Newspaper Book Report: The Outsiders
Due Date:
Materials needed: poster paper, copy paper, markers, glue stick, textbook,
magazines, Internet access, novel
1. Title: Create a title for your newspaper. Be creative.
2. Lead Article: Summarize the events from the novel pertaining to Ponyboy’s
and Johnny’s run-in with the socs, Bob’s death, and the church fire.
a. This article should be on the front, top section of your newspaper.
b. Include the following newspaper elements in your article: Headline,
Subhead, Byline, Dateline, and Lead. (Refer to page 52 in your
literature textbook for definitions of each.)
c. Use the inverted pyramid structure when writing your article. (page 52)
d. Only include facts by answering Who, What, When, Where, and Why.
e. Pretend that you have interviewed someone connected to the story. For
example: Jerry Woods (the teacher), a parent of one of the kids rescued
from the fire, a law enforcement official, etc… Be sure to include AT
LEAST two quotes from your source (interviewee[s]).
f. Provide a picture that represents the events in the article. This picture
can be drawn, cut from a magazine, or printed from the computer.
3. Article #2: This article should focus on the Curtis brothers and their
situation at home. Follow guidelines provided above in a-f just as you did for
your lead article.
4. Editorial: Write an editorial conveying your opinion on an issue dealt with in
The Outsiders. When writing an editorial, you support a position on the issue
and back up that opinion with evidence such as statistics, case studies, etc…
a. Examples of issues dealt with in The Outsiders include but are not
limited to the following:
1. Young adults being given guardianship over a younger sibling due to the
death of his/her parents.
2. Child abuse
3. Gang violence
4. Teenage smoking and/or drinking
5. Bullying
Newspaper Book Report: The Outsiders
6. Stereotyping
7. Murder vs. Self-defense
b. In order to write an editorial, you must research the issue and provide
statistics, case study results, opinion polls, etc… to support your stance
on the issue.
5. Advice Column: Create an advice column similar to “Dear Abby” where
readers write letters explaining a problem/dilemma they are dealing with in
their lives.
a. Letter should be written from the main character to “Dear Abby”
explaining the main conflict in the story.
b. A second letter should be written from “Dear Abby” back to the main
character giving him advice on how he might solve his problem.
6. Fun Section: Create a fun section using words or phrases from the novel.
Examples are as follows:
a. Word Search
b. Crossword puzzle
c. Cryptoquip
7. Celebrity Article: Research the decade of the 60’s. Find a celebrity who was
at the height of his/her career during this decade. Write an article as
follows:
a. Include biographical information about this celebrity
b. Pretend the celebrity has heard about Ponyboy’s situation and has
decided to do something to help such as setting up a scholarship fund for
Ponyboy, finding good-paying jobs for Darry and Soda, etc…
c. Include a picture of the celebrity.
8. Advertisements: Create advertisements that would have been in newspapers
or magazines in the 1960’s. You should have at least five of them, and they
should be spread throughout the newspaper rather than side by side.
9. Final Product: Final product should be done on a piece of poster paper
folded into four ways with the articles and advertisements spread
throughout. Articles can be typed or neatly hand-written.
10. Grading: This project will be worth 200 points. For every day that it is
turned in past the due date, 20 points will be deducted from your grade.
Newspaper Book Report: The Outsiders