The Outsiders
S. E. Hinton
LESSON PLAN
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Table of Contents
1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .How can you use audio in the classroom?
2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lesson Plan
4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Book Introduction
5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Warm Up Questions
6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Listen & Read Questions
7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Activity 1 - worksheet (What’s in a name?)
8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Activity 3 - worksheet (Character Analysis)
9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Activity 4 - worksheet 1 (Dialog Groupwork)
10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Activity 4 - worksheet 2 (Dialog Groupwork)
11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Activity 5 - handout (Writing Prompt)
12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .After Listening Questions
13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Comprehension Quiz
15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Answer Key
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How can you use audio in the classroom?
There are many ways to use recorded books in the classroom, but here are some of the most popular tried-and-true
methods for engaging your readers with audiobooks. Audiobooks support literature study and motivate kids to
enjoy literature, and they help develop reading skills such as comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary. Recorded
books can be used anytime by ESL students or others who struggle with print text, or who need help accessing the
book in order to keep up with the class. Using audio lets them take personal control of their study and repeat material as often as they like. Also try using audio for students who want or need to read more difficult books, but struggle with comprehension—recorded books can help bridge the gap. If you have another way to use audio in the
classroom, send us your ideas at educator@recordedbooks.com.
Small novel groups
Start one group listening while having a discussion with a second group, and a have third group work independently.
Switch groups once the first group is done with the required listening. The discussion group will work independently,
the listening group moves on to discuss what they’ve listened to, and the independent group listens together. Each
group then gets to listen and discuss the novel in three different ways, keeping things exciting and making sure all
learning needs are addressed. Students can use the Listen & Read section to keep on task during group or independent reading, and they can use these questions as discussion points as well.
Teacherled
Discussion
Small
Group
Listening
Independent
Activity
Whole class listening
As a class, listen to a few chapters by playing the recorded book out loud over a boombox. Students should follow
along with their copy of the print book. After listening, discuss what you’ve read as a class, and have students
complete a sort quiz to ensure that they’re on task (the After Listening questions in the guide are a good start). You
may want to alternate the audiobook with students reading with a partner, round robin reading, or teacher reading.
Students should always follow along in the book. Students get to listen to the modeled reading for a few days, then
get to practice the skills they’ve picked up on during partner reads or read alouds. This method also helps differentiate instruction.
Independent Reading
Let students check out audiobooks for independent reading during down-time, reinforcing what they’ve learned in
class. When students pick out what they want to read, they are more likely to enjoy reading and will become more
confident with assigned reading. You may chose to have students fill out worksheets or complete a creative thinking
exercise with the book for extra credit or as part of an assignment. Encourage students to expand into different
technologies by posting reviews of their independent reading titles online, starting an online book review blog, or
creating video book talks for an online video network.
For more ideas on how to use audio in the classroom, go to www.recordedbooks.com/school.
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Lesson Plan — The Outsiders
Start with the Warm Up Questions, then play the audiobook for students. We suggest playing a couple chapters a day for students, then stopping for discussion—either individually or in small groups (see “How can you use audio in the classroom?”
for more ideas). While listening, students should answer the Listen & Read questions to keep on task. These questions will
also lead to some class discussion after listening to each day’s segment. After listening to the whole book, or after each section,
students can complete the After Listening Questions or the multiple choice Comprehension Quiz. Activities outlined below
may be completed after listening to the entire audiobook, or after the sections suggested below. Refer to the CD or cassette
labels for chapter and track information, or bookmark relevant passages on your Playaway. To complete the lessons on the
book, use the Critical Thinking Questions section for in-depth analysis from the students.
Activity 1 - What’s in a name?
Students will think about how names affect how we think about people. This is a pre-reading activity.
1. Ask students what they think about the author’s name. What is this person like? Write the ideas on the board.
2. Share with students that the author is Susan Eloise Hinton. She used her initials when publishing the book. Ask students
why they think she did this. What actually happened is that her publisher suggested this so that male readers (and reviewers)
would not be turned off by a book written by a woman—Hinton decided to continue to use her initials for all her books as a
way to separate her public life from her private life.
3. Now have students fill out Activity 1 - worksheet. They will make predictions about some of the characters in the book
based on their names or nicknames. After reading, the class will revisit this worksheet to discuss how many of the characterizations they got right, and what this reveals about our perception of names.
Activity 2 - Gone with the Greasers
This is a class discussion activity. Students will learn about some of the literary allusions in the book and discuss why Hinton
chose to use them in The Outsiders. Complete this activity after reading chapter 5.
1. Print out the plot summary of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_with_the_wind#Plot_summary and the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” by Robert Frost—it
is available many places online, including http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_Gold_Can_Stay_%28poem%29.
2. First discuss Gone with the Wind. Ponyboy says that Johnny admired the Southern gentlemen in the book. What else might
Johnny and Ponyboy have in common with the characters in Gone with the Wind? What does it tell us about Ponyboy to
know that he wanted to read the book? What does it tell us about Johnny to know how interested in the book he is, and how
much he understands it despite his low grades in school? Direct the class to a discussion of the Southern gentlemen and
Johnny and Ponyboy as heroes and outsiders themselves, and discuss the effect of the Civil War as compared to the ongoing
rumbles between the Greasers and Socs.
3. Discuss “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” You may want to instruct students to take notes, as this will be revisited in Activity 5.
What does it tell us about Ponyboy that he remembered this poem? Remind the class that he remembered it because he didn’t
fully understand it. What does Johnny’s reaction to the poem tell us about him? What does the class think the poem means?
Is there any one meaning for the poem, or might it mean different things to different people?
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Lesson Plan — title
Activity 3 - Character Analysis
This activity should be completed after chapter 6. Students will revisit their predictions from Activity 1 - worksheet.
1. Have students fill out Activity 3 - worksheet. Knowing what they now know, they will pick 5 adjectives to describe each
character.
2. Looking back at Activity 1 - worksheet, discuss: were the students’ predictions correct? What does this show us about prejudging someone by their name? Connect this in class discussion to prejudging someone for being a greaser or Soc, prejudging someone because they dress like a greaser, etc.
Activity 4 - Dialog Groupwork
After reading chapter 7, students will discuss the impact of dialog on the book. Students should read this chapter silently
first. They will listen together afterwards in small groups.
1. Have students read chapter 7 in print to themselves. Then divide the class into small groups. Pass out Activity 4 - worksheet 1 to all students. This will lead them in group discussion. Students will discuss how they think certain phrases from the
book should be spoken. Where should the emphasis be placed? Why do they think this? Students can use the worksheet to
make notes about emphasis, mood, etc.
2. After the group discusses each phrase, they should listen to the audio version of chapter 7 together. Were their ideas right?
Do they think the narrator accurately conveyed the author’s idea in his reading? They should use Activity 4 - worksheet 2 to
answer these questions. You may want to have a whole-class discussion after the activity is complete.
Activity 5 - “Stay gold, Ponyboy.”
Revisiting part of Activity 2, students will think about Ponyboy and what he learned over the course of the novel. This activity should be completed at the end of the book.
1. Have students refer back to their copy of “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” Have a short class discussion that will lead to a student paper. What do they now think the poem means? Does Ponyboy fully understand it? Do they think it is true that “nothing gold can stay,” or will Ponyboy “stay gold” like Johnny tells him to? Has he already lost his chance to stay gold? Students
should explore these questions in an essay. Use Activity 5 - handout for a writing prompt.
More Activity Ideas:
Use these cross-curricular activities for individual assignments, collaborative work in pairs and groups,
or the entire class.
1. Creative Writing: Think about how the situation might look different if you were Bob’s friend Randy. He comes to visit
Ponyboy after his return from Windrixville. How do you feel about Johnny? How do you feel about the fighting? Write
a chapter from Randy’s perspective, as if you’ve just left from visiting Ponyboy after the fire.
2. Social Studies: Write 10 adjectives that describe a “clique,” then 10 adjectives that describe a “gang.” What do the two
groups have in common? How are they different? How do you feel about their place in schools? Write an explanatory essay.
3. Creative Writing: Write a chapter as if you are Bob’s friend Randy on the night of the big rumble. What do you do?
How do you feel about the situation? What did you know about Bob that others didn’t know, and how do you feel
about the greasers? What are your plans for after the rumble?
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The Outsiders
Book Introduction
The Outsiders
S. E. Hinton
Summary:
When a member of his gang kills one of the town’s social elite during a fight, Ponyboy, a dreamer from the wrong
side of town, realizes that things are rough all over. Now the two gangs want to fight in an all-out brawl, and
Ponyboy isn’t sure that anyone will really win the fight.
Themes:
Friendship, Responsibility, Maturity, Conflict
About the Author: S. E. Hinton
Susan Eloise Hinton wrote The Outsiders while she was attending Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The
book, with its realistic protrayal of teen life, revolutionized the genre of the young adult novel. She wrote her first
draft of The Outisders when she was fifteen, and the book was published when she was seventeen. It was a major success among teenagers, selling more than four million copies.
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The Outsiders
Warm Up Questions
Warm Up Questions:
Answer these questions to begin thinking about themes and ideas that will show up in the book.
1. Do you have friends whose social, ethnic, or economic backgrounds differ from yours? How do these conditions affect
your relationship?
2. To what extent does a person’s environment determine their success and happiness? Is it possible to overcome your environment? If so, how?
3. How is a gang like a social club? How is it like a family?
4. What do you think it takes to make someone a hero?
5. What is your definition of an “outsider?”
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The Outsiders
Listen & Read Questions
Listen & Read:
As you listen, answer these questions.
Chapters 1–3
Where do Ponyboy and his friends and family come from, socially?
Why are Ponyboy and Johnny embarrassed when Dally is rude to the Soc girls?
Chapters 4–6
Why is it important that the Soc that beat up Johnny originally is the same boy who Johnny kills?
Why is cutting their hair such a big deal to Johnny and Ponyboy?
Chapters 7–8
Why does Randy say that Bob really wanted someone to tell him “no” occasionally?
Why doesn’t Two-Bit understand Pony’s concerns about the fight?
Chapters 9–10
Will the greasers’ lives change now that they’ve defeated the Socs?
How does Dally die?
Chapters 11–12
Who does Ponyboy insist killed Bob?
How has Pony and Darry’s relationship affected Soda all along?
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The Outsiders
Activity 1 - worksheet
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Date: __________________________ Period:__________________________________
What’s in a name?
The Socs and the Greasers are two groups in The Outsiders. Below each group’s name, list 5 adjectives to describe what you
think this group looks and acts like. Then place each name listed below in one of the groups. Note in the group’s description
why you think these names fit in this group.
Darry • Sodapop • Cherry • Dally • Ponyboy • Johnny • Bob • Two-Bit • Randy
Adjecti
ve
s
Soc
s for Gr
easers
Grea
sers
ocs
S
s for
e
v
i
ct
e
Adj
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The Outsiders
Activity 3 - worksheet
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Date: __________________________ Period:__________________________________
Character Analysis
Pick 5 adjectives to describe each character mentioned below. Think about how this character looks, acts, and thinks, as well
as how others see him or her.
Darry
Ponyboy
Bob
Sodapop
Dally
Johnny
Cherry
Randy
Two-Bit
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The Outsiders
Activity 4 - worksheet 1
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Date: __________________________ Period:__________________________________
Dialog Groupwork
1. After re-reading chapter 7 to yourself. Make notes about how you feel the following phrases are spoken. Underline the
words you think are emphasized. In the After Reading column, note the mood of the person speaking, the speed the
phrase is spoken at, and anything else you think may matter. Are there context clues that give hints? See example below.
2. After completing your own notes, discuss what you wrote with your group. Does everyone agree? How does the phrase change
when different words are emphasized, or when it is said at a different speed? Read aloud the way you think it may be spoken.
Discuss how this affects the phrase’s meaning.
3. Now listen to the audio version of chapter 7 with your group. Circle the word or words emphasized and, in the After
Listening column, note mood, speed, etc. Also note who says the phrase. See example below.
After Reading
After Listening
“You wanted it straight and you got it straight. Now go home and rest.” the
Mood: mean, annoyed
Speed: fast
sad, sympathetic
medium/normal
doctor
“I would have never believed a greaser could pull something like that.”
“I’m sick of all this. Sick and tired.”
“I mean, most parents would be proud of a kid like that.”
“You can’t win, you know that, don’t you?”
“He ain’t a Soc, he’s just a guy.”
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The Outsiders
Activity 4 - worksheet 2
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Date: __________________________ Period:__________________________________
Dialog Groupwork
Based on your observations from Activity 2 - worksheet 1, answer the questions below.
1. Do you think the narrator accurately conveyed the author’s idea through his performance? Explain.
2. Pick one of the phrases from worksheet 1. How does the way the phrase was actually narrated change the meaning of the
phrase from what you thought it would be?
3. Pick one of the phrases from worksheet 1. Pretend that another character said this phrase, and note who you pick. Explain
how and why this new character would treat the phrase differently.
4. How can context clues help the reader figure out where emphasis should be placed and how certain phrases should be
read? Think not only about words like adjectives and adverbs, but also about tone and character.
5. Think about how you speak. Have you ever said something and had someone take it the wrong way? Explain why someone might say something in one way, even if they may not want it to be understood that way. Could this have happened in
the book? Explain and give examples.
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The Outsiders
Activity 5 - handout
“Stay gold, Ponyboy.”
Writing Prompt
Refer back to your copy of “Nothing Gold Can Stay” and any notes you took during class
discussion on the poem. Write an essay that answers the following questions.
1. What do you now think the poem means?
2. Does Ponyboy now fully understand the poem? Did Johnny fully understand it before his
death? What did Ponyboy and/or Johnny think the poem meant?
3. What did it mean when Johnny told Ponyboy to “stay gold?”
4. Do you think it is true that “nothing gold can stay,” or will Ponyboy stay gold like
Johnny told him to?
5. Has Ponyboy already lost his chance to stay gold? Explain why or why not.
6. What characters in the book are or were gold? Will they stay this way? Explain.
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Name: __________________________________________________________________
Date: __________________________ Period:__________________________________
The Outsiders
After Listening:
Chapters 1–3
1. What gang is the greasers’ main rival?
2. What does Johnny do after Dally teases the girls?
3. What do Cherry and Ponyboy decide is the main difference between Socs and greasers?
Chapters 4–6
1. Why are Socs Bob and Randy mad at Ponyboy and Johnny?
2. How do Johnny and Ponyboy disguise themselves?
3. Where are Johnny, Dally, and Pony when the church catches fire?
Chapters 7–8
1. What is Johnny’s condition in the hospital?
2. Who does Ponyboy talk to at the Tasty Freeze?
3. Why won’t Cherry visit Johnny in the hospital?
Chapters 9–10
1. Why does Dally run out?
2. How does Ponyboy get home from the hospital?
3. How long is Ponyboy unconscious?
Chapters 11–12
1. Who visits Ponyboy while he is sick?
2. What happens to Ponyboy at the hearing?
3. What does Ponyboy do to bring his English grade back up?
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The Outsiders
Critical Thinking Questions
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Date: __________________________ Period:__________________________________
Answer after listening to the entire book.
1. Making Judgments: Is Ponyboy like the rest of the members of his gang, the greasers? How are Ponyboy’s goals different from those of the rest of the gang? Should Ponyboy really be a Soc? Explain.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Interpreting Theme: What are the main conflicts of the story? How, if at all, are they resolved?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Making Predictions: Where will the members of the greasers be in five years? How will they have changed? How will
they have stayed the same? Even though high school will be long gone, will they still have a rivalry with the former
members of the Socs? Explain.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Making Judgments: Can the social barriers be broken down between the Socs and the greasers? Is there any reason to
hope that the two rival factions will ever get along? Why or why not? How would life be different if they did?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Identifying Point of View: How would this story have been different if it had been told by Cherry or Randy? Why?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
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The Outsiders
Comprehension Quiz
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Date: __________________________ Period:__________________________________
1. The greasers’ main rivals are
a. the Sharks.
b. the Socs.
c. the Grimers.
2. After Dally teases the girls, Johnny
a. talks to Cherry Valance.
b. walks away with him.
c. offers them a soda
3. Cherry and Ponyboy decide the main difference between Socs and Greasers is
a. hair styles.
b. Greasers feel too violently and Socs
don’t feel anything.
c. clothing.
4. Before the fight that kills Bob, Bob and
Randy want to
a. get dating tips.
b. wash Ponyboy’s hair.
c. start a rumble.
5. Johnny and Ponyboy change their looks by
a. acting like Socs.
b. cutting their hair.
c. wearing madras shirts.
6. Johnny, Dally and Pony
a. run in the church while it is on fire.
b. call the police to the church and leave.
c. set the church on fire.
7. Johnny’s condition at the hospital is
a. “out-patient.”
b. “guarded.”
c. “critical.”
9. Cherry won’t visit Johnny in the hospital
because she
a. is afraid of needles.
b. can’t look at the boy who killed her
boyfriend.
c. isn’t allowed in the critical care wing.
Answer column
1. ____________
2. ____________
10. Dally runs out because
a. he is afraid to fight.
b. he doesn’t want Johnny to die.
c. it is too hot in the room.
3. ____________
11. Ponyboy gets home from the hospital by
a. walking.
b. taking a ride from Cherry.
c. taking a ride from a stranger.
5. ____________
12. Ponyboy is unconscious
a. from Saturday night until Tuesday.
b. from drinking too much.
c. for a total of 6 hours.
4. ____________
6. ____________
7. ____________
8. ____________
9. ____________
13. While he is sick, Ponyboy is visited by
a. Randy
b. Cherry
c. Dally’s ghost
10.____________
11.____________
14. At the hearing, Ponyboy is
a. found guilty and sentenced.
b. acquitted and the case is closed.
c. detained for further questioning.
15. At the grocery store,
a. Ponyboy faces down three Socs.
b. Ponyboy gets beaten up.
c. Ponyboy finishes Gone With the Wind.
12.____________
13.____________
14.____________
15.____________
8. At the Tasty Freeze, Ponyboy talks to
a. Cherry.
b. Bob’s father.
c. Randy.
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The Outsiders
Answer Key
After Listening:
Chapters 1–3
1. the Socs (short for the Socials)
2. Johnny tells Dally to leave the girls alone.
3. The Socs don’t feel anything and the greasers feel too violently.
Chapters 4–6
1. They know Ponyboy and Johnny hung out with their girls.
2. They both cut their hair and Ponyboy bleaches his, too.
3. They are walking away from the church.
Chapters 7–8
1. He is in critical condition.
2. Randy
3. Cherry won’t go see Johnny because she can’t bear to see the person who killed Bob.
Chapters 9–10
1. Johnny dies.
2. A stranger gives him a ride.
3. Saturday night through Tuesday
Chapters 11–12
1. Randy
2. He is asked questions about how he likes living with Darry and Sodapop, and is acquitted of Bob’s murder. He is never
asked anything directly about Johnny or about Bob’s death, and is allowed to continue living with Darry and Sodapop.
3. He tells Johnny’s story in The Outsiders.
Comprehension Quiz:
1. A
2. A
3. B
4. B
5. B
6. A
7. C
8. C
9. B
10. B
11. C
12. A
13. A
14. B
15. C
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