Lesson 19: The Outsiders, Narrative Writing, Part 3

For homework, students considered how different characters in The Outsiders are affected by economic class, which helped them think more deeply about the unit question of how belonging is shaped. Today, they step inside one character’s voice and plan a short narrative paragraph that shows how that character experiences an economic challenge.

Academic Talk Stems/Moves

Have students take out their homework response, novel, and annotations. Place students in pairs.

Say these Directions: Review your homework response and underline one detail from the novel that best supports your thinking. Then get ready to explain why that detail shows how class or money affects the character.

• Ask: Which character in The Outsiders is most strongly affected by an economic situation, and what text detail best shows that?

  • Johnny is strongly affected by his economic and home situation because he has very little safety or support. In the part where Ponyboy explains that Johnny is beaten at home and ignored by his parents, readers can see that Johnny’s lack of security affects how he sees himself and where he feels he belongs.

Connection to Today’s Learning:

• Say: The same text details you used in discussion will help you choose a scene, identify a character’s conflict, and plan a narrative paragraph written from that character’s point of view.

Sentence Combining

The purpose of this Language Study is to teach students how to tighten their writing so the important ideas stand out. Connect today’s concise work directly to narrative drafting by emphasizing that clear sentences help the reader follow the character’s thoughts and experiences.

Say these Directions: When writing gets wordy, readers have to work harder to find the important idea. Today, we are practicing a revision move called concision, which means using only the words we need to say something clearly. One way writers do that is by removing redundancy, which is when two words or phrases repeat the same idea. Then writers combine sentences so the meaning stays strong, but the writing becomes smoother.

Read the following sentences and determine what words you can remove to make the sentence more concise.

Teach: Model with Mentor Sentence Pair–Combining:

• I live together with my brothers.

• Both of my brothers work full-time jobs all day.

• Say: I notice that the words “together” and “with” are doing the same job, so I do not need both. In the second sentence, I already know there is more than one brother because the word “brothers” is plural. I will remove the word “both” since it is unnecessary. I also see that "full-time" already means "all day," so that phrase is repeated, too. Now, I want to keep the meaning, but make the writing smoother. I can replace “my brothers” with “they.” When I combine the ideas, I can write “I live with my brothers; they work full time.” That version is shorter and clearer, yet still conveys the same important information.

• Ask: Which word or phrase in the first sentence repeats an idea that is already there?

  • The word “together” repeats the idea already shown by “with,” so “together” can be removed.

• Ask: What is one way to revise the second sentence so it keeps the meaning but sounds less repetitive?

  • I can change “Both of my brothers work full-time jobs all day” to “They work full time.”

Teach: Mentor Sentence Pair–Reducing Redundancy:

• Say: When we combine kernel sentences, we are not just making longer sentences — we are practicing how to express ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy.

Wordy Mentor Sentence:

Ponyboy was a kid who was young and who was thoughtful and who was different from the other Greasers.

Concise Mentor Sentence:

Ponyboy was a young, thoughtful Greaser who stood apart from the others.

• Ask: What was eliminated from the first sentence to reach the second sentence?

  • The repeated “who was” construction was redundant and should be eliminated.

Say these Directions: With a partner, combine the sentences below into a single, clear, and concise sentence. You will need to remove any repetitive ideas or words and revise wording to combine the sentences.

• My four best friends are like members of my family, or like my brothers.

• We grew up together when we were kids.

  • My four best friends are like family to me because we grew up together.

Connection to Today’s Learning:

• Say: As you draft from a character’s perspective, you will want sentences that sound natural and focused, not crowded with repeated ideas.

Part A: Analyze Model Narrative Writing (W.7.3.a-e) (10 minutes)

Use this routine to make the invisible planning work visible. Students need to see not just what a finished narrative writing plan looks like, but how a writer decides what to put in the plan.

Have students open their book to Chapter 1, page 16 and direct them to read the paragraph beginning with “Darry didn’t deserve…” Students should have a highlighter and journal ready.

Modeled Writing

Say these Directions: We are going to look at one paragraph from Chapter 1 on page 16 in The Outsiders and answer questions about it. As we read, we are noticing what details a writer would notice if they were to write a new paragraph from a different character’s point of view.

• Ask: In the paragraph on page 16 beginning with “Darry didn’t deserve. . .”, whose life situation is being explained, and whose point of view tells it?

  • The paragraph explains Darry’s life situation, but Ponyboy’s point of view tells it because Ponyboy is the narrator describing Darry’s past and present responsibilities.

Explain that a strong narrative outline does not just list events. It identifies the narrator, the character’s goal, the conflict, and the effect of that conflict. Also explain that writers plan not only what happens, but how they will show it through pacing, reflection, and precise description.

• Ask: I want to build my outline from the paragraph, so first I ask: Who is speaking in this paragraph, and what are they sharing?

  • Ponyboy is explaining Darry’s lost opportunities.

• Ask: Next, I can identify the conflict. What challenges does Ponyboy share that Darren encountered?

  • Darry cannot follow his first plan because the family needs money and stability. He works hard and gives up personal freedom.

• Ask: Finally, I think about the effect: How does this struggle shape Darry now, and what reflective line or descriptive detail could help a new paragraph sound like a real voice instead of a list?

  • The effect is that Darry acts older and tougher because responsibility changed him. A reflective ending could show that he keeps going, even when the cost is high.

Connection to Today’s Learning:

• Say: Now that you have seen what a narrative paragraph looks like, you are ready to build one of your own before drafting.

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Part B: Plan and Draft Narrative Writing (W.7.3.a-e) (15 minutes)

Students now move from the shared model to supported independent planning. Keep the writing grounded in the novel while reminding students that their sentences should be original, not copied.

Have students choose a character other than Ponyboy and keep the novel, journal, and Student Edition open.

Plan Writing

Say these Directions: Choose a character whose economic situation, home life, or social class creates a challenge. Then choose one short passage or moment from the novel that gives you enough information to build a paragraph in that character’s voice.

• Say: It is important to engage and orient readers by establishing your context and point of view and to use narrative techniques and strong transitions to guide them through the narrative. Follow the planning checklist below to begin building your paragraph:

Guide students through these planning steps:

• Choose your character and moment.

• Written in first person or third person with a focus on the character’s perspective, with a clear context so the reader is aware of the situation.

• Consider what your chosen character can add that others might not. What does this character know or feel?

• Consider techniques, including transitions, that you could use as you develop your narrative. Are you writing in a cause-effect structure? A contrast structure? A chronological structure?

• Ask: Which character and moment are you choosing, and why is that moment strong enough for a narrative paragraph?

  • I am choosing Sodapop and the part where Ponyboy explains how much Soda loved Mickey Mouse. That moment is powerful because it shows what Soda wants, what he loses, and how money affects that loss.

• Ask: What point of view will you use, and why?

  • I will narrate as Soda in the first person. I want every sentence to sound as if he is speaking from within the experience.

• Ask: What does your character know or feel that others might not?

  • I am choosing Sodapop because his connection to Mickey Mouse gives me both a goal and a loss. The challenge I want to share is that I wanted to keep the horse, but we could not afford it.

• Ask: What techniques and transitions do you expect might be important in your narrative?

  • Before I draft, I plan these two craft moves on purpose: the transition At first, to start the memory, and the reflective line I learned that loving something does not mean you get to keep it. That helps me plan not just the events, but also the voice, pacing, and effect.

Teach: Narrative Outline

Say these Directions: Fill in the questions as an outline to plan your paragraph.

• Ask: Who is speaking in the paragraph?

  • Sodapop is speaking in the paragraph

• Ask: What challenges or conflicts does the character encounter?

  • Sodapop cannot keep Mickey Mouse because they do not have enough money.

• Ask: How does the challenge impact the character?

  • Sodapop is very sad and cries.

• Ask: What is one transition you will use, and what part of your paragraph will it help the reader follow?

  • I will use later to show when the problem becomes more serious. It helps the reader follow the order of events.

• Ask: What is one descriptive or reflective line you can add so your paragraph sounds like a narrative instead of a summary?

  • I can write “My hands stayed jammed in my pockets because I already knew I could not change what money had decided.” That line sounds reflective and shows emotion.

Teach: Narrative Draft

Say these Directions: Draft at least three to five sentences that begin to turn your outline into a paragraph in your character’s voice.

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Lesson 19 Writing Rubric: Narrative Paragraph — A Character's Voice

Writing prompt: Write a narrative paragraph from a character's point of view in The Outsiders. Establish the narrator's voice clearly, use specific details to develop the moment, and organize the paragraph with a clear beginning and middle.

Keep the oral review brief, then move students into a short written reflection so the close checks actual progress on both the writing and language objectives.

Students remain with a partner and keep their outline or draft open.

Retell and Paraphrase Partner Check

Say these Directions: With your partner, take turns discussing the answer to the question. Refer to your narrative outline as needed.

• Ask: What key elements are included in a narrative paragraph?

  • A description of the conflict the character faced was included in the narrative paragraph to help the reader understand the character more deeply.

Instruct students to answer the following prompt in their Journal:

• Which part of learning and writing about a character was easiest for you, and which part was most difficult? Explain how each part affected your draft.

  • Choosing the character was easiest because I already knew Soda’s loss of Mickey Mouse mattered to him. Writing the ending was hardest because I had to explain the effect on him without repeating the same idea, so I want to keep revising that part in the next lesson.