Introduction Activities to Teach The Outsiders

Teaching the Classic Young Adult Novel by S.E. Hinton

Apr 30, 2009

This classic tale of teenage loneliness and isolation resonates with both middle and high school students. Here are some ideas to introduce its themes.

Students are instantly intrigued with The Outsiders by S.E. Hintoon [Puffin, 1997] which touches on many timeless universals. While the story usually draws students in from the first few pages, you can heighten student interest by introducing in advance themes they will encounter. Here are some suggestions.

Provide Fun Facts about the Author

Though it’s easy to pile on too much background information about an author before students begin reading a novel, a few fun facts about the author or the story is a simple way to garner student interest. Some fun facts about the author include the following:

Assign an Introduction Quickwrite

Before students begin reading, instruct students to complete the following “Quickwrite.” A quickwrite is basically a freewriting exercise which is intended to generate ideas. It is usually not graded. If it is, a completion grade should be assigned to it rather than one that holds students accountable for organization, structure and proper conventions.

Think about the ways people are separated from one another into different groups. Write a paragraph or two considering the following:

Encourage Students to Make Predictions

When preparing students to read a novel, you can ask students to make a prediction about potential themes, characters or plots. Students find it entertaining to see whose predictions are fulfilled when they read the novel. Here’s an example of a prediction prompt you can offer to your students once they complete the above quickwrite.

Now write another paragraph predicting what this novel will be about. If you have already read this novel, write a brief summary of how the title applies to the story .

Review Literary Elements

The following literary elements are skillfully applied in the novel. Be sure your students are comfortable defining these terms as well as identifying simple examples of them in text.

Here’s an activity involving one of these literary elements that you can assign to students at the beginning of the novel and instruct them to complete as they read. Notice that the term is defined and an example is provided in the beginning of the assignment.

Direct Characterization: when the author directly tells the readers about the character, such as what they look like or specific details about their personalities.

Create a list of ten main characters in The Outsiders and find a quote in the book that gives an example of direct characterization for each of the 10 characters. Copy down next to the character's name each quote that examplifies direct characterization. Be sure to put quotation marks around the quote and the page number of the quote in parentheses at the end of the sentence.

Example of Direct Characterization of Darry: “Darry isn’t ever sorry for anything he does. It seems funny to me that he should look just exactly like my father and act exactly the opposite from him” (Hinton 9).

Of course, this is just the beginning. This is the kind of novel for which you can easily create learning activities around the needs of your students. Plan ahead and be creative. Encourage students to see beyond the text and be prepared to discuss their impressions of the characters and their motivations.

By providing fun facts, assigning quickwrites that encourage students to delve into the themes explored in the novel and helping students apply literary elements, you will prepare students for an enriching reading experience.

The copyright of the article Introduction Activities to Teach The Outsiders in Lesson Plans & Materials is owned by Thadra Petkus. Permission to republish Introduction Activities to Teach The Outsiders in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.