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:
Ponyboy
Sodapop
Darry
Dally
Johnny
Cherry
Bob
Randy
Steve
Two-Bit
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!