cleaning up after the dog? Was it a good plan? Why or why not?

His plan was to let the dog do its business, and Greg would clean all the things at once. The plan didn’t work, because the family that lived in that house came to home one day before.

 

7. What is a chore? Give me some examples. What are good deeds? Give me some examples.

Chores are the jobs in a house. Broom and mop the floor, swab the mirror, clean the bathroom: all of these can be called the chores. Good deeds are when your friends or someone is busy with the work, you can help them, and say in the polite way. You gave me a specific example of a good deed, but did not give me a general definition.

Good deeds are doing something that would help others, without them asking you to do it, just like being proactive. Great!

8. What does Rodrick do with his Mom bucks? What does Greg do? What would you do?

Rodrick went down to the convenience store and bought a heavy-metal magazine. Greg didn’t care about Rodrick, so he still kept earning his Mom Bucks. He will not waste his money on something without thinking. For me, I would be a prudent person with my money. I should spend it on something that I really want and establish my own ways to keep my money safe. Wow, excellent answer!

9. Why does it “tick off” Greg that Rowley also got a diary?

It does “tick off” Greg that Rowley also got a diary because Greg knew that Rowley asked his parents for a diary, so Rowley could be just like Greg too. But Greg doesn’t want anyone to have a diary like him. Just like me, I only want to have something different from others, I don’t want them to have it like me too.

10. Tell me about what Greg does to see how much Rowley wants to be like him

Greg rolled up one of his trouser legs and tied a bandana around his ankle and went to school that way. Greg did this because he was sure that Rowley would do like him too, and Rowley does. So in that day, both of them ended up meeting with the Vice Principal of the school. This is what you get, when you follow other people too much. Great!

 

MEANS

cafeteria	a restaurant or dining room in a school or a business in which customers serve themselves and pay before eating
idiom: to bump into someone	to see someone or meet someone by chance, not having planned it
being drawn to something	attracted to
to freak out	to shout and become very upset
cops	police, 911
accused (to accuse)	to call on someone, put them into trouble; to say that they have done something wrong, based on your opinion or what you have seen/know
regretting (to regret)	to think that your choice was the wrong one; to wish that you had not done something
totem pole	a beautiful, carved pole that shows the rank of people (who is the top and the bottom, etc.)
tinfoil	aluminum or a similar silvery-gray metal, used especially for covering or wrapping food
grateful	feeling or showing an appreciation of kindness; thankful
to stress out	to be worried or really stressed/anxious
commotion	a time of confusion and noise
factual (adj.)	something that is true, realistic
idiom: sweating it	to worry a lot about something
to commit	work really hard on it, focus on it; do it
sleuth	detective; someone who solves crimes

 

SAYS

cafeteria	caf-uh-teer-E-uh
church	cherch
montpierre	mon-pee-air

 

Name: Samady

Date: 11/5/2015

1. What does ridiculous mean? Give me an example of something or someone ridiculous.

ridiculous means something that is crazy, stupid, and sometimes kind of funny. Something that is ridiculous is some funny alien.

 

2. Why does Greg start walking around with Rowley, talking about his vacation? How will it benefit him?

• Greg really wants to talk to the girls and the benefit is he can talk to the girls and another thing is he can tease Rowley, cause Rowley is his best friend. Good.

 

3. Tell me five things about Bill Walter in your own words.

Five characteristics of Bill Walter:

• He doesn’t have his own encumbrance to live by himself, and he still lives with his parents.
• Bill Walter really loves music, and that is why he had chosen to be in Rodrick’s incredible and derisory band.  
• He is decorous, because he said “hello” to Greg’s dad in the early morning.
• When I saw the picture of his face, I thought he was a melancholy person.  
• When he cannot do one thing, he would be regretting.

4. What does dad want to do when he sees all the kids at his house? When Mom stops him, what is his second strategy to get them to leave?

Greg’s dad doesn’t want all those teenagers to be in his house and he wants them to go away. So his strategy the second time to get them to leave is to go upstairs and get his boom box. Then he put classical music on.    

5. What is the difference between classical and heavy-metal music?

Classical and heavy-metal are different because

Classical	Heavy-Metal
smooth, lonely, sounds depressing, helps your brain think faster for quiet times	rock, hip hop, kind of ridiculous fun, for parties

6. What does it mean to regret something? What is something that you have regretted?

Regret means: after you have done something wrong, and you feel you shouldn’t have done that. Something that I had regretted before is when I did something wrong to someone, then I just realized that I should not do that, why don’t I do this, or do that. I feel dismal to myself.

 

7. What does it mean to deserve something? What is something someone deserves?

Deserve means: you should get it, someone must do that for you.

For instance, if you are a baby, you deserve from your mom that she take care of you. Good!

8. Summarize Rodrick’s plan for writing a paper in five steps.

1. Write the description in the paper
2. Hand over the paper to his dad
3. Dad tells Rodrick to find the errors, but….
4. Rodrick tells his dad to write in the computer, write whatever he wants
5. Dad rewrites Rodrick’s paper from scratch.

 

9. What does it mean to “drive someone bananas?”

“Drive someone bananas” means: make someone feel sick of what you are talking about, or do something to irritate them. Someone would be insane if you “drive them crazy.” Another thing that can affect you is that there would be “bats in the belfry.”

 

10. What is Greg’s strategy for writing book reports?

Greg only took the critical parts of the book and wrote it as a whole book, and also he writes what his teacher wants. Greg is quite ingenious, a problem solver, and kind of deceiving the teacher.

 

+8 T3 words!! These will go toward your next block of Literacy grades. What a great way to start!

 

I was writing the comprehension Check for this in the notebook, so I didn’t have it on my computer.

MEANS

Word	Meaning
lousy	bad or poor
mercy	to be kind and forgive someone
destined	certain to do or to be something in the future
banquet	formal dinner, usually to celebrate a special event
to cram	to fill, so that there’s no room for anyone else
trunks	boys bathing suit (longer)
chlorine	a chemical with a strong smell used for cleaning pools
hypothermia	a sickness that people can get when they are so cold that their body’s inner temperature starts to go down
chunk	a thick piece of something (rough)
to bail (out)	to help someone to solve or leave a difficult situation to give up, quit
decent	polite and honest; medium good
witness	a person who sees something happen (crime) and is able to tell what happened; verb: to see
blowout	a huge fight
lame	uncool

 

SAYS

word	how to say
destined	des-tin-D
banquet	bang-quit
hypothermia	hi.po.therm.e.uh