Response to Literature – The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton
Delve into the themes of The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, by writing a solid theme paragraph. This
will provide you with the opportunity to focus on a theme of your choice and then explore it in
depth by locating and describing supporting evidence found in the novel.
Learning Objective: Students will write a paragraph controlled by a central theme which they
select from The Outsiders.
Theme: Theme is the main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work. A theme may be
stated or implied. Theme differs from the subject or topic of a literary work in that it involves a
statement or opinion about the topic. Not every literary work has a theme. Themes may be major
or minor. A major theme is an idea the author returns to time and again. It becomes one of the
most important ideas in the story. Minor themes are ideas that may appear from time to time.
Four ways in which an author can express themes are as follows:
1. Themes are expressed and emphasized by the way the author makes us feel. By sharing
feelings of the main character you also share the ideas that go through his mind.
2. Themes are presented in thoughts and conversations. Authors put words in their character’s
mouths only for good reasons. One of these reasons is to develop a story’s themes. The things a
person says are often on their mind. Look for thoughts that are repeated throughout the story.
3. Themes are suggested through the characters. The main character usually illustrates the most
important theme of the story. A good way to get at this theme is to ask yourself the question,
what does the main character learn in the course of the story?
4. The actions or events in the story are used to suggest theme. People naturally express ideas
and feelings through their actions. One thing authors think about is what an action will "say". In
other words, how will the action express an idea or theme?
Choose a theme and find two or three scenes or events from the novel that provide support for it.
After two or three events are selected, it’s time to write your paragraph. You must include a
minimum of one quote to support your ideas. These quotes should be sited using MLA style (see
example below).
MLA
According to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Paper (Seventh Edition), citations for short book quotes
include the author's last name and page number in parenthesis. For example, "proper use of beta blockers prevents
heart attacks" (Smith 244).
Works Cited
The entry on the Works Cited, the list of references at the end of the paper, gives the author, title and publication
information. Begin with the author, last name first. After a period, type the title of the book, italicized. State the city
of publication followed by a colon. After that, place the name of the publisher, a comma and the year of publication.
Write "Print" (without the quotation marks) at the end of the entry followed by a period to indicate the publication
medium. For e-books, write "Web" instead followed by the date you accessed the site.
Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Viking Press, 1967. Print.
Parts of a paragraph:
topic sentence: one sentence that tells what the paragraph is about
body: supporting sentences
conclusion: wraps up paragraph and leaves reader with something to think about
Write A Theme Paragraph:
Step 1: A starter topic sentence example is as follows:
In the novel________________ by _________________ the theme is _________________.
This is a simple yet clear topic sentence.
Step 2: Write the body of the paragraph. Write three big supporting details from the novel that
shows the theme.
Step 3: Write a conclusion sentence. The beginning writer can restate the topic sentence. For the
more sophisticated writer, wrap up the conclusion and leave the reader with an interesting idea
about the theme to think about after reading the paragraph.
Step 4: Take the above information and write the paragraph. Transitional words can be used so
the paragraph flows well.
Step 5: Edit for writing conventions and then peer edit the paragraphs.
Step 6: Write a final copy of the paragraph.
This paragraph should be organized, full of supporting details and include a quote from the book.
Please remember to cite your quote(s) inside your paragraph. Include a Works Cited page after
your good copy.
Step 7: Include a title page with the following format:
Response to Literature on:
The Outsiders
Written by: S. E. Hinton
Your Name
Grade 8__ Language Arts
Ms. Keefe
Date Submitted
Step 8: Include a Works Cited page after your good copy with the following format:
Works Cited
Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New
York: Viking Press, 1967. Print.
Theme Paragraph – Editing Checklist
Editor: __________________________
Name: _______________
Needs
Few Times
Improvement
CONTENT – ideas
Most Times
Consistently
All ideas relate to the novel
All ideas stick to the theme’s topic
Ideas are logically presented
STRUCTURE – organization of ideas
Paragraph is indented
Strong topic sentence
Layering of facts and details
Each sentence makes sense
Transition words are used when
necessary/Natural flow of ideas
Conclusion sentence is present
MECHANICS – rules of the written language
Correct spelling
Correct punctuation
Correct capitalization
Correct grammar
Correct sentence structure
Writing and Other Ways of Representing Outcomes
SCO 9.1continue to develop writing forms previously introduced and expand this range to produce, for example, autobiographies, drama,
surveys, graphs, literary responses, biographies, illustrations, and reviews
SCO 9.4 keep the reader and purpose for writing in mind when choosing content, writing style, tone of voice, language choice, and text
organization
SCO 10.1 build and rely upon a broad knowledge base of how words are spelled and formed; use such knowledge to spell unfamiliar words and
expand vocabulary; regularly use resource texts to verify spelling; use punctuation and grammatical structures capably and accurately; use a
variety of sentence patterns, vocabulary choices, and paragraphing with flexibility and creativity to engage readers
SCO 10.2 choose, with increasing regularity, the prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, and presentation strategies to aid in
producing various texts
Teacher’s Rubric: This is the rubric I will use to assess your work and the areas to work on will be
highlighted.
Demonstrates…
Content (produced a literary response by writing a paragraph controlled
by a central theme selected from The Outsiders.9.1)
Structure (paragraphs are indented, strong topic sentence, layering of
facts and details, makes sense, conclusion sentence present 9.4)
Mechanics (editor’s check – 1 person; correct spelling, punctuation,
capitalization, grammar, sentence structure, begins paragraph in the
appropriate place, 10.1)
Organization (completed all parts of the writing
process and assignment-title page, good copy,
works cited page, rough draft, editor’s check
and rubric 10.2)
1-Limited
understanding
2-Developing
understanding
3-Proficient
understanding
4-In depth
understanding