The Outsiders: A Quest for Identity Unit Overview Michelle Gerrity – Secondary English PDS Intern Marilyn Jones – Mentor Teacher Ninth Grade English: CTI State College Area High School Dates of Unit: 1/24/11 – 3/2/11 Essential Questions: •
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Do social class and wealth affect happiness? How do cliques and gangs affect our worldview? What makes up a person’s identity? Can we choose our identities? As the characters grow up, how do their identities change? What makes a good friendship? What does it mean to be a friend to someone? What are the limitations of friendship? How do we resolve conflicts? What does our response to conflict teach us about ourselves? Why do some people resort to violence when confronted with a problem? Is violence ever an acceptable solution to a conflict? Texts and Materials: •
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The Outsiders novel – S. E. Hinton “Nothing Gold Can Stay” – Robert Frost Handouts, paper, and pencils Laptops Projector The Outsiders movie Concepts Addressed: •
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Students will be able to use conventions of standard written language. Students will be able to identify and/or analyze the author’s intended purpose of a text. Students will be able to summarize the key details and events of a fictional text, in part or as a whole. Students will be able to make inferences and/or draw conclusions based on analysis of a text. Students will be able to cite evidence from a text to support generalizations. Students will be able to analyze how literary form relates to and/or influences meaning of a text. Summative Assessments: •
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News Story Podcast: After reading the first half of the novel, students will choose a newsworthy event from The Outsiders and write a news story about it from the perspective of a TV or radio news anchor. They will then use Garage Band to create an audio Podcast by recording their stories and adding music and other special effects. Song Assignment: After reading the entirety of the novel, students will choose a song that reminds them of a theme in The Outsiders. In a 200-­‐word mini-­‐essay, they will then explain how this theme is present in both the novel and the song they chose, and how it relates to life today. Formative Assessments: •
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Character Profile Activity: After reading the first three chapters of The Outsiders, students work in groups to construct posters about a character in the novel. Journal Prompts: Throughout the reading of The Outsiders, students will use Google Docs to respond to journal prompts themes present in both the novel and their lives. Class Discussions: Students will participate in both small-­‐group and whole-­‐class discussions about the events, characters, and themes of The Outsiders several times throughout the unit. Reading Quizzes: For every 2-­‐3 chapters read of The Outsiders, students will complete quizzes that check for reading comprehension. Opportunities for Differentiation/Adaptation: •
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Use of technology (journals, Podcasts, song assignment) Flexible and changing groups (character profile activity, discussions) Opportunity for individual feedback (journals, discussions, quizzes) Relevance – bring relevance to student work through: o allowing students a choice their topic (song assignment) o including student experience in relation to essential questions (journals, discussions) o connecting prior knowledge to current learning (using the 1960s research projects as a foundation for setting of The Outsiders)