The First Rule of Punk

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.

“Malú in 10 Years”

In this activity, students are asked to find or create a zine of their own choosing and use it to imagine the life of Malú 10 years later.

Throughout The First Rule of Punk, Malú struggles to learn how to be her true self amid conflicting family and social cultures. In the end, she finds a way to overcome the struggle by embracing the disparate parts of her heritage through her music.

In this activity, you will work with a partner or small group to imagine Malú’s life 10 years after the end of the novel. Using Malú’s final zine as an example, create or find a new zine depicting her life a decade later.

• Working with your partner or group, either create a new zine or find one online that depicts Malú’s life 10 years later. Consider who her friends are, what her job is, and where she lives.
• After creating your zine, write a few paragraphs explaining Malú’s life as a young adult. Describe how she feels about both of her cultural worlds. Think about whether she still struggles, if she is at peace, or some of each.

After creating or finding a zine and writing a description of Malú’s later life, each group will present your zine to the rest of the class and read aloud your written description. Afterward, other students may ask questions about Malú’s later life as you have depicted it. When all students have presented, the whole class will discuss and reflect on the ways your imagined futures for Malú are similar to and different from one another.

Teaching Suggestion: During the sharing step of this activity, which connects to DIY and Punk Culture, some students may feel hesitant to read and present in front of the whole group. Taking this into consideration, an alternative approach to this final step would be to create a “gallery walk” in which each group puts their zine and written paragraphs on the walls of the classroom, and all students walk around the room to look at and analyze each other’s projects. They may take notes of questions or observations they have which can then be discussed with the whole group afterward.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Malú’s attitude toward her Mexican heritage changes over the course of the novel. By the end, she feels more connected to her Mexican heritage than she felt at the beginning.

• Why does Malú’s attitude toward her Mexican heritage change through the course of the novel? (topic sentence)
• How does Malú feel about her Mexican heritage when she first moves to Chicago?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, consider how Malú’s embrace of her Mexican heritage is contingent upon her ability to also embrace other aspects of her heritage. How does honoring all parts of her cultural heritage help her to make space to be her true self?

2. Throughout the novel, Mrs. Hidalgo serves as a bicultural model for Malú by blending her Latinx heritage with her love of the punk aesthetic.

• How does Mrs. Hidalgo help Malú to learn how to embrace both of her cultural worlds? (topic sentence)
• What was Mrs. Hidalgo like her in her youth? What actions did she take that were similar to actions taken by Malú?
• In your conclusion, consider the importance of role models and the ways in which seeing ourselves reflected in adults supports our sense of belonging.

3. The First Rule of Punk contains multiple collages and illustrations throughout, all of which help to tell the story of Malú’s life.

• How does the appearance of zines impact your understanding of the story? (topic sentence)
• Think about what role the zines serve in the novel. Cite 3-4 zines and explain their impact on the plot and your understanding of Malú.
• In your concluding sentences, consider how the zines in the novel echo the plot and thematic content, and how they also function to instruct the reader about cultural topics.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. At various points, Malú rebels against both her parents’ traditions and the culture of her new school. Why does she struggle against them? What is Malú’s primary means of rebellion? How is this experience for Malú different than it might be for someone who is not bicultural and biracial? Trace the evolution of her rebellion at the beginning, middle, and end of the novel, using the development of her punk band as a guide.

2. Mrs. Hidalgo begins as a minor character in the novel, but by the end she has become Malú’s central role model. Trace the evolution of Mrs. Hidalgo in Malú’s life in The First Rule of Punk. How does Mrs. Hidalgo help Malú to see a way forward through the vying cultures in her life? In what ways does Malú locate in Mrs. Hidalgo an example of a strong, independent woman who harbors a punk aesthetic? Why is it so critical that Malú sees herself in Mrs. Hidalgo, and how does this reflection support Malú’s development?

3. Throughout the text, Malú’s love of DIY and Punk Culture serves the dual purpose of grounding her in herself while also allowing her to subvert the aspects of society that she sees as superficial, superfluous, or oppressive. How does Malú use the process of constructing zines to process her feelings and figure things out? Consider two central traits of DIY and Punk Culture: self-reliance and independence. How does Malú’s focus on creating her own art to better understand herself and the world around her demonstrate the traits of self-reliance and independence?

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What words does Malú’s mother use to describe punk music at the beginning of the novel?

A) A “racket”

B) The “theme music of Malú’s life”

C) “SuperMexican”

D) “HECHO EN MEXICO”

2. After whom did Malú’s father name his dog, Marti?

A) The famous chef José Marti

B) The Cuban poet José Marti

C) His best friend José Marti

D) His favorite lead singer, José Marti

3. What green plant does Malú secretly despise eating?

A) Green onion

B) Lettuce

C) Cilantro

D) Kale

4. Why does Malú’s mother say she disapproves of Malú’s eyeliner?

A) It makes her look “like a witch”

B) It looks “un-Mexican” 

C) It makes her look “like [her] dad”

D) It makes her look “like a vampire”

5. What book does Malú read while eating her lunch alone on the first day of school?

A) The Outsiders

B) The Wizard of Oz

C) The Ramones

D) The SuperMexican

6. What does Selena tell the Spanish teacher about Malú, explaining why Malú can’t speak Spanish?

A) Malú isn’t "white enough.”

B) Malú isn’t “punk enough.”

C) Malú isn’t “Mexican enough.”

D) Malú isn’t “smart enough.”

7. Why did Malú’s maternal grandfather come to California?

A) To work on a farm

B) To marry her grandmother

C) To learn English

D) To fight in World War II

8. Who first suggests to Malú that her band play a song by the Ramones?

A) Mrs. Hidalgo

B) Her mother

C) Joe

D) Her father

9. Where does Malú get the idea of an anti-Fall Fiesta?

A) From Oralia

B) From Selena

C) From Mrs. Hidalgo

D) From the Ramones

10. Why is Malú angry that Joe left the flyer in the photocopier?

A) She wanted to keep it for her father.

B) She wanted to keep it a secret.

C) She wanted Joe to leave the band.

D) She wanted Selena to see it.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How does Malú use her final performance to synthesize her cultural heritage?

2. Why is Malú self-conscious about the fact that she doesn’t like cilantro?