Lesson 5: The Outsiders, Chapter 1, Part 2

Have students take out The Outsiders with their annotations.

• Lesson 4 Homework: Students were instructed to complete a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting Ponyboy and another main character (Soda, Darry, or Dally), then reflect in writing about how Ponyboy compares himself to this character.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Look at the T-chart graphic organizer with columns labeled “Socs” and “Greasers.” We will add to this character chart in future lessons as more characters are introduced and developed.

Model writing an entry for Ponyboy in the Greasers column.

Name two or three adjectives that describe Ponyboy’s character, using character details from your homework assignment and/or the Lesson 4 discussion. Adjectives should describe the character’s personality, not their appearance (for example, smart, introverted, reckless).

Turn and talk with a partner to discuss this prompt:

• Ask: Think about the other characters that readers meet by name in Chapter 1. Choose two of these characters, identify their group (Socs or Greasers), and list two or three adjectives that describe each character’s personality. Try to think of different adjectives for each character. You can use adjectives from the text and think of some of your own.

  • Soda: cheerful, restless, kind; Darry: serious, determined, firm; Dally: wild, aggressive, fearless; Two-Bit: jokey, loud, amusing; Johnny: vulnerable, shy, meek; Steve: talented, proud, smart

If time allows, move into whole-class discussion, and fill in the character chart with major characters, having students share details from their partner discussions. Continue until each major character introduced in Chapter 1 has been listed and described. List minor characters (Sandy, Evie, Sylvia) without descriptive adjectives if students suggest them. (This work can also be assigned as additional homework or on Flex Days.)

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, you’ll closely read and annotate Chapter 1 to identify where characters find common ground, or something they both believe or do that leads to moments of connection. You’ll also identify and explore what divides characters and keeps them from understanding each other. Analyzing how the characters relate to one another at the beginning of the book will help you understand how they change and develop throughout the book.

Support students in developing fluency by reading and analyzing slang from the text. Model fluent reading, then guide students through echo and partner reading to practice pronunciation, use context clues, and build understanding of character language.

Fluency Practice

Display a relevant excerpt from chapter 1 of The Outsiders.

Say: Fluency includes understanding and interpreting unfamiliar words in a text, such as slang that is particular to a time and place. We will be practicing fluency by reading and analyzing examples of slang in the text.

• Ask: What examples of slang words did you notice when you were reading Chapter 1?

  • tuff, jump, broad, cooler, dig 

• Ask: Were you able to guess what the words meant? How?

Model Fluent Reading: Display and model reading the passage aloud, focusing on the pronunciation of the two words tough and tuff. Include a shade of difference between the -gh sound and the -ff sound.

• Ask: Does the passage look different from how it sounds when read aloud? How?

• Ask: Are the two words pronounced the same or differently?

• Ask: Can you think of any other words that are pronounced in the same way but have different spellings and meanings?

Class Echo Read: Reread the passage. This time, have students read aloud with you. 

• Ask: Did the words tough and tuff feel different to pronounce, or did they feel the same? How?

Say these Directions: Now that you are familiar with the slang word tuff, examine what it means in context. With your partner, take turns reading aloud the passage of dialogue toward the end of Chapter 1. As one partner finishes a few sentences, the other partner should provide feedback on what they heard and how they heard it (for example, if punctuation was followed for appropriate pauses). Then, discuss these questions:

Partner-Read: Students partner-read the text.

• Partner A reads. Partner B provides feedback.

• Partner B reads. Partner A provides feedback.

• What does Ponyboy mean when he responds, “Tuff enough” (p. 18), to Soda?

  • Ponyboy approves of Soda’s plan; he thinks it is a good plan and a cool idea.

• What context clues can help you determine the meaning of the word tuff in this passage?

  • Soda is describing plans that would make him happy; Ponyboy likes and admires Soda. This context lets me know that Ponyboy is probably complimenting Soda’s plan.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Understanding how the characters in The Outsiders speak, including the vocabulary they choose, will help you analyze their behavior and perspectives. As you annotate and answer text-dependent questions about character relationships, notice the words the characters choose to describe one another.

Part A: Analyze Character Relationships (RL.7.3) (10 minutes)

Move students into partnerships to continue annotating Chapter 1 for details about individual characters. As necessary, review the annotation process they engaged in during Lesson 4.

Provide students with sticky notes. (If possible, provide multiple colors of sticky notes, and ask students to use a different color for details about each character.)

Say these Directions: Annotate Ponyboy’s Chapter 1 descriptions of the other major characters (Soda, Darry, Two-Bit, Dally, Steve, Johnny), and look for text evidence to answer these questions:

• Who does Ponyboy feel close to, and why? What do they have in common?

• Who does Ponyboy not feel close to, and why not? What prevents them from connecting?

• Say: Ponyboy feels that Darry is “rough with [him] without meaning to be” (p. 6). This detail makes me think that Darry doesn’t always understand the effect his actions have on Ponyboy. It suggests that maybe Ponyboy doesn’t feel close to Darry. Ponyboy also feels that “Darry isn’t ever sorry for anything he does” (p. 6). I’ll mark this detail because it shows that Ponyboy is having difficulty understanding Darry, too. He might wonder why Darry behaves the way he does.

• Ask: As I read further, I learn that according to Ponyboy, Darry “doesn’t understand anything that is not plain hard fact. But he uses his head” (p. 7). How does this detail make him different from Ponyboy? How might it prevent them from connecting by finding common ground?

  • Ponyboy likes fictional stories in movies and books, and he doesn’t always “use his head” or think through his actions to avoid bad consequences. I think Darry might be frustrated and impatient with Ponyboy a lot of the time, and Ponyboy might feel that Darry doesn’t care about his interests.

Move students into partnerships to continue annotating character details about Darry and Soda, from the paragraph beginning “I sat down. . .” to the paragraph ending “. . . teased by Soda” (pp. 7–9).

Say these Directions: As you annotate, remember the definition of conflict in literature: the actions, relationships, or ideas that lead to a rise in dramatic action in a literary work. Consider this definition and use text evidence as you respond to the following questions:

• How does Ponyboy’s view of Darry affect the way Ponyboy acts around him? Why does Ponyboy act differently around Soda from how he does around Darry?

  • Ponyboy is afraid to cry or admit fear and anxiety to Darry. He feels that “you just don’t cry in front of Darry.” Ponyboy feels that Darry expects him to be tough and strong, even if he needs to hide what he is really feeling. Ponyboy is less afraid to be vulnerable in front of Soda. He notices that Soda is more understanding of other people—“he understands everybody.” And he feels closer to Soda, possibly because they are both sensitive and outwardly emotional in a way Darry is not.

• How are Darry and Soda affected differently by the neighborhood in which they live?

  • Darry had to grow up quickly after the boys’ parents died, and he seems to want to model strength, practicality, and toughness for the other kids in the neighborhood; he believes that these traits will prevent them from getting hurt. His experience in the neighborhood may also have contributed to how physically rough he is “without meaning to be.” Soda is more easily able to relax and enjoy himself and understand people in the neighborhood. Ponyboy mentions that, unlike other neighborhood kids, Soda doesn’t drink. This suggests that Soda may not let outside pressures influence him as much as Darry does.

Part B: Evaluate Character Connections (RL.7.3, RL.7.6) (20 minutes)

Keep students in pairs.

Say these Directions: Reread Chapter 1 and annotate character details about Dally, Steve, Two-Bit, and Johnny, as well as continuing to annotate details about Darry and Soda. As you annotate, focus on looking for text evidence that answers these questions:

• Who does Ponyboy feel close to, and why? What do they have in common?

• Who does Ponyboy not feel close to, and why not? What prevents them from connecting?

Have students refine their ideas through the Think-Pair-Share routine, answering questions to continue exploring how the text uses character relationships to develop ideas of connection and common ground.

Think-Pair-Share

Have students respond to questions about the text by (1) independently annotating the text and forming ideas, (2) sharing and refining their ideas through brief discussion with their partner, and (3) sharing their ideas with the whole class.

Say these Directions: Follow the Think-Pair-Share routine to discuss the answers to the questions below. First, independently annotate the text and form your own ideas. Then, join your partner and discuss your ideas. Listen carefully to your partner’s ideas. Before sharing a new idea, show you understand by repeating it in your own words or asking a question. Think about what your partner said and be open to improving your own ideas based on their input.

Have students independently respond to the prompt using text evidence, then refine their thinking through partner discussion. Use responses to assess understanding of character development and belonging.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: In the graphic organizer, write your response to the question in the left-hand column of the graphic organizer, then share and refine ideas with a partner, making notes in the right-hand column. Use specific evidence from the text in your response.

• Ask: Describe a moment in Chapter 1 when Ponyboy feels as if he does not belong. What does this moment reveal about how Ponyboy sees himself and/or how others see him?

  • When Darry lectures Ponyboy about not having common sense, I think Ponyboy feels isolated. He feels immature compared to the rest of the gang, like Darry’s “kid brother,” and he thinks Darry is harder on him than he is on anyone else. This moment feels as if Ponyboy is struggling to figure out his identity and his place in the group. He likes to be by himself, but he also wants to be respected and accepted by his friends as one of them, not just a kid tagging along.

Instruct students to read Chapter 2 of The Outsiders (pp. 19–36). Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

As you read, annotate the text for the following:

• How do two different characters have something in common, or have common ground?