the outsiders characterization mask assignment

Expect Unexpected Engagement When you try Hexagonal Thinking in ELA

Listen to my latest podcast episode:.

Easily Plan your Unit on The Outsiders (+ Free Final Project)

• April 25, 2018

The Outsiders is an ideal book for the ELA classroom. Don’t you agree? The novel, about a teenage boy who questions the divisions – social, political, economical – of the society he’s trapped in, is wildly engaging for students. The voice is gripping, real, honest. Probably because the book was actually written by a teenager dealing with truly difficult experiences.

Like so many of our students.

Though the book is at a relatively easy reading level, it’s a great option for hooking kids who have defined themselves as non-readers. And it’s quite the platform for discussing things that matter to our kids – the ways they define themselves, the raging social divisions going on around them, the complexities of being a teenager.

If you’re lucky enough to get to add it to your curriculum, it lends itself to SO MANY wonderful creative activities! Here are ten to make your unit planning easy peasy. Sprinkle these in between your discussions and you’ll be set for a fabulous unit. And don’t miss the free final project, integrating STEM + ELA, at the end of the post.

#1 The Open Mind When you’re looking to get students thinking deeply about characters, consider an activity I call “The Open Mind.” Either assign students a character, or let them choose one they are most interested in. Then ask them to go inside that character’s head, creating a page of sketchnotes that go deep with the relationships, crucial life events, dreams, and developments relating to that character. Ask them to include several quotations.

#7 Peacemakers Presentations Ponyboy is a peacemaker. Despite all that he has been through, he builds bridges. One great extension activity would be to have students research other peacemakers, creating a wall of peace in your classroom with visual displays on great leaders of peace throughout history.

Suggest people like:

• Mahatma Ghandi
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Nelson Mandela
• Desmond Tutu
• Malala Yousafzai
• Aung San Suu  Kyi
• Jane Addams

#8 “This I Believe” Essay for Ponyboy

You know how I feel about PBS’ “T his I Believe” curriculum (LOVE). Writing personal belief essays is a great activity with any class, but it also functions well as an activity for a literary character. Ponyboy has a strong mind of his own, and his beliefs get clearer and clearer as the book progresses. Asking him to write a “This I Believe” essay in the style of the PBS radio series, focusing in on one crucial belief with lots of specific, detailed anecdotes and examples to support the power of that belief, would be a great activity for an Outsiders unit.

#9 Bring in a Touch of Transcendentalism

Ponyboy walks his own road. It’s not too hard to connect his story to the transcendentalist movement. I especially like to bring in one quotation by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” Ask students to consider the meaning of this quotation, and how the different characters in the book stack up to it. Who is willing to let their views change when confronted with new ideas and circumstances? Who grows instead of stagnating? What characters cling to their consistency and small-mindedness?

#10 Create the App Final Project

Particularly if you’ve already experimented with the critical thinking required for One-Pagers and This I Believe essays, you may wish to do a creative final project for the novel rather than an essay. Build a bridge to the ever-popular themes of STEM by launching your students into an app creation project. Have them imagine they are Ponyboy, creating an App that would help real people break down the barriers between them. You can download this final project completely free here .

I’ll help you find the creative ELA strategies that will light up your classroom. Get ready for joyful teaching!

LET’S BE PEN PALS

Browse by category.

SEARCH FOR THE STRATEGY OF YOUR DREAMS, OR DIVE INTO ONE OF THESE POPULAR CREATIVE RABBIT HOLES.

POPULAR POSTS

6 Creative Video Project Ideas for ELA

This I Believe (as My Life Changes)

Jason Reynolds doesn’t write Boring Books

Need something great for tomorrow? Head on over to the free resources section.

Let’s hang out on

• PRIVACY POLICY
• TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Privacy Overview

HI! I love this so much! Just wondering if you have the template for the Open mind activity that you would be willing to share? Thanks!

Hi! What a wonderful website I stumbled upon. Wondering how to access or buy the open mind template?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Ethical AI PBL Unit

3 weeks of attendance questions, better discussion toolkit.

Almost there!

Take back your planning time with engaging, no-prep resources!

3 Favorite Activities for an Outsiders Novel Study

By  MARISSA DESPINS  Updated Nov 20, 2023

Outsiders Novel Study Activities

Those of you who have been following along for a while know how passionate I am about novel studies. The Outsiders has been a universal favorite with my students since my student teaching days. In fact, it was the very first novel study I ever taught! Engaging and relatable characters combined with a plotline that is both dramatic and emotional makes it a favorite with both avid and reluctant readers. Today I share three of my favorite activities for an Outsiders novel study . All have been classroom tested and given the big thumbs up from my middle school learners.

Looking for a COMPLETE unit to use along with this engaging novel? Click on the image or button below to grab over 125 pages of activities!

3 favorite activities for an outsiders novel study

A novel study is so much more than a stack of comprehension questions! Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe that comprehension questions have their place and are important ways to assess understanding. That being said, it is important to mix in a variety of different activities to spice things up and build engagement. The following activities are three of my favorites.

The Outsiders Novel Study – Character Analysis

One of my favorite activities when teaching a novel study involves really digging deep into character development. Who are the characters? What motivates them? What are they struggling with? Why do they act the way they do? These are all important questions for students to answer if they hope to thoroughly understand a complex text.

Throughout the novel, Ponyboy goes through a variety of internal and external conflicts. Understanding these conflicts, and the way Ponyboy responds to them, give readers a lot of valuable insight into his character.

This graphic organizer is one of my favorites for character analysis, as it allows students to record the different internal and external conflicts they notice while reading. I have my students record the things they notice during our independent reading time, and then share them with the class during group discussion. This allows us to review their findings, and also helps those students who may have missed one of the conflicts while reading.

I find this organizer especially helpful because students can add to it throughout the novel study. Instead of being something that is simply “one and done”, students can go back and record new findings as they work their way through the book.

Click here to snag this activity to use in your classroom!

For more dynamic and engaging ways to explore character analysis, take a look at these  Character Analysis Activities , perfect for bringing depth to your students’ understanding of The Outsiders characters.

the Outsiders Novel Study – Symbolism Illustrations

Symbolism can be tricky to teach, but is a super important concept for students to grasp. Student’s need to understand the ways that authors use symbols in their writing to allude to feelings, moods, or attitudes, without directly stating it.

Author’s often use symbolism to support a story’s theme in a subtle manner. If you have read my previous post on theme, you know how important it is for students to have an understanding of this concept.

There are three main symbols in The Outsiders. These symbols include:

Sunrises and Sunsets: In the novel, sunrises and sunsets represent the goodness in the world.  No matter how bad things may seem, the sun still rises and sets.  Johnny recites the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” and compares it to the sunsets Ponyboy enjoys.  He encourages Ponyboy to “Stay Gold”, and keep seeing the beauty in the world.  Ponyboy and Cherry both appreciate the sunset, even though they are from different social classes.  Too much time is spent noticing the differences in people, instead of finding the common ground.

The Blue Mustang: The wealth of the socs in comparison to the poverty of the greasers is represented by the blue mustang.  It is an ominous symbol, because when the blue mustang is present, the greasers know trouble is coming. Later in the novel, Ponyboy begins to see the commonalities between the two groups, and the mustang loses some of its intimidating qualities.  This can be seen when Ponyboy sits in it when talking with Randy.

Greaser Hair: The hair of the greasers is symbolic of their identities within the gang.  It is a commonality they all share, and ties them to the group.  It marks a clear distinction between them and the socs.  By attempting to cut off Ponyboy’s hair at the start of the novel, he is making an attack on the group as a whole. Later in the novel, Ponyboy and Johnny cut and dye their hair.  This clearly shows the ways their characters developed during the time spent in the church, and the ways their individual personalities are starting to shine through. 

For this activity , students are required to illustrate and describe the three main symbols. It is is a great activity to encourage students to support their answers with text evidence. The artistic component helps build engagement. Completed worksheets make great additions to interactive notebooks!

Click here to grab this activity from my TPT shop!

Alongside exploring these symbols, delve into the realm of figurative language with these  5 Tips for Teaching Figurative Language , enhancing your students’ ability to interpret and appreciate the nuances in literature.

The Outsiders Novel Study – 5W’s News Report

This is a super fun way to revie w the important events of the novel in a creative way. To complete the activity, students take on the role of news reporters. Their job is to interview key characters from the novel.

As they work through their interviews, students focus on the the 5Ws of Who, What, Where, When, and Why. It is a fun way to get students out of their seats and presenting in front of their peers. I like to save the presentations until the very end of the unit. Then, I bring in snacks and organize a “viewing party”. It is a fun way to celebrate student work throughout the unit.

Click here to pick up a copy of this resource to use with your learners!

Interested in trying these activities out with your learners?

You can snag the complete unit from my TPT shop by clicking here or on the image below.

Want to see the novel study in action? Check out the video below!

Looking for more engaging novel study ideas?

Check out my previous posts about novel studies below.

3 Dystopian Novel Studies for Middle School

Benefits of Teaching Novel Studies

Favorite Middle School Novel Studies

How to Plan a Novel Study: Choosing Activities

What is a Novel Study?

Looking for some more engaging novel studies to use in your classroom?

Check out my Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking  here  or on the image below. I have a wide variety of different novel studies available.

Interested in signing up for my email list?

If you are interested in signing up for my email list, you can do so by clicking on the link below. I periodically send out emails with free resources, teaching tips, and exclusive deals. Signing up will also give you immediate access to some of my best selling Interactive Notebook resources – foldable activities, graphic organizers, and other fun activities.

Similar Posts

The Ultimate Guide to Anchor Charts

By MARISSA DESPINS Updated March 19, 2024 All About Anchor Charts Are you curious about what anchor charts are and how you can use them to enhance classroom learning? You have come…

Veterans Day Activities for Elementary

By MARISSA DESPINS Updated Oct 16, 2023 October has been flying by in a wink, and I know many of you are already planning for November. Because of that, I thought I…

Restart Novel Study Ideas

By MARISSA DESPINS Updated Sept 21, 2023 Restart novel Study Activities Are you searching for a captivating novel study to engage your students? Look no further than Restart by Gordon Korman. This…

Survival Themed Novels Your Learners Will Love

By MARISSA DESPINS Updated Dec 13, 2023 Survival themed novels for upper elementary and middle school Survival themed novels can be a great way to get struggling readers interested in and excited…

Reflecting on the end of the school year

By MARISSA DESPINS Updated Dec 6, 2023 Tips for reflecting on the end of the school year Wow, it’s hard to believe that the end of the school year is almost here!…

Back to School Activities for the First Week

By MARISSA DESPINS Updated March 21, 2024 In beautiful BC, Canada, we are about a month away from returning to our classrooms. I am not sure about you, but to me this…

The Outsiders Lesson Plans | Entire Novel Study

This lesson is  Background Information for the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton.

The focus of this lesson includes history of the 1960s and topics like culture, style, music, and cars.

Before reading the novel  The Outsiders , familiarize your students with the culture of the time period as  The Outsiders  is set in 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this lesson, your students with be engaged as they take notes from a Powerpoint presentation and answer questions using the accommodating worksheet provided. Students will learn about the history of the 1960s, the clothing of the generation, the music the youth listened to, and other important details from the novel such as: car models, Paul Newman, hitchhiking, and drive-in movie theaters.

Students will also be introduced to the author S. E. Hinton, the gang rivalry present in the novel  The Outsiders , and the genre of Coming of Age literature.

Students will end this lesson with a quick write where they will actually read an excerpt from the story and answer a related prompt.

Have your students answer serious questions about life in order to build anticipation  before reading The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton.  These open-ended questions will be sure to get your students’ wheels turning and will help bridge connections to the themes in the novel.

After your students are done reading the entire novel, have them reflect on the literature with these  open-ended questions for after reading.

These reflection questions will open up wide conversations and discussions amongst students as well as help them digest and analyze the literature.

Teach your students the  Slang Words and Phrases from the novel The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton  to enhance comprehension and understanding of the plot as well as the time period the novel is set (Oklahoma 1950s).

This activity can work for BEFORE, DURING, OR AFTER reading.

Two graphic organizers are included; each make it easy to teach students the definitions of slang terms used throughout the novel. The first graphic organizer is a fun way to prepare students for the novel by having them guess the meaning of each slang word before telling them the actual meaning. The second graphic organizer is a great way to review the text during or after reading as it includes the quote and chapter number where each slang term is used. Answer keys provided.

Also included is a Powerpoint presentation that contains all slang words or phrases with their definitions.

If you are working on a  novel study for  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton, these Vocabulary Lists, Practice Activities, and Quizzes  will work perfectly for you!

There are three sets of vocabulary words, divided by chapters. I’ve created graphic organizers for every chapter of words, which includes the definition, part of speech, line from the novel, and the students’ definition in their own words.

Additionally, I have created corresponding practice activities for students to actually use the words independently before being tested on them.

There are three separate quizzes, divided by chapters that require students to use their comprehension skills. The tasks included ensure students will understand the context of each word in a sentence as well as how to write their own sentences using said vocabulary words.

ANSWER KEYS INCLUDED FOR ALL!

If you are doing a novel study for  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton, these Before Reading activities  can aid your students with engagement and reading comprehension. Using the word splash technique, students will  make predictions  about what each new chapter will be about.

Students will connect the words provided in the word splash to what they already know and what they’ve been reading in the novel  The Outsiders.  Making predictions is a fun exercise and builds anticipation for students.

Included in this purchase are 12 individual  journal prompts  based on each chapter of the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton.  These journal prompts are meant to be used at the end of every chapter.

Students will reflect on what they’ve just read by connecting their personal opinions and feelings with the major conflicts of each specific chapter. Each prompt is ready to print individually or as a packet!

While completing a novel study for the book  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton, have your students answer reading comprehension questions for every chapter  using this organized packet.

Included are 12 sets of questions (for every chapter) which analyze character motives, themes, symbols, irony, dialogue, and basic comprehension of the plot. Detailed answer keys are provided for all questions.

If you want to make sure your students are following along and completing the reading for the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton, these simple Reading Checks or Quick Chapter Quizzes  are the way to go! This product works well if your students are reading independently or if you are reading as a class.

These questions are recall questions that are meant to be brief and easy to remember. This is a tool used simply to check that students are completing the independent reading, comprehending the basic information, and/or paying attention during class.

The reading checks are divided by every 3 chapters (Chapters 1-3, Chapters 4-6, Chapters 7-9, Chapters 10-12). There are three different versions of every set of questions (a, b, and c). This is so you can use different quizzes for different classes and avoid cheating (students talk and share answers)!

This product is a Powerpoint presentation only.

To administer quizzes:

• project the questions on your board for students to see
• have students use scrap paper or lined paper to write their answers
• when everyone is done, have students grade each other’s answers by switching papers in class
• review the correct answers out loud and project them on the board
• collect graded quizzes

Answer keys included.

This lesson is a  poem analysis of “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost . This is a perfect side activity for the novel The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, but will also work on its own if you are looking just to teach about the poem itself.

In Chapter 5 of The Outsiders, Ponyboy recites the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay. This poem plays a major role in the novel as it represents the universal message to stay gold and stay pure. Have your students analyze the poem and build their comprehension; it will make analyzing the theme of the book much easier later on! The poem analysis will touch on important literary elements such as: rhyme scheme, tone, theme, metaphor, alliteration, allusion, imagery, and personification.

To enhance their learning and make the lesson more engaging, students will also study a poem with a similar theme. Students will listen to the Bob Dylan song, answer the questions, analyze the lyrics, and then compare and contrast the themes present in both texts.

Have your students analyze characters from  S. E. Hinton’s  The Outsiders  in a fun and engaging way:  Character Collabs !

Your students will use several  characterization  methods to depict each character’s profile, demonstrate their understanding of the literature, and present their final work on a beautiful poster.

This Body Biography Project  is a hands-on approach to learning that enhances retention and inspires students to tap into their creativity.

Students will engage with the novel on a deeper level, encouraging thinking critically, making inferences, and fostering empathy. Additionally, they will learn the importance of collaboration and effective communication.

There are 10 characters from  THE OUTSIDERS  included in this resource:

• Bob Sheldon
• Cherry Valance
• Dallas Winston “Dally”
• Darrel Curtis “Darry”
• Johnny Cade
• Ponyboy Curtis
• Randy Adderson
• Sodapop Curtis
• Steve Randle
• Two-Bit Matthews

Teach your students to  analyze themes in the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton  with this lesson plan. Your students will determine what morals/lessons were learned or taught by specific characters in the novel; they will then evaluate how these lessons were incorporated by the author and provide textual evidence as support—all using a theme graphic organizer! An answer guide is provided for teachers.

Using their literary analysis, students will then write a TDA essay based on one theme of their choice from the novel. Students will choose a theme and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot. Rubric and essay prompt included.

After reading  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton, have your students write a personal essay  of their choice using the two options provided. Essay rubrics, prompts, and brainstorming graphic organizers are included for both essay options.

Student choice allows students to pick the topic they are most comfortable talking/writing about. The prompts both relate directly to the novel (one about heroism and one about characterization).

Rubrics focus on: content, style, conventions, focus, and organization.

Each graphic organizer is designed to match the prompt and will guide students to write a cohesive five paragraph essay.

After your students read the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton,  have them complete a  Plot Diagram and Chronological Order Timeline.  These activities help students determine cause and effect relationships between specific events in the story. Finding textual evidence to fill out these charts also show students how and where certain elements of the story connect.

Students will analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop by identifying exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Students will also determine how the plot unfolds and how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. The timeline worksheet also aids students in reading comprehension. Answer keys are provided.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton Character Comparison Game: Would You Rather?

You’ve probably played the simple game of WOULD YOU RATHER before… where you answer a series of questions that ask would you rather pick one thing or another? For example, would you rather be a SOC or be a GREASER?

In this activity, students will first answer a number of “would you rather” questions about themselves. Then, they will answer those same questions based on what they think Ponyboy Curtis would choose. This requires students to critically think about character motivations and personality traits—plus, it’s great fun.

Afterward, students will write about what they share in common with Ponyboy and how they consider themselves different.

In this lesson, have your students complete a  quote analysis  on the most important quotes in the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton.

Students can complete this activity independently or in groups. I include directions for a jigsaw activity which is a great cooperative learning strategy.

Included is a graphic organizer that divides important quotes by chapters and requires students to identify the speaker as well as explain the significance/ meaning of each quote.

Have your students  analyze symbols and motifs in the novel The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton  using this graphic organizer.

Students will fill out a chart to identify important symbols and then explain the significance of each symbol or motif that is demonstrated in the story.

Answer key included!

Study the four types of  Conflicts from the novel The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton.

Included in this lesson are the definitions and examples of internal and external conflict plus the four specific kinds of conflict:

1) Character vs. Self

2) Character vs. Character

3) Character vs. Nature

4) Character vs. Society

Students must look at examples of conflict from the novel and identify the conflict as one of the four types listed above.

Students must then support their answer with textual evidence.

Lastly students must explain how the conflict is resolved.

Answer key provided.

Analyze Figurative Language in The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton . Students will identify the type of figurative language being used in the quotes provided, and then explain each of their significance and meaning.

Figurative Language definitions are provided for: Allusion, Personification, Simile, Metaphor, Idiom, and Hyperbole.

Students will then write their own sentences using Figurative Language that highlight details from the novel  The Outsiders.

Answer keys provided.

If your class is reading the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton,  you will want them to  analyze the point of view  in the story, to include: what makes an unreliable narrator and what is biased perspective.

In this lesson, students will complete the following:

• Narrator Analysis: Students will analyze the narrator Ponyboy Curtis by considering his personality traits/ and characteristics. Answers included.
• Point of View Perspective Challenge: Students will take a look back at ten scenes from the novel, considering what facts they were given by Ponyboy alone. They will then consider how these events would be different or told differently if they were to take on a different character’s perspective. They will consider how other characters are feeling emotionally in these scenes or how they might feel in hypothetical situations.
• The Trial Point of View Analysis: Students will analyze the trial/hearing that takes place in the novel. Ponyboy is on trial for the murder of Bob, but readers do not hear much about it. Ponyboy was currently in a state of delusion and didn’t understand how the trial was unfolding. Students will write the testimonies of several characters as if they were him or her in court to either defend or defame Ponyboy.
• Constructed Response: Students will learn the definition of an unreliable narrator and reasons why a narrator’s perspective might be compromised. Then, students will write a constructed response that explains why Ponyboy could be considered an unreliable narrator using textual evidence. Possible answers included.

Have your students share their understanding of the novel  The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton  by imaginatively blending their written ideas with colorful images based on information from the text. With this  one-pager reading comprehension project,  students will analyze the literature by determining theme, symbolism, characterization, and more. Students’ artwork make for unique and creative analyses of the literature and also make great bulletin boards!

Included in this purchase is:

• Student directions for the one pager project
• Rubric for the one pager project
• Example one pager
• 10 BLANK TEMPLATES (printable—optional)

Play Bingo with your students as a fun literature review game for the novel,  The Outsiders . This  character review game  includes at least 100 questions that entail information all about the characters from the novel. Questions range from physical appearances to quote identification to character motivation. With this many clues, you will have the opportunity to play SEVERAL rounds with your students without repeating questions. This game entails details from the entire novel  The Outsiders  and should be used as a review after the entire text is read (perfect for before a test). Bingo cards, character clues, and instructions are included. Bingo tokens are not included.

Characters that will be focused on include:

Your students are going to love deciphering and solving puzzles in this spectacularly themed,  The   Outsiders  360° digital escape room.  This activity is designed to work for a laptop, tablet, or smart phone. Students will solve a series of clues based on the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton in order to crack the master lock and escape the Socs! This game entails reading comprehension skills, finding textual evidence, and making inferences . It’s the perfect addition to your novel study, whether just for fun, or to use as a review activity before administering the final test.

Included in this download are teacher instructions, student instructions, the master lock graphic organizer, answer keys, and a reflection sheet (optional).

After a novel study with the book  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton, assess your students with a final test.  This product includes THREE versions of  The Outsiders  test including one  learning support adaptation  modified version.

I like to have multiple versions of tests so that students are less tempted to have “wandering eyes” during the exam. Version A and B are the same in format, but contain different questions, with some questions in different orders.

Version C of this test is adapted/modified for Learning Support students or students with IEPs. To make accommodations for my students in LS, I have chunked questions, added bigger spacing, bigger fonts, less answer choices, and reduced the number of directions in certain sections.

All tests are 50 questions. 20 questions are multiple choice, 5 are short answer, 9 are quote identification, 14 are true or false, and 2 are extended response questions.

Answer keys included for all.

Challenge your students to  analyze the film The Outsiders,  movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola   (1983) and compare/contrast important elements to the classic, coming-of-age novel  The Outsiders by S. E Hinton.

This lesson includes a packet for students to complete during or after viewing the film The Outsiders. Media analysis questions as well as compare/contrast prompts are included with answer keys. Additionally, students will complete an activity that requires them to choose their own celebrity cast of actors and actresses for a hypothetical reboot of The Outsiders film.

Enjoy this extensive  Novel Study  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton  with your students this year! Analyze the literature using these 25 products included in this complete  Unit Plan Bundle.

This novel study will allow students to develop their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills through the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton.

You will have access to a multitude of before, during, and after reading activities like: quizzes, tests, projects, essays, reading questions, vocabulary, background information, plot diagram, graphic organizers, journal prompts, a movie guide, and a DIGITAL ESCAPE ROOM!

BONUS FILE:  Also included in this bundle is a 6 and a half week schedule for teachers to use as a pacing guide. Teacher plans are explained for each day as well as how to best utilize this bundle of products. There are so many choices, you really can personalize this unit plan however you’d like!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Engaging Activities for Teaching The Outsiders

When I learned I’d most likely be teaching The Outsiders this year, I was a little skeptical. Only vaguely remembering the book from when I read it, I was totally judging the book by its publication date and the dust on its cover. Truth be told, I was wondering how in the world I’d sell my tough-to-please 8th graders a story about a kid named Ponyboy in 1960s Oklahoma. But I resolved to reread the book with an open mind and just see. Maybe I would teach it, maybe I wouldn’t.

It took me just a few pages to remember how much I loved Ponyboy as a narrator and just why this story continues to resonate with teenagers decades later. T he Outsiders has that unique written-by-a-teenager magic that I wish I could bottle up and sprinkle on everything in my classroom library. And while I don’t ever want to be a teenager again, remembering what it felt like was pretty powerful. It made me want to teach this book and do it justice, too. So I got to work planning engaging lessons and activities that would extract all the juicy goodness from this timeless classic. And the rest was history: I planned and taught a unit that would stay gold for my students, half a century after this book was published. 

Together, we empathized with Ponyboy’s struggles, explored the idea of identity, learned from Ponyboy’s curiosity and empathy, admired sunsets, brainstormed how to overcome stereotypes, mourned the death of Johnny, and cherished the “gold” in our lives. Oh yeah, and we hit all of the big standards and skills, too! 

The Outsiders is pretty powerful, but if you’ve been teaching it for years, you’re teaching it for the first time, or you’re just not feeling your lesson plans, you might want to add a little dash of “gold” to keep it fresh. Whether that’s a unique, kinesthetic lesson, a new nonfiction pairing to spark some brilliant connections, or a creative twist on your typical comprehension questions, I’ve got you covered with fresh, new lesson ideas.

If you’re ready to revitalize your unit on The Outsiders and make the novel even more engaging and relevant for your students, here are 10 of my favorite activities.

PRE-READING LEARNING STATIONS

Learning stations are my favorite strategy for hooking my students before reading and building essential background knowledge, and The O utsiders is no exception! In fact, I think a good hook activity is even more important with a book like this so students aren’t judging it by its cover and/or setting. No offense, but 1960s Oklahoma has never been on my students’ reading radars. But do you know what will register on their radars? The ridiculous-sounding slang! So I take advantage of that and use it to reel readers in through a well-designed set of learning stations. Not only do these stations spark students’ curiosity before they read a single page, but they also equip students with the pre-reading information they need to start the book strong.

Here’s what my learning stations for The Outsiders look like:

• Students preview and discuss essential questions with an anticipation guide
• Students “meet” Ponyboy and make inferences from provided excerpts
• Students sample some of the fun 1960s slang in The Outsiders
• Students learn about the coming-of-age genre and make connections
• Students preview the Greaser vs. Soc conflict

Click HERE to see a video of these stations in action in my 8th-grade classroom! As you can see, these station tasks engage students and help the class start the novel with a strong foundation. These print/digital pre-reading learning stations are available separately or bundled with other resources for The Outsiders HERE.

For more information about pre-reading activities and creating your own learning stations, check out the following blog posts:

• 5 Engaging Ideas for Pre-Reading Activities
• 10 Reasons to Implement Learning Stations
• How to Create Engaging Learning Stations
• How to Facilitate Successful Learning Stations
• 10 Ideas for Virtual Learning Stations

CHARACTER REPORT CARDS

It can be challenging for students to keep all the characters straight at the beginning of The Outsiders . To help students dig into the most important characters in a unique, memorable way, try assigning Character Report Cards. This activity is exactly what it sounds like: students “grade” characters on different categories, like intelligence and loyalty, and then cite examples/evidence to support the grades. This lesson is a great way to spark discussions about the moral complexity of the characters and their relationships with each other. Students love the chance to be the teacher and assign “grades” to the characters. You’ll be surprised at just how willingly they will cite textual evidence to support a failing grade! (Rarely do middle schoolers cite evidence without complaining…)

After you do this activity, you can connect it to stereotypes and labels! Essentially, you are asking students to judge characters based on the little information they have after a few chapters. As students continue to read the novel, encourage them to return to the report cards and reevaluate the grades they gave each character. 

CHARACTERIZATION & FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE QUESTION TRAIL

As I mentioned, digging into characterization at the beginning of The Outsiders is crucial. But instead of assigning worksheets, keep the momentum strong with an engaging question trail over the characters and the figurative language SE Hinton uses to describe them. If you’re unfamiliar with the wonderful question trail strategy, it’s a unique, kinesthetic activity that gets students up and moving around the classroom on a quest to complete a “trail” of multiple-choice questions.

During this lesson, different questions are posted around the room. Each question answer (A, B, C, D) sends students to a different question “on the trail,” so if students answer each question correctly, they complete a full circuit. But if students answer a question incorrectly, they’ll end up at a question they’ve already been to, which is their cue to backtrack and problem-solve. This means that question trails give both teachers and students clear, immediate feedback. It’s engaging and effective…a win-win! If this question trail idea sounds a bit complicated, I promise you it’s easier in person. And it’s easiest when you can use an already-organized and student-ready trail, like this one for Chapters 1-3 of The Outsiders. You can find this resource available separately or in my unit bundle for the book.

For more information on question trails:

• Click HERE to watch a quick video on this lesson
• Click HERE to learn about how to create your own question trail
• Click HERE to check out a blank question trail template for any text, skill, or subject

BOB’S DEATH: BLAME CHART

The murder of Bob the Soc propels the plot of The Outsiders, so it’s important to pause and process after this key event. One creative way to get students critically thinking about this scene is through a “Blame Chart,” where students analyze the different sources of conflict that lead to Bob’s death. Obviously, Johnny is physically responsible for Bob’s death, but any good reader knows there are multiple factors playing into the murder. Students always have strong opinions on whether the murder was self-defense and enjoy discussing their pie charts after this activity. This lesson is also a great way to spark predictions for future chapters and discuss how everything goes back to the Greaser vs. Soc conflict.

PONYBOY’S CHANGING PERSPECTIVE ACTIVITY

Studies have shown that drawing can help with memory and comprehension, so I always like to incorporate a little room for creativity and sketching during my novel units. (Stick figures are welcome!) Since The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel that follows Ponyboy as his perspective changes, it only makes sense to challenge students with the task of pinpointing his perspective shifts. To do this, ask students to consider what impacts Ponyboy’s perspective the most. Then, give students a graphic organizer with space for them to visually represent the moments that impact Ponyboy’s perspective the most. This activity sparks some incredible discussion, and it’s interesting to see how students approach it. Some end up focusing on events that impact Ponyboy, while others focus on relationships with other characters. 

This activity is great because it gets students thinking about the most important characters and parts of the plot that ultimately contribute to the themes of the novel. The more you discuss throughout the text, the easier it will be for students to analyze the development of themes at the end of the book!

FUNERAL FOR JOHNNY: EULOGIES & ELEGIES

I’ve been doing character funerals ever since my days of teaching The Great Gatsby in high school (RIP, old sport), and they’re always one of the most memorable lessons of the unit! It feels cruel to keep on reading, business as usual, after a character passes away, so it only makes sense to put the novel on pause and host a funeral.

This is exactly what we do after Johnny passes away at the end of Chapter 9 of The Outsiders . Before the funeral, students write eulogies or elegies from the point of view of Ponyboy or Dally. During the funeral, I pass out funeral “programs” (to sneak in some learning) and students can volunteer to dramatically read aloud their eulogies and elegies during our class service. This lesson is also a great time to return to the “Nothing Gold Can Stay” poem and start thinking more about the themes of the novel.

RELEVANT NONFICTION PAIRINGS

When it comes to The Outsiders , the possibilities for nonfiction pairings are endless! There is simply so much you can discuss when it comes to this book: stereotypes, empathy, identity, grief, group behavior, and more! I’ve rounded up multiple texts that you can pair with The Outsiders , and you can find lessons for each in my unit bundle. Here are a few of my favorites:

• “The Danger of A Single Story” TED Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: We watch this before reading the book, but you could play it at any point during the novel for some great connections to stereotypes and Ponyboy’s perspective.
• “How One Man Convinced 200 Ku Klux Klan Members To Give Up Their Robes” mini-podcast episode from NPR: This is quick but powerful, so I highly recommend giving it a listen and using it in your classroom. This story illustrates the power of relationships and interpersonal curiosity when it comes to overcoming stereotypes.
• “How to Be More Empathetic” guide from WebMD: This article is perfect for helping students recognize the strategies Ponyboy is using to gain empathy for Socs like Bob and Randy. It works well after Ponyboy sees Bob’s picture in the yearbook and finally sees him as a fellow human being.

SPEED DISCUSSION

So you’ve finished the book…now what? With a book so rich in life lessons like The Outsiders, the post-reading phase of your unit can be overwhelming. How do you do a book like this justice? How can you help students understand the enduring themes and appreciate the story as a whole? There’s so much you can discuss, but before you try to host that magical whole class discussion, soft-launch it with speed discussion! This strategy will get every student engaged at the same time and help readers think through important questions before a whole-class discussion.

During this activity, students discuss different questions with different peers during different rotations of discussion. In each “round” of discussions, students rotate to a new peer and discuss a new question. This means that by the end of class, students will have interacted with at least a dozen peers and discussed a dozen questions (or more, depending on your class periods). It all adds up to a lot of low-risk discussion practice

Speed discussion is always an engaging, effective lesson, but it’s especially helpful as a review before a literary analysis essay, final test, project, or Socratic Seminar. It gets students thinking about the big ideas, themes, and the So what? after reading!

BOOK COVER GALLERY WALK

One perk of The Outsiders’ 1967 publication date is the fact that so many different covers of the book have circulated since then. And a plethora of book covers makes for the perfect lesson: a book cover gallery walk! To do this lesson, pull some book covers from Google Images, print them out, and hang them around your classroom. You can frame your gallery walk with any question/s you’d like, but I like to structure it with my favorite open-ended question: “What do you notice?” You can see the graphic organizer I give students below. This activity sparks such powerful discussions and helps students better understand the theme, symbolism, and author’s purpose!

MOVIE ANALYSIS

Anytime I teach a novel with a film adaptation, I’m all about showing that movie in class–not just for fun, but to engage students in meaningful film analysis. Teaching students how to analyze a movie is an engaging, accessible way to scaffold the challenging skill of literary analysis. With thoughtfully crafted questions, helpful modeling, and a strategic approach, students can analyze a movie just like they’d analyze a text. By switching out your comprehension-based “viewing guides” for thoughtful film analysis worksheets, you will prompt much more critical thinking and spark rich discussions about the text and film adaptation. 

In addition to asking students to compare/contrast the text and the film, try asking them why they think the film directors made certain changes and how these changes affect the audience. These kinds of questions spark more thoughtful insight and engaging discussions.

The Outsiders is especially perfect for this because you can show the extended “full novel” version but ask questions about scenes that were deleted from the original version. This will prompt students to think about how scenes impact the story and its themes.  For print/digital worksheets with these types of questions, check out my film analysis worksheets available separately or in my unit bundle.

I hope these lesson ideas help you bring new life to this classic. For more engaging activities and resources for teaching The Outsiders, check out this unit bundle full of print/digital learning stations, quickwrites, creative activities, vocabulary resources, and more.

To see some of this unit in action, check out these Instagram posts for more info:

• How I Launched Our Unit on The Outsiders
• Pre-Reading Learning Stations
• The Outsiders: Reading Schedule
• Engaging Activities for Chapters 1-4 of The Outsiders
• Character Report Cards
• Characterization/Figurative Language Question Trail
• Engaging Activities for Chapters 5-9 of The Outsiders
• Engaging Activities for Chapters 10-12 of The Outsiders
• The Outsiders: Novel Unit

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

You may also enjoy:

10 activities for any dystopian novel, best ya dystopian novels for middle & …, why you should teach dystopia to your …, why you should teach a novel in …, leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Check out my most popular posts!

August 5, 2018: why i don’t review the syllabus on the first day …, december 16, 2018: 10 ideas for planning engaging novel units, december 11, 2017: comfort in the classroom with flexible seating, july 21, 2018: teaching american literature: my units & favorite lessons.

S.E.HINTON'S

Novel unit plan.

Take your students on an unforgettable adventure with Ponyboy, Johnny, Dally, and the rest of the Greasers with this ready-to-use novel unit plan for  The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.

You want ready-to-use materials that require no prep but still engage your students in rigorous, standards-based content, and highly engaging creative activities.

You are a middle or high school English language arts teacher who will be teaching this novel. 

who this unit plan is for.

If this sounds like you, then you are in the right place.

BEFORE WE DIVE INTO THE DETAILS, LET'S TALK ABOUT

SO, WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE UNIT PLAN?

1. INTRODUCTORY PRESENTATION

Who doesn't like a good deal, right i've reached out to some of my favorite education-related companies to offer exclusive discounts on items you may need for the classroom. there are discounts on teacher bags, library book stamps, custom pencils, lanyards, teacher t-shirts and much more .

The slideshow will hook students into reading the novel immediately, spark discussion, and provide students with useful information and practical context to prepare them to read. It includes group discussion questions, an interactive class activity, an examining the cover and making predictions activity, author biographical information, a quick-check quiz, relevant background information on the novel, historical context, and 1960s slang used in the novel.

2. Chapter Summary Cards

These 12 summary cards (one for each chapter of the novel) outline the most important elements of the plot. Simply print and cut, and you have a resource available that can be used by any student in the class.  • Use it as a teacher and student reference to locate events more quickly. • Find quotations for an essay more easily. • Help your struggling readers by letting them read the summary before reading. • Use it for students to check their understanding of the novel.

3. READING QUIZZES

These quizzes work well for a quick reading comprehension check after each chapter set. Each quiz includes six multiple-choice questions and two important quotes which show plot or character development. Students explain what was occurring at this particular part of the plot and what characters were involved. This resource also includes a detailed answer key, which makes for quick and easy grading or class review. 

4. VIDEO JOURNAL PROMPTS

For each chapter set, students watch a short video clip that connects to a theme or an important topic of the novel. This allows students to make connections and consider how the content or themes from the novel connect to the world today. After watching the short video clip, students will be given a writing prompt that bridges the gap between the video and their lives or the world around them. They will respond to that prompt in writing on the included response sheet.

5. VOCABULARY

This resource was designed to give students the tools and practice they need to determine the meaning of new vocabulary words in context. They will examine quotes from the novel that include challenging words, use strategies to decode what they think the definition is, and check to see if their definition is correct. There is a ready-to-use student vocabulary booklet, a slideshow to teach students how to determine the meaning of words in context, and a slideshow to review the actual definitions with the class.

6. READING QUESTIONS

Help your students examine the text more closely with these reading questions. The questions were specifically designed for comprehension and analysis. The questions are divided into sections (comprehension, digging deeper, and literary terms). Included is a student handout with all the chapter questions and presentation slides that include all the answers to the questions for easy review with the whole class. The answer keys are detailed with text evidence and quotes for support to show students a strong response.

7. ANALYSIS NOTES

Help your students understand the most important literary elements of the novel with this 24-slide analysis notes presentation. The slides were specifically created to discuss some of the most important aspects of the novel, spark discussion, or help students explore elements beyond the literal text. The notes are organized by chapter sets and address important story elements, literary devices, and important ideas in the novel, like characterization, theme, conflict, and symbolism.

8. ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS

15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for The Outsiders to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom

Use the arrow below to get a closer look at each of the activities! 

After reading chapters 1-2 of The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, students will participate in an interactive activity that will help them examine their own identity, choose a group that they identify with, and consider what stereotypes or misconceptions exist about their group. This activity for The Outsiders is designed to help students empathize with the characters in the novel and examine the complexities of the theme of identity in the novel.

The Outsiders Examining the Theme of Identity Activity 

15 Ready-to-use, interactive activities or assignments to bring your unit for The Outsiders to life. Students will absolutely love these activities and they will allow them to think deeper about story elements, make deeper connections with their own life and the world around them, and get up and moving within the classroom.

After reading chapters 3-4 of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, students will participate in an interactive activity that will help them examine their own stereotypes and stereotypes made in the novel. This activity for The Outsiders is designed to help students empathize with the characters in the novel and examine the complexities of the theme of stereotyping in the novel.

The Outsiders Examining the Theme of Stereotyping Activity 

In chapter 5 of The Outsiders , Ponyboy recites the Robert Frost poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” Use this class activity to engage your students in examining and analyzing the poem. Included is a presentation, poster, brainstorming page, and poetry analysis activity.

Nothing Gold Can Stay Poetry Activity

Ponyboy tells the reader about being interviewed by reporters while in the hospital visiting Johnny and Dally. Not much detail is provided on who is interviewed and what questions are asked, but the reader gets more insight into this in chapter 8. Students will write a transcript of the interview Ponyboy gives to the reporters based on the newspaper article from the novel!

The Outsiders Interview Assignment

Use this class activity for The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton to engage your students in exploring the similarities and differences between the Socs and Greasers! Students will become either a Soc or a Greaser and work together to expose the similar hatred each group feels for each other. Next, they will do a comparison activity that shows that the two groups are not so different after all.

Socs vs. Greasers Activity

In Chapter 1, students meet many of the main characters in the novel. Students will look for text evidence to share the characteristics, physical desriptions, personality traits, and important relationship connections of all the Greasers in Ponyboy’s gang. A detailed answer key is also provided.

The Outsiders Character Analysis

Students will plan and write a headline article for a newspaper for the day after Bob is killed. They will incorporate text evidence and focus on the facts of the event.

Newsworthy Article Writing

Playing on the Stay Gold quote from the novel, Students will find two quotes that they think are "golden." This means the quote is important to the theme, conflict, or characterization. They will write the quotes and explain why they are important to the novel.

The Outsiders Quote Analysis Assignment

After students have finished the novel, show them the film version with these intentional activities. Students will compare how the story is told in these two mediums by finding eight differences between the film and text versions. Then, they will write a movie review.

The Outsiders Movie Novel Assignments

Use this assignment as a way for students to review the plot line of The Outsiders . The resource includes a blank student version of the plot diagram for them to fill out and a detailed teacher answer key that makes for easy review or grading.

The Outsiders Plot Diagram Assignment

Skip the traditional character analysis with this fun alternative assignment! Have students give a Greaser two symbolic tattoos and explain their reasons with text support. Students will be required to show an understanding of symbolism as the tattoos must relate in some way to the greaser's personality or a theme that develops in the reading.

The Outsiders Tattoo a Greaser Assignment

Students will create a “Wanted Poster” for a character from The Outsiders . They will use the graphic organizer to fill in the information before working on their final poster. They will also draw or insert a photo of the character.

The Outsiders Wanted Poster Assignment

Have students choose a character from The Outsiders and design their social media page with a photo, information about them, what they feel at that moment in the text, and posts they have made or others have shared on their social media.

The Outsiders Fakebook Social Media Page

After students have read the novel, students can choose between the four final creative project options to respond to the novel. They can create a board game, develop an original soundtrack for the novel, record video diary entries from the perspective of a character, or rewrite a chapter from a different character's perspective.

The Outsiders Final Creative Project Options

START USING THE OUTSIDERS UNIT TODAY

Print unit plan, pdf and powerpoint, save $29.93. compared to buying unit items individually., digital unit plan, google slides & forms, save $29.93 compared to buying unit items individually., digital & print unit, pdf/powerpoint &, most popular, google slides version.

Prefer to purchase individual resources from the unit instead of the bundles?  Click here to browse.

Themes and Analysis

The outsiders, by s. e. hinton.

Throughout 'The Outsiders,' Hinton engages with very important themes, showcases some interesting symbols, and uses great examples of figurative language.

Article written by Ugo Juliet

Former Lecturer. Author of multiple books. Degree from University Of Nigeria, Nsukka.

There are many themes that can be found in the novel ‘ The Outsiders ‘. However, we are going to explore only empathy, divided communities, preserving childhood innocence, self-sacrifice and honour, and individual identity.

The Outsiders Themes

Divided communities.

Divided communities are a major theme of the novel as the story revolves around two major conflicts, which are- the conflict between the Socs and greasers and the conflict between Ponyboy and his brother Darry in the Curtis family.

In the conflict between the teenagers and their gangs, the novel shows how the two groups focus on their frivolous differences  – they dress differently, socialize differently, and hang out with different girls, and how all this leads to hate and violence. However, the story also shows how the two groups depend on their conflict for their continual existence. For example, the greasers live by a motto to “stick together” against the Socs. This means that without the conflict, the individual members of the two gangs might go their own way.

The other divided community in the story can be found in Ponyboy’s immediate family. The conflict between Darry and Ponyboy is aggravated by misunderstandings, just like that of Socs and Greasers. Just like the two gangs are unable to see past their superficial differences to their deeper similarities, Darry and Ponyboy’s limited views make them misunderstand each other’s actions. Ponyboy sees his brother’s desperate attempt to deliver him from the poverty and strife of their neighbourhood as antagonism, while Darry sees Ponyboy’s quest to escape his conflict-ridden existence as irresponsibility and lack of consideration.

The ability to see things through other people’s perspectives (empathy) is predominant in the resolution of both conflicts in ‘ The Outsiders ‘. The two gangs are engrossed with the appearance and class status of their rivals which underscores the superficiality of their mutual hostility. Cherry tried to draw empathy from Ponyboy at the drive-in when she insisted that “things are rough all over” and encouraged Ponyboy to see Socs as individuals. Randy added more strength to the argument when he told Ponyboy about Bob’s troubled life, making him have compassion for Socs as an individual. Sodapop helps Ponyboy recognize that Darry’s high expectations for him are a result of love.

Preserving Childhood Innocence

The book reveals the importance of preserving hope, open-mindedness, and appreciation of beauty that are typical of childhood. Ponyboy has traits that distinguish him from others in the gang, for instance, his love of sunrises and sunsets, his daydreams about the country, and his rescue of the children from the burning church. These traits show that Ponyboy, unlike the other boys, still has preserved some of his childhood innocence and allows him to see beyond the superficial hatred between the Socs and greasers.

Dally’s rough childhood made him tough and fearsome, and he seems not to care about anything though he has a soft spot for Johnny. Johnny represents the hope that Dally has lost, and Dally strives to protect Johnny from the forces that threaten to pull him into the cycle of violence that has enveloped Dally. Johnny’s dying words touch on this theme by referencing the Robert Frost poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”

The poem’s message that all beautiful things fade as time passes forces the two boys to realize that they can’t hide from the realities of growing up. ‘Stay gold’, Johnny’s dying words for Ponyboy and the greasers, is also a call for them to preserve the optimism, innocence, and hope of childhood no matter what they see in the world.

Self-sacrifice and Honour

Despite the greasers’ reputation as heartless young criminals, they live by a specific and honourable code of friendship, and there are many instances in which gang and family members make selfless choices. As an example, Darry relinquished a college scholarship so he can work a full-time manual labour job to support his younger brothers. Dally, who seems apathetic, shows great loyalty to and compassion for his friends and for strangers in need. He helps Johnny and Ponyboy run away to Windrixville after Bob’s stabbing and plays a major role in the rescue of kids from the church fire. 

Individual Identity

Ponyboy, the protagonist, is a committed member of the greasers though he knows that some of his personality traits make him different from others. The greasers provide him with too great of a sense of strength and safety, and he doesn’t want to consider life outside of it. But he thought deeply about this life and what he wants to do after Bob’s death.

Again, his conversations with Johnny, Cherry, and Randy make him reflect on the road his life is taking. He begins to question the reasons for the constant fights between Socs and greasers, and he thinks hard before joining his gang to participate in the rumble. His willingness to strike friendships with the Socs indicates the development of a distinct personal identity.

Bridging social classes

‘ The Outsiders ‘ tells the story of the tension between two rival gangs, the working-class greasers and the upper-class Socs. It finally showed that the two groups have more in common in spite of the inequalities between them. The focus of the novel is on social class issues, exemplified by confrontations between the lower-class greasers and the upper-class Socs.

Ponyboy didn’t have to do anything to provoke the Socs into ganging upon him. It’s not a personal or unusual attack as the Socs regularly beat up greasers, and the greasers retaliate. Ponyboy is astonished to find out that he shares similar ideas with Cherry. This shows readers that the Socs are not all the same, and also, there is a common bond across the social classes. The preexisting tensions between the gangs cause the Socs to want to punish Johnny and Ponyboy for associating with the Soc girls. Bob tries to force Ponyboy’s head underwater at the fountain, and Johnny stabs Bob.

Analysis of key moments in The Outsiders

• One of the key moments of ‘ The Outsiders ‘ is the church fire. An abandoned church catches fire when Johnny and Ponyboy are out. On their way back, they saw the fire and together with Dally, they saved the kids that were in the scorching church. They all sustained injuries there, which later led to Johnny’s death.
• Another key moment is when Dally dies. Dallas Winston died by robbing a convenience store after being all worked up about Johnny’s death and running from the police. Dally pulls out an unloaded gun and points it to the police, and the police shoot him, and he dies.
• Another one is when Bob dies. When Johnny Cade stabs Bob, they went to Dally Winston for advice on what to do to avoid being caught by the government or Socs. Dally gives Ponyboy and Johnny some dry clothes, a gun, and fifty dollars. Dally also told them about an abandoned church on the hill in Windrixville where they can go and hide. He also promised to check up on them later.
• The fight. The greasers and Socs take it out on each other and fight at a rumble, in a lot. There are two rules during a rumble: whoever leaves first loses and you cannot use any type of weapon or “prop”. A Soc throws Pony to the ground, and Darry immediately says, “Pony, you all right?” The Socs left the rumble first, so the greasers one.
• Johnny dies. Johnny Cade got some serious injuries after rescuing some kids from a church fire. He was rushed to the hospital, where his friends kept visiting him. After the rumble, Dally and Ponyboy go to the hospital to visit Johnny, as usual. Johnny was dying and said to Ponyboy as quoted , “Stay gold Ponyboy, stay gold.” Johnny died right after he told Ponyboy to stay gold.
• Johnny Cade and Ponyboy Curtis, greasers, get jumped by five Socs at a park. Bob, a Soc, tries to drown Ponyboy in the fountain at the park. Johnny gets tackled by a Soc and flips out his switchblade, and stabs Bob with the blade.
• The Greasers go to the drive-in, meeting a cheerleader that is a Soc. Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dally sit in plastic chairs at the drive-in. These two Socs girls, Cherry and Marcia, sit in front of the greasers and watch the movie. Dally disturbs the redhead cheerleader until she gets distracted from the movie and mad. Cherry turns around and yells at Dally to remove his feet from her chair.
• Ponyboy Curtis Gets jumped. This was the first main event in the novel. Ponyboy Curtis, a greaser, gets jumped by some Socs on his way back from a movie. But his friends and brothers come to save him by fighting the Socs. 

Style, Tone, and Figurative Language in The Outsiders

Throughout the book, you will notice that S. E. Hinton is a character writer instead of an idea writer. The author also uses a variety of literary devices in the novel. That’s why the opening of the book is a very detailed introduction to each character such that by the end of the book, the reader knows each character in more detail. Again, the characters’ names are particularly descriptive. For example, Ponyboy depicts an image of a youth becoming a cowboy; Sodapop shows a bubbly personality, while Dallas Winston creates the image of the combination of a Texas city and a famous cigarette brand. 

The importance of the setting in this book cannot be overemphasized as it is through their environment that the main characters are defined. Hinton used her town of Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the setting of this book, even though she never refers to the city by name. The figurative language used in ‘ The Outsiders ‘ is mostly metaphors and personification.

Analysis of the Symbols

Sunsets and sunrises.

In the book, sunrise and sunset depict the beauty and goodness in the world, especially after Johnny compares the gold in the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” to the gold of the sunrises and sunsets Ponyboy enjoys. Sunset also represents the humanity of all people, regardless of the gang to which they belong. When Cherry and Ponyboy were first discussing at the drive-in, they found out that they share similar interests in the enjoyment of the same sunset from their sides of town.

Greaser Hair

The symbol of the greasers, both to themselves and to others, is their long, slick hair gang. When Ponyboy and Johnny cut and dyed their hair when they ran away to hide after Bob’s death,  they were taking a symbolic step outside the gang conflict. This made Ponyboy feel less secure but also gained him a bit of room to develop his individuality.

The Blue Mustang

The blue Mustang is a symbol that shows two things: the wealth of the Socs and the danger posed to the greasers. Anytime Ponyboy or any other greaser spots the Mustang, he knows trouble is coming. Later in the novel, Ponyboy comes to understand and feel compassion for the Socs, and the Mustang loses some of its power to intimidate.

How does Two-Bit describe the Socs?

Two-Bit Matthews describes the upper-class gang known as Socs as those that tend to gang up on one or two people and also fight among themselves. This is unlike the lower-class gang, the Greasers who usually stick together, and when two members do get into an argument.

How are greasers and Socs different besides money?

Besides money, there are many differences between the socs and the greasers. The greasers have long, greasy hair, while the Socs generally have shorter hair. The greasers are poor and live on the bad side or east of town, unlike the socs who live on the good side or the west side of town.

Which character is Ponyboy’s oldest brother that takes care of him?

The character is a 20-year-old strong, athletic greaser called Darry. When Ponyboy’s parents die in a car accident, his oldest brother, Darrel Curtis, also known as “Darry,” quit school and passed on a scholarship to take care of his brothers. He works two jobs in order to meet the responsibility at home.

Is Two-Bit mean in The Outsiders ?

Keith “Two-Bit” Mathews is 18 and a half, still a Junior in high school, and also a supporting character in the book ‘ The Outsiders ‘. He is popularly called by his nickname is called Two-Bit because he never shuts his mouth and always has to add in his “two bits”. He is not mean but is rather a fun-loving person who loves to tell jokes.

What does Two-Bit’s switchblade symbolize?

Two-Bit Matthew’s switchblade is his possession of inestimable value. He treasures it so highly because of all that it represents to him. The switchblade represents the disregard for authority for which greasers traditionally pride themselves in many ways. Firstly, the blade is stolen; secondly, it gives a sense of individual power to the owner.

How old is Cherry Valance?

Cherry is a 16-year-old girl in ‘ The Outsiders ‘ by S. E. Hinton . She is described as very beautiful with red hair and green eyes.

The Outsiders Quiz

Dive into the world of loyalty, rivalry, and self-discovery with our ' The Outsiders ' Trivia Quiz! Do you have the insight and knowledge to navigate the complex lives of the Greasers and the Socs? Accept the challenge now and prove your mastery over S. E. Hinton's timeless tale of friendship and struggle

1) Who is the author of the poem ' Nothing Gold Can Stay '?

2) What is the name of the high school that Ponyboy and his friends attend?

3) What is the significance of the poem ' Nothing Gold Can Stay ' in the novel?

4) How does the novel ' The Outsiders ' end?

5) What are the two rival groups in ' The Outsiders '?

6) What does Ponyboy do when he is confronted by Socs after Johnny's death?

7) What does Ponyboy realize about the Socs and the Greasers at the end of the novel?

8) What happens to the church where Johnny and Ponyboy are hiding?

9) What does Ponyboy decide to write about for his English assignment?

10) What causes Ponyboy to pass out after the rumble?

11) What is the result of the rumble between the Socs and the Greasers?

12) What does Ponyboy do to cope with the loss of Johnny and Dallas?

13) How do Johnny and Ponyboy disguise themselves?

14) Who is the protagonist of ' The Outsiders '?

15) What does Johnny tell Ponyboy before he dies?

16) How does Dallas react to Johnny's death?

17) What weapon does Johnny use to defend Ponyboy?

18) What do Ponyboy and Randy discuss when Randy visits him?

19) Who is the Soc girl that Ponyboy befriends?

20) What happens to Johnny and Ponyboy at the park?

21) Who helps Johnny and Ponyboy while they are hiding?

22) Who gets injured trying to save children from the burning church?

23) What novel do Johnny and Ponyboy read while hiding?

24) What event leads to Ponyboy and Johnny running away?

25) What is the setting of the novel?

26) What injury does Johnny sustain from the church fire?

27) Where do Johnny and Ponyboy hide after the park incident?

28) What does Two-Bit give to Dally in the hospital?

29) Who is Ponyboy's oldest brother?

30) Who is the author of ' The Outsiders '?

Your score is

Restart quiz

Join Book Analysis for Free!

Exclusive to Members

Save Your Favorites

Free newsletter, comment with literary experts.

About Ugo Juliet

Juliet Ugo is an experienced content writer and a literature expert with a passion for the written word with over a decade of experience. She is particularly interested in analyzing books, and her insightful interpretations of various genres have made her a well-known authority in the field.

About the Book

Discover the secrets to learning and enjoying literature.

Join Book Analysis

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Teaching Expertise

• Classroom Ideas
• Teacher’s Life
• Deals & Shopping
• Privacy Policy

21 The Outsiders Activities for Middle Schoolers

September 6, 2022 //  by  Katherine Monsen

I remember reading The Outsiders in middle school and while it was okay, I think that it would have been more engaging if there were more activities done with it, aside from the written comprehension questions and essay. Some are free and some aren't, so you may have to pick and choose, but in my opinion, they are all fabulous resources that I would use with my students. Enjoy and happy reading!

1. Anticipation Guide

A quick anticipation guide can be a great pre-reading activity. It could be done independently or in a discussion format, depending on how much time you have for it. Personally, I would have students answer independently, then share their thoughts in a small group, but you could also make it a whole class activity.

Learn more: Poster 4 Teachers

2. 1960's Scavenger Hunt

This digital pre-reading activity is great because it introduces the time period to kids so they have a better understanding of what's happening while reading and also teaches online research skills. I feel like kids are out of touch with how things were before their time, so this activity can really ground them with relatable ideas. The link is for the word document, which I would shorten a bit, in the interest of time.

Learn more: Chloe Min

3. First Impressions

First impressions can often lead kids to stereotype without getting to know someone. In this pre-reading activity, students will get to discuss their thoughts on images, which hopefully leads to them realizing that we can't always judge a book by its' cover. It compares modern photos with some of the book characters too.

Learn more: Ms. SM'S English Classes

4. Pop! Characterization

Kids will be head over heels for this activity! Funko Pop! figurines are being collected like crazy, so this task will be easy to set up and get going for them. It's a creative way to do character analysis and engaging for kids that like to draw. They can choose their favorite characters to draw and write about or be randomly assigned.

Learn more: Laura Randazzo

5. Who Would You Choose?

It may look like this activity is just a character analysis graphic organizer, but there is also a second part. Students use their character notes and the book to decide which character they would choose to help them in certain situations and then have a class discussion to explain how they made their decision.

Learn more: How To Teach a Novel

6. Symbolism Bookmarks

Understanding symbolism is difficult for many kids and it is prevalent in literature. For an activity after students finish reading, this one is helpful. The slides are included, so just download and away you go. In the end, students will end up with a bookmark too.

Learn more: Slideshare

7. Hercules Book Report

When you go to the link, you'll be able to get a copy of the assignment sheet sent to your Google Docs. The original assignment gave 3 options on presentation formats, but I am partial to Bloom Balls, which takes the traditional book report and breaks it into manageable pieces while allowing for creativity. Any way students present the information, this is a great review activity.

Learn more: Mr. Hudyman

8. The Outsiders One Pager

Final book projects don't have to take an extended period of time to complete. This one-pager can be done in 2-3 class periods and still requires in-depth analysis and creativity. The final product can be used as an eye-catching classroom display. I like how it asks kids to analyze the book in a unique way.

Learn more: Teach Sparkle Pop

9. Activity Pack

If you're looking for a full unit of activities that just need to be copied, then look no further. This downloadable book has everything you need, broken down by chapter. You can also get a printed copy or 30 copies of the book along with the activity pack. If you have the budget for it, then this will be a lifesaver.

Learn more: Prestwick House

10. Novel Unit

This is a free fabulous unit plan with all printouts included in pdf. It is from a school in Kentucky and includes everything you need, including standards and discussion questions. The wanted poster activity seems like a fun activity that kids will be engaged in as well.

Learn more: Raechel Cowell, Terri Smith, Karen Johnson

11. Teaching the Outsiders for Engagement and Inclusion

This engaging package is unlike the others and really caught my attention. It makes kids think outside the box and brings diversity into the book, where there isn't any seen. These 4 activities will surely grab your students' attention.

Learn more: Nouvelle ELA

12. Crossword Puzzle

Sometimes we need a quick extension activity, review activity, or something for early finishers. Here you can customize the crossword puzzles and give students something meaningful to work on.

Learn more: Word Mint

13. Newspaper Writing

Looking for a creative writing activity ? Here's a great one! It comes with all the graphic organizers you need as well. It will take some time to complete, but can be classwork and homework.

Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers

14. Comprehension Questions

These questions can be answered either in person or virtually on Google Classroom, which is great considering all that's going on in the world. There are over 100 questions included, so you'll have everything you need for the entire book.

Learn more: Simply Novel

15. Figurative Language

What a great resource this is. It includes video clips and digital activities for students to complete. They focus on 5 different figurative language components and provide everything you need, which makes this a great assignment.

Learn more: PBS Learning Media

16. Storyboards

Students can create storyboards for 7 different activities, which include plot diagrams, themes, symbols and motifs, characters, conflict, narrative adaptation, vocabulary, and a wanted poster. I love that they allow for creativity without the demand for students to be artistic. Ponyboy Curtis would approve of these activities.

Learn more: Storyboard That

17. "Some Novel Ideas"

A veteran teacher shares her thoughts and activities she uses and includes links to explain activities or provide the files she mentions. Her introduction to the activities is so relatable as well.

Learn more: Some Novel Ideas

18. Collaborative Poster

This activity is in response to Robert Frost's poem "Nothing Can Stay Gold". Students will answer why Ponyboy reads this poem in the book and then students will get to each color a piece that will end up being assembled into one poster. This is such a creative activity!

Learn more: Study All Knight

19. Vocabulary Activities

Unlike some vocabulary activities , this one is text-dependent and utilizes text-based sentences, questions, and definitions. It would be beneficial in a digital classroom as well. It can be done in a little bit of time each day.

Learn more: Teacher Created Materials

20. Conflict Foldable

This activity is a bit more basic, but still teaches a valuable lesson about the types of conflict seen in The Outsiders. Students are asked to find scenes in the book that demonstrate each type of conflict.

Learn more: Think. Live. Be... Positive

21. Characterization Quick Write

I saved my favorite activity for last. The author randomly assigned characters, which is probably the quickest way to begin. There is a graphic organizer to complete as planning for the final product. This is definitely an activity that will grab the attention of most kids.

• Benefits to Participating Communities
• Participating School Districts
• Evaluations and Results
• Recognition Accorded
• National Advisory Committee
• Establishing New Institutes
• Topical Index of Curriculum Units
• View Topical Index of Curriculum Units
• Search Curricular Resources
• View Volumes of Curriculum Units from National Seminars
• Find Curriculum Units Written in Seminars Led by Yale Faculty
• Find Curriculum Units Written by Teachers in National Seminars
• Browse Curriculum Units Developed in Teachers Institutes
• On Common Ground
• Reports and Evaluations
• Articles and Essays
• Documentation
• Video Programs

Have a suggestion to improve this page?

To leave a general comment about our Web site, please click here

Share this page with your network.

Living Texts: Analyzing S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders by Thinking, Reading, Acting, and Thinking Again

Introduction.

I was looking for something. Hinton's text rolled 'round my head. The unexpectedly bustling Sunday streets of New Haven shimmered, the bright sun a slow second to the gripping humidity. Life swirled and I searched. The landscape dotted with signs of texture—a cultural mix of past and present—evaded my analysis. Pandora offered Downtown Abbey - The Suite and the mounting speed of the score fluttered my nerves. It was then that my eyes took in a gold-green tree swirled and grown on a small sheet of dog-eared art paper. It sat still on the rough concrete.

"May I hold your work?" I asked the man, of whom I now know to be Isaac Canady, a lifelong resident of New Haven.

Placing it in my hands he asked, "What do you see?"

"The cycle of life? Was that your intention?"

"Yes, well, in a way. I often explore ideas about women, though. Why do you ask?"

"I'm working on a curriculum unit on the art of interpretation using Hinton's The Outsiders . Your drawing reminds me of a line she used from Robert Frost, Nature's first green is gold , and I am struggling to connect it all."

"So you're an artist, too."

I smiled, gave a sheepish negative nod and then, as if the metallic glow of Isaac's art had spoken— Illumination!

I found that which I had been seeking.

I had brought to this viewing my own ideas, beginning to connect all of these things as if some meaning were to be made of the moment. Isaac never intended to connect his art with Hinton's or Frost's, but my experience made it happen. Making meaning, in motion. I had solidified my understanding of the art of interpretation. All things are connected, both in life and in the reflection of life called literature . I experienced an example of how the reader brings his or her personal experience to a reading; how the author's intention drives a creation that is often ambiguous to the reader; and how what is simply sitting right before your eyes contains the whole—the actual words in the text—whether you 'get it' or not. (See Appendices: A)

Living Texts: Analyzing S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders by Thinking, Reading, Acting, and Thinking Again is an adaptable, Humanities-based unit that provides opportunities for students to physically demonstrate their interpretations of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders through improvisation. The underlayment of the classroom activities is personal and social responsibility. Included in this unit is a sequence that can be used by students to efficiently and effectively interpret a text. Both the interpretation strategies and the improvisational strategies are used within a performance sequence that uses each chapter of the novel as the foundation. Integrating these strategies will help students to interact with a text through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic means, thus accessing each student's learning modality. Use of improvisation will help students to physically, linguistically, and artistically put themselves in the shoes of other people (characters), places (settings), and problems (plot) in order to help them see, hear, and feel what is going on in the words of a text.

Throughout this unit, students will be able to analyze (interpret) The Outsiders for the text's meaning, the author's style, the student's personal experience, and the greater cultural setting; use these ideas to plan an interpretive performance; synthesize (perform) the plan; and evaluate the relationship between how a reader mentally interprets a text and how the actor physically and orally interprets a text as a form of action by substantiating claims and actions with a text.

This unit has been designed for middle-level gifted, or academically-inclined, students within the Humanities Department of the Pittsburgh Public Schools gifted education program. The students, though grouped by perceived intellectual strength, have a wide array of gifts and talents. They need academic strength and/or interest-based enrichment and, at times, acceleration to satisfy the curiosity of their ever-wondering minds. They are not, contrary to popular assumption, 'all good students', nor do they all 'instinctively know everything'. They are also not capable of 'getting it all right on the first try'. They really like to ask questions. A lot of questions. And though most students cherish their intellects, they struggle with the often negative reactions that others have to their unique perspectives. They also struggle to admit when they are struggling, most likely because they have been culturally conditioned to be silent. Thus, each of the teachers in our program writes course materials suited to each student's specific academic need and interest, as determined by test scores. As indicated above, teachers implement the upper tier of Bloom's Taxonomy together with interactive communication, problem solving, and the creative thinking process, to help develop self-directed learners through project-based course development. The students select from among these courses similarly to choosing multiple college electives, attending one 90-minute session per choice each week over a course of 16 weeks.

Preparation

In order to teach this unit, I need to answer several questions: What is interpretation? What is improvisation? How does interpretation relate to performance? The following material addresses these questions and includes examples of how they can be applied to Hinton's The Outsiders .

Interpretation Strategies

The word interpretation is synonymous with the act of finding meaning . But, what is meant by meaning ? How does one find meaning within a text and why does any of this matter, anyway?

Teaching students how to interpret a complex text matters because the act of interpreting is a rigorous task, and rigorous tasks, according to the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development , are necessary to keep U.S. schools from falling farther behind. (2) There is, however, a difference between simply comprehending a text and the act of interpreting a text. A top-down reading process, which includes moving from meaning and big ideas to details and language forms, is the most recently-accepted 'best practice'. (3) The Pittsburgh Public School District supports the use of this sequence in what has been dubbed Disciplinary Literacy; Patterned Way of Reading, Writing, and Thinking . The pattern includes reading to get the gist; rereading to find significant moments; interpreting ideas within the text; and analyzing the author's methods. Students are encouraged to read each portion of a text at least four times.

Adequate oral reading fluency, reading comprehension, and interpretive or critical analysis skills are not necessarily co-existent, even among high-ability readers. In my classroom, such students often struggle with oral reading fluency and comprehension. They can quickly decode phonetics and memorize the meaning of new vocabulary when it is presented to them in isolation from a text, yet they often fail to find the contextual evidence needed to tackle an unknown word within a text. Furthermore, they fail to consider that one word, when repeated in the text or placed within several different texts, may have a different meaning each time it appears. This inability does not; however, preclude them from taking part in higher order thinking activities, such as interpreting a text. Such skills can be taught simultaneously. A line of questioning that moves systematically higher and higher on Bloom's Taxonomy can be used. Consider what words are both significant and need to be defined in this portion of Hinton's novel:

How can a reader define the terms Soc and greaser? One can simply pick up a dictionary and find a meaning for greaser , but one cannot do the same for Soc . In the case of Soc, the reader must move away from Bloom's level 1, knowledge , and move into level 4 and 5, otherwise known as the first two stages of higher order thinking, or analysis and synthesis . Analysis requires a student to "make inferences and find evidence to support generalizations" (5) and synthesis requires a student to "[c]ompile information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern." (6) Both happen to also be components of interpretation, which I'll expand upon later. Students could be led to extrapolate a definition for the words through presentation of a question like, "What evidence can you find that could lead you to a text-based definition of these words?" and "What is the relationship between these words?" Text-substantiated student responses could be, but are not limited to, 'Greasers are poor, unintelligent gang members. Being a Soc is more desirable, so it might mean the opposite of those traits.' Moving toward Bloom's next highest order, 'Synthesis,' the question, "What predictions can you make about the storyline from just these definitions?" could be used. A possible answer could be, 'The speaker must care about Darry. He says he feels sorry that the gang holds them back.' Note that the answer gives both an interpretation and a text-based substantiation for the answer—a key combination for objective interpretation. Interpretation requires evidence. It also requires the reader to eliminate possibilities. "The interpretative process is essentially a restricting of the possible ways in which a sign, such as a textual element (letter, word, sentence, etc.) can mean or point our attention to something other than itself. This restriction is accomplished by conventions of relevance, or more formally, by selective contextualization." (7)

Alongside the ability to use clues to define new vocabulary, the students also have a hard time looking for significant portions of the text that can lead to an understanding of the text. In a general manner of speaking, comprehension requires students to be able to use clues from within the text to understand the text as a whole. Comprehension is on the lower order of Bloom's Taxonomy, yet it is an essential skill necessary for gaining a basic understanding of a text as a whole. Taking a close look at significant sections of a text, like the one mentioned above, gives students the opportunity to practice comprehension skills.

To illustrate this, reread the excerpt and connect it to the opening excerpt in the Overview . What can you now tell about the story? Since the characters in the first passage are referencing Robert Frost, can you still maintain your belief in the definition of greaser as unintelligent? What might this suggest about the character's sense of self? When these sorts of connection are made, the student is moving toward Bloom's highest level, evaluation. Evaluation is defined as the ability to "[p]resent and defend opinions by making judgments about information, validity of ideas or quality of work based on a set of criteria." (8)

Like Bloom's Taxonomy, the components of interpretation vary in definition, but for purposes of this unit, I will follow Laurence Perrine and label the parts of interpretation as meaning, intention, and context. (9) Interpretation takes into account all of the factors above that contribute to the construction of a text— the parts of the whole. Interpretation aims to look critically at these parts as they relate to the overall text. In order to arrive at a collective agreement about an author's intention, a reader must interact with the text in a critical manner. Goethe's three questions for "constructive criticism" of authorial intention are, "What did the author set out to do? Was his plan reasonable and sensible, and how far did he succeed in carrying it out?" (10) In this unit, only the first question will be addressed. Though it may seem that speculation would be a part of answering Goethe's first question, the question actually aims at objective interpretation—using text-based examples to arrive at the part-to-whole relationship of a text.

To illustrate this, re-read the excerpt above from The Outsiders. What do you notice about the defining words for the character groupings? Why is it that Hinton chose to capitalize Soc and de-capitalize greaser? Did she intend to give the reader a hint? These questions lead to the concept of authorial intent. "Intention is design or plan in the author's mind. Intention has obvious affinities for the author's attitude toward his work, the way he felt, what made him write." (11) Hinton certainly made choices , but 'why' she made those choices is extrinsic to the text. It is not of concern when meaning is being made by the reader. Interpreting why an author made a particular choice is too subjective. Some conclusions are better substantiated than others, but for the purposes of this unit, that form of criticism will be left out because young readers need to find evidence.

Both the writer and the reader of a text can be influenced by historical and cultural context. If a reader is tackling a non-contemporary text, the reader must subtract the conclusions that are muddied by his own preconceptions and simply see the text either as it is, or the reader must consider the historical and cultural context in which the text was written. Consider that The Outsiders was published in 1967. Hinton was 15 years old when she wrote the draft. Audra Bull, a public school educator from Tulsa, perceives the actual area in which Hinton's book was set as still being eerily similar to the texture of the novel—divided by class.

Improvisational Strategies

Improvisation is a form of dramatization that is scriptless. An actor is given all or part of the who, where, and what just as the skit is beginning . This aligns well with literature: character (who), setting (where), and plot (what). Just as a reader creates meaning as he or she reads, an improv-ist creates meaning in motion. He or she creates the act during the performance. This stands in opposition to the way an actor would prepare for a scripted performance, such as predetermining a way to portray a character, while memorizing a script. There is both freedom and restriction in improv, too, as an actor needs to eliminate, in the moment, what does not 'make sense' to the audience.

Improv, like interpretation, is a continually renewing experience. Each reading of a text in interpretation can provide new insights and challenge or change ideas, as does each performance in improv. There is no wrong way to do either. In asking students to physically demonstrate their understanding of a text, you are asking them to come prepared to the show, so to speak. It's an informed version of improv. Physical interpretation of a text allows the reader to express things that he or she may not be able to manage with language. In "A Method to the Madness: Laughter Research, Comedy Training, and Improv," Bynane stated, "Language is but one code in a frayed tapestry of codes." (12) Though he was specifically speaking of the connection between laughter and comedy, his greater point concerned interpretation. One cannot be taught to be funny, just as one cannot be taught to laugh genuinely. According to this theory, neither interpretation nor improvisation can be directly taught. Both are cyclical processes that involve the actor, the character, the substantiating idea, and the audience. This is one of the many connections between interpretation and improvisation. Using improv in the classroom is a way to engage students, but when applied to a literary situation, it becomes a way to gauge understanding. "Concepts such as multiple perspectives benefit greatly from role plays and scenarios that make different viewpoints integral to the performance." (13). When applied to literature, improv can help students see, hear and feel the thinking of a character.

In Improvisation for the Theater: A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques , Viola Spolin identifies ways in which a teacher can help students to be successful when 'playing' with improvisation. She discusses how the expectation of judgment prevents free relationships within the acting workshop. She wrote, "All words which shut doors, have emotional content or implication, attack the student-actor's personality, or keep a student slavishly dependent on a teacher's judgment are to be avoided. Since most of us were brought up by the approval/disapproval method, constant self-surveillance is necessary on the part of the teacher-director to eradicate it in himself so that it will not enter the teacher-student relationship." (14)

Another mode of driving success, according to Shady Cosgrove, is use of a common language. "In order for improvisation to succeed in workshop discussion, everyone needs a common language...Only with a common language could students communicate effectively about the prose work being examined." (15) For this reason, I plan to use terms like quiet on the set, cut, reset, freeze, and recast. Cut means that an actor must cease all action. Reset means that they will mentally prepare to take on another role. Freeze will be used like stop-motion in animation so that a still can be seen, discussed, and then continued. Recast means that a new group will redo the same scene. In order to help the students feel as if they have a stage, I plan to use black sheets and sticky, two-sided velcro strips to create a 'black box' in the corner of my classroom.

Spolin also urges that teachers 'play' along with students to help students become the act , rather than a mere member of a classroom. She refers to improv as "problem-solving games." (16) In this regard, part of the 'problem' for students will be to interpret specific parts of The Outsiders adequately enough to show their understanding. Bynane suggests, in order for this to happen, moving from simple, guided improv games, to audience-suggested roles, finally to text-driven roles. (17) Improvisation games are innumerable, as are the ways that each can be modified. Below is a description of the varieties of improvisation that will be used in this unit. They are listed in the order that they are to be used with the students. Note that after any chapter, the preceding improvisations for the completed chapters can be applied.

1. Silent Stills are completely motionless, statuesque portrayals of an emotion or character trait.

2. Pantomime is when an actor moves, but does not speak.

3. Mirroring is when one or more actors move exactly in the same way as the person facing them.

4. Frozen Actor is when the actor is only allowed to speak, not move, as a character. He or she must remain still and emotionless. Another actor molds him, through quiet prompting, into the physical shape that demonstrates the emotion needed in the scene.

5. Tableau is a still group scene, like a photograph, that portrays a brief, but significant moment.

6. Vignette is a moving group scene that portrays a brief, but significant moment.

7. The Way it Is is when two characters talk while a small group performs silent actions that reflect a change or shift in what is going on in the speaking actors' part from the preceding chapters.

8. Soliloquy is when an actor talks to his or herself.

9. The Road Not Taken is when an actor gets into character, but must react to the opposite of the actual storyline event as the character's personality and habits dictate.

10. Written Scene is when characters know and stick to the complete storyline, but are still not reading from a script.

11. Unwritten Scene is when characters know the complete storyline and are still not reading from a script, but are given a 'what if' scenario and must apply it to the story line, demonstrating evaluation of a character's personality and habits.

12. Montage is a collection of scenes. For purposes of this unit, the students will pick only the most significant scenes, one per chapter, and perform them.

13. Truth or Lie is a trivia-based activity in which actors collaborate to answer text-based questions while choosing to either be true to the text or to falsify an answer. The audience must determine if the answer/act is true or false.

14. Interview is when an actor, pretending to be a specific person, answers question posed by the audience. In this unit, students will take turns being S.E. Hinton.

15. Cast Party is when the whole group interacts as self-chosen characters in a party-like setting.

In a dramatic performance, a triangle strategy exists: the actor's comprehension of the character, the actor's portrayal or interpretation of character, and the audience's reaction to both. These three stages align with the upper tier of Bloom's Taxonomy-Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation, hence they also align with the art of interpretation. Interpretation and improv come together when an actor examines a character for a role in which a parameter is missing. For example, though students will have read the chapter in which I will be blocking the scene, they will not know the type of improv activity or scenario beforehand.

Presentation

The sequence that I will consistently use with each chapter of The Outsiders is as follows: Guiding question with brief discussion (with review of preceding chapters); Reading for the gist and significant moments; Text-based discussion to determine that the aforementioned ideas are covered; Active interpretation of specific significant moments to enrich understanding or flesh out misinterpretations; Discussion of the action and its relevance to the text. In the section that follows, a scaffold of improv activities is used in relation to the significant moments in the text.

Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis of SE Hinton's The Outsiders with Improv Guide

From a characterization standpoint, The Outsiders is, at its core, about bonds—as in both loyalty and oppression. Though several conflicts drive the story forward, a careful reading reveals the true antagonist is society, and societal pressures influence each character in the story with a similar result— change . Some changes involve identity, while others are finite—death. In chapter one we are introduced, in first person, omniscient narration, to PonyBoy Curtis, an orphaned, book-smart, street-foolish greaser . Pony begins and ends the story with the same line, a trick that ties well to the Frost poem seen in chapter 5, "Nothing Gold Can Stay". The poem's main idea parallels the book's structure. Pony shares the main character role with Johnny, his family-neglected best friend. As Ponyboy is attacked, the ironically good-natured, mild-mannered Johnny stabs and kills Bob, a Soc , or 'privileged', yet lost young man, in order to save Pony. The pair flees to an abandoned church. When they leave to eat, a group of picnicking children enter the church, which catches on fire. Without hesitation, the boys run in to save the children, but Johnny is fatally injured. The story continues on, and the reader realizes the story ends and begins in the same place—with the cathartic power of reading and writing.

Lesson 1: Unit Introduction; Chapter 1 Reading; Silent Stills

Pre-Reading Discussion: What does it mean to be an outsider?

Answering this question requires a reader to be able to identify his or her own cultural preconceptions. Children are said to be "both constructed and constructive," which implies they are often not yet aware of the cultural influence that impact their thinking (18). When examining the concept of being an outsider, students should be questioned about their thinking, not told what to think. A concept mapthat allows students to visually identify ways in which they have individually been labeled will allow the student to take prior knowledge and later apply it to the book's many outsiders. (See Appendices: B) Students will be guided through interpreting the excerpt noted in the Interpretation Strategies section prior to beginning Chapter 1.

Significant Moments: 1) Pony is harassed by a group of Soc. He is frightened, but tries to fight back. He is pinned down and as they try to cut his 'greasy' hair, they cut him. He is saved by members of his own gang. 2) Pony talks to his brother, Soda, whom he adores, about dropping out of school—a fact that deeply upsets Pony.

Action: Silent Stills will be used on any student-identified emotion conveyed in the chapter.

Action Interpretation: How was your story emotion portrayal like or different from your own, original portrayal? Why? Can your real life affect what you see and feel in the text? How? Why?

Lesson 2: Chapter 2 Reading; Pantomime

Pre-Reading Discussion: What are the best character traits a human can have? The worst?

Significant Moments: 1) Cherry Valance, a pretty Soc with a kind heart and a realistic world view, is introduced as the core greaser gang sneaks into a movie. 2) Pony remembers, in vivid detail, the day when Johnny was severely beaten by the Soc.

Action: In pairs, students will begin to physically interpret the character's traits, such as individuality, courage, pride, respect, and their opposites; conformity, bravado, shame, arrogance, through Pantomime .

Lesson 3: Chapter 3 Reading; Mirroring

Pre-Reading Discussion: How do stereotypes divide people?

Significant Moments: 1) The metaphorical implication of this activity relates to the characters' labels. Though Soc is deemed better than greaser, many of the characters are emerging as mirror images of one another. In a literal way, some words are mirrored as well, such as in this exchange between Cherry, Two-Bit, and Ponyboy:

Cherry started walking down the street. "Maybe they won't see us. Act normal."

"Who's Acting?" Two-Bit grinned. "I'm a natural normal."

"Wish it was the other way around," I muttered." (19)

2) Also metaphorical is the mirror image of Pony, who thinks a Soc life is perfect, and Cherry, who befriends Pony, but then tells Pony not to talk to her if he sees her in school. She also states that she could fall in love with Dally, a character presented to this point as a vulgar greaser.

Action: As two characters who have been identified as opposites, yet show similar dispositions, such as Pony and Cherry, the students will take turns Mirroring each other's movements as they relate to the character's identified character trait.

Lesson 4: Chapter 4 Reading; Frozen Actor

Pre-Reading Discussion: Can anyone ever really win a fight? What is the real price of violence? (This question should be revisited after reading chapter 9, where Pony poses the question.)

Significant Moments: Johnny kills Bob to save Johnny. Dally emerges as helpful, caring.

Action: Due to the violence in the chapter, using Frozen Actor will allow the students to have control over the scene, but will grant the teacher control of the classroom. A possible scenario could be "Shape (chosen character) as you feel that he felt after the stabbing."

Lesson 5: Chapter 5 Reading; Tableau

Pre-Reading Discussion: Read and predict the poem-to-story relationship relevance of "Nothing Gold Can Stay". (20) Compare and contrast Isaac Canady's image to the poem. (See Appendices: A)

Significant Moments: Johnny and Pony are hiding out in the abandoned church. They discuss life, books, and Frost's poem.

In the excerpt at the top of the Overview section, Hinton's main characters are referring to Robert Frost's poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay", which is strategically used within her text. How do I know her intention? I came to a logical decision about what the poem means and then applied that meaning to both the placement of the poem in the complete text of Hinton's book.

I first interpreted the poem's first line, "Nature's first green is gold" to mean that the first sign of springtime growth is precious, like gold. I expect that most of my students will arrive at this interpretation as well. After reading the poem again, I decided there might be a different meaning to the poem—a metaphorical one. Several interpretations refer to the poet's tree as a willow, which has golden buds and flowers before producing leaves. Others say that the plant is forsythia, which produces brilliant yellow flowers. I reject the notion that the poem is merely about nature and return to my original interpretation, though I agree that the particular plant is significant. My claim can be substantiated by referring to the sixth line, in which an allusion to the biblical Garden of Eden is made, thus adding the notion of demise or deterioration in a fallen state. The second and fourth lines imply a quick or fleeting life span. Also, the short poem comes full circle, beginning with the start of life and ending with 'nothing'. Note that Hinton's text follows a similar structure in her book—beginning where exactly where the story ends.

Students will be asked to think about why Hinton might have used the poem here.

The poem is used in chapter five to illuminate the events in previous chapters, as an allusion to an upcoming event in the book's text and the death of Johnny, but it also supports the book's theme of fleeting beauty and change. It also supports Hinton's storytelling style, to begin and end the same way.

Action: Student-chosen, book-based tableau in small-groups that uses Frost's poem, in some way, to connect to the story line.

Action Interpretation: How has the text motivated your tableau? How is interpreting a text related to performance?

Lesson 6: Chapter 6 Reading; Vignette

Pre-Reading Discussion: What makes you a hero? Are only dangerous acts heroic?

Significant Moments: Pony and Johnny rescue children from the burning church.

As most novels progress, characters undergo some form of change, or the author chooses to mask and then reveal elements of the character's disposition. To help students analyze a story's characters, a standard set of questions can be used: How would you characterize (name of character)? What evidence provides support for this judgment? Give an example of what the character says and does. Give an example of what is said to or about the character.

This chapter continues to turn Dally's character. Just before the fire, Johnny asks Dally, who has come to the hiding place to make sure that Pony and Johnny are doing well, if his parents have asked about him. Dally shows great emotion, both angry and protective, when he replies to Johnny.

Johnny's character also takes a turn. He decides to turn himself in, mostly for Pony's sake—moving him from a passive character, one who only reacts when pushed to do so, to an active character in charge of his own fate. When the trio returns to Jay Mountain, Johnny does not hesitate to run toward and into the fire to save the children inside, solidifying this newly-developed trait. Dally saves Pony and Johnny. A new character, Jerry, appears confused when Johnny tries to tell him what low-lifes the greasers are. Jerry states that he believes that the boys are "sent from heaven." (21)

Action: In Vignette form, teams will act out any portion of the chapter within one minute, placing emphasis on the characters' changes to this point in the novel. A 'then' and 'now' Tableau and/or Mirroring will also be used to help 'show' the characters changes over time. (See Lesson 2)

Lesson 7: Chapter 7 Reading; The Way It Is

Pre-Reading Discussion: What kinds of things make people change?

Significant Moments: Pony and Bob's best friend, Randy, reveals their humanity through understanding.

Action: Using The Way It Is , two characters of student choice talk while a small group performs silent actions that reflect a change or shift in what is going on in the speaking actors' parts. For example, while students act as Pony and Randy having a conversation, a small group of students might quietly revolve around the characters, interacting with the small group only, while demonstrating some aspect of the past turmoil that involved the characters.

Lesson 8: Chapter 8 Reading; Soliloquy

Pre-Reading Discussion: What role does tone of voice play in your life? Is dishonesty ever acceptable? When? Why?

Significant Moments: The gang visits Johnny in the hospital. Pony detects a tone in the doctor's voice that indicates that Johnny is dying. Pony feigns cheerfulness for Johnny's sake.

Action: Using the Soliloquy format, each student will perform a 100-150 word self-talk using their choice of book character, placing emphasis on vocal inflection to help capture the 'tone' created by Hinton.

Action Interpretation: The audience will be asked to give re-directorial advice to enhance a retake of the performance, paying special attention to tone of voice.

Lesson 9: Chapter 9 Reading; The Road Not Taken

Pre-Reading Discussion: What things have you done that you wish you had not? Why?

Significant Moments: 1) The greasers fight the Soc; Dally for Johnny's sake, though Johnny thinks it foolish. 2) Johnny dies, sending the characters into a stage of grief—each in his own way.

Action: Using The Road Not Taken a single actor will get into a self-selected character, but must react to the opposite action as the character's personality and habits dictate. This will allow students to create an alternative to the choices made by the characters in the book. Students will then read Robert Frost's, "The Road Not Taken" and, in small teams, debate as Pony, a gifted student, and Johnny, as to what the poem might mean.

Lesson 10: Chapter 10 Reading; Written Scene

Pre-Reading Discussion: Predict the outcome of the story citing evidence from the text for your answer.

Significant Moments: Dally chooses to entice the police to shoot him.

Action: Using Written Scene , groups of actors will act out any scene that includes Dally prior to this scene. Books may be used.

Lesson 11: Chapter 11-12 Reading; Montage

Pre-Reading Discussion: What role can you play in keeping violence out of your life?

Significant Moments: In chapter 11, Pony is ill and reflects on the tragic events and on humanity. In chapter 12, he begins to heal through writing. The last line of the book is the same as the first, bringing the story full circle.

Action: Using Montage , the entire class will create a chapter-by-chapter 'flash action', or 12, one minute chapter action summaries of the entire book. This will be practiced and filmed over multiple days.

Using Interview students will take turns being S.E. Hinton by answering questions about her style, intention, and the historical setting in which Hinton lived when creating The Outsiders . Questions will be used such as, "S.E., was it your intention to use 12 chapters to represent the span of a year? Why? What parts of your book demonstrate this idea? Did you model the structure of your book after Frost's poem? Why? How do they relate?"

Cast Party is the culminating event in which the whole group interacts as self-chosen characters in a party-like setting. This continues the use of improvisation while allowing students to feel proud of their growth as literary interpreters and actors.

Annotated Bibliography

Barton, Linda G. Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking. Janesville, WI. 2010.

A tiny booklet that gives examples of question sets that cover the hierarchy of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Brown, Susan C., and Marcella L. Kysilka. Applying Multicultural and Global Concepts in the Classroom and Beyond . Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2002.

A book that asks the reader to participate in completion of cultural-awareness activities.

Bynane, Patrick. "A Method to the Madness: Laughter Research, Comedy Training, and Improv." In Theatre Symposium: A Journal of the Southeastern Theatre Conference. Volume 16. Pages 31-39, 2008 University of Alabama Press. Tuscaloosa, AL.

An improv methodology manual.

Cosgrove, Shady. "Teaching and Learning as Improvisational Performance in the Creative Writing Classroom." In Pedagogy, Volume 5, Issue 3, Fall 2005, pp. 471-479 Published by Duke University Press.

An article that intertwines the concept of improvisation as a teaching style and a student learning strategy.

Hinton, S. E.. The Outsiders, . New York: Viking Press, 1967.

The novel used within this unit.

Hunt, Peter. Understanding Children's Literature: Key Essays from the International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature . London: Routledge, 1999.

A book of essays about children's literature.

Phillips, June K. "Practical Implications of Recent Research in Reading." Foreign Language Annals 17, no. 4 (1984): 285–296.

An article that discusses the reading process and suggests reading strategies for foreign language classrooms. Though seemingly taken out-of-context for use in this unit, new language learners all use a similar process. The research in this article is beneficial to all language learners, foreign and domestic.

Schultz, Jean Marie. "The Gordian Knot: Language, Literature, and Critical Thinking." In SLA and the Literature.

This article discusses the changing role of literature in the language classroom.

Spolin, Viola. Improvisation for the Theater: A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques . 3th ed. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 1999.

Classroom: Fostering Dialogues, edited by Virginia M. Scott and Holly Tucker, 3–31. Boston: Heinle & Heinle, 2001.

A methods book on improvisation.

Strong, Richard W., Harvey F. Silver, and Matthew J. Perini.Teaching What Matters Most: Standards and Strategies for Raising Student Achievement. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001.

An article about rigor.

Wimsatt, William K. The Verbal Icon: Studies in the Meaning of Poetry . Lexington, Ky.: University of Kentucky Press, 1954.

A detailed description of a method of understanding the meaning of a text.

A - Canady, Isaac. Untitled . Pen and Metallic Pencils. 2013. Property of Cheree Charmello.

B - Concept Map

C - Standards

A - Canady, Isaac. Untitled . Pen and Metallic Pencils. 2013. Property of Cheree Charmello

C - Standards (Common Core)

Though several other Common Core standards are addressed by using this unit, two standards were specifically targeted. Under reading, the following Common Core Standard is used: 1.3: Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Literature - Fiction and Non-Fiction. Under Arts and Humanities, the following Common Core Standard was used: Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts of standard 9.1.8.B: Recognize, know, use and demonstrate a variety of appropriate arts elements and principles to produce, review and revise original works in the arts (Specifically, improvising and interpreting a role).

1. S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders , 77-78.

2. Richard W Strong, Harvey F. Silver, and Matthew J. Perini, Teaching What Matters Most: Standards and Strategies for Raising Student Achievement .

3. June K. Phillips, "Practical Implications of Recent Research in Reading." 285–296.

4. S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders , 126.

5. Linda G. Barton, Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking, 1-2 .

7. Jay Lemke, "Making Meaning Across Textscales: A Critical Statement on Reading Comprehension", 2.

8. Linda G. Barton, Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking, 3-4 .

9. Laurence Perrine, The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry .

10. William K. Wimsatt, The Verbal Icon: Studies in the Meaning of Poetry , 6.

12. Patrick Bynane, "A Method to the Madness: Laughter Research, Comedy Training, and Improv." In Theatre Symposium: A Journal of the Southeastern Theatre Conference, 34.

13. Susan C. Brown and Marcella L. Kysilka, Applying Multicultural and Global Concepts in the Classroom and Beyond , 158.

14. Viola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater: A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques . 3th ed., 8.

15. Shady Cosgrove, "Teaching and Learning as Improvisational Performance in the Creative Writing Classroom." In Pedagogy, 447.

16. Viola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater: A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques . 3th ed., 9.

17. Patrick Bynane, "A Method to the Madness: Laughter Research, Comedy Training, and Improv." In Theatre Symposium: A Journal of the Southeastern Theatre Conference, 34.

18. Peter Hunt, Understanding Children's Literature: Key Essays from the International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature , 39

19. S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders , 43.

20. S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders , 77.

21. S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders , 95.

Comments (2)

Send us your comment

• Ask LitCharts AI
• Discussion Question Generator
• Essay Prompt Generator
• Quiz Question Generator

• Literature Guides
• Poetry Guides
• Shakespeare Translations
• Literary Terms

The Outsiders

S. e. hinton.

Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions

• Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.