Lesson 15: The Outsiders, Narrative Writing, Part 2

Review elements of narrative writing through partner discussion.

Retell and Paraphrase Partner Check

Say these Directions: With a partner, take turns completing this sentence. Continue until each partner has offered at least two examples.

• Narrative writing can include _____.

  • a story; a plot; a conflict; a point of view; characters; sensory details; figurative language; inner thoughts; direct address; a unique voice; vivid word choice; dialogue.

Bring the class back together and elicit students’ ideas until several different elements of narrative writing have been shared.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: In narrative writing, you can use language in many ways to tell a story and convey ideas. It’s also important for narrative writing to be clear and easy to understand. Today you’ll look at how Hinton uses specific words and sentences to develop characters and point of view. You’ll learn more about how to craft strong sentences, with the goal of revising and editing a narrative nonfiction paragraph.

Guide students in combining sentences using Kernel Sentences to show relationships between ideas and improve clarity. Model examples, then support partner practice, including correcting misplaced modifiers.

Language Study

Combining Kernel Sentences

Say these Directions: Today, we will combine sentences. Read the kernel sentences and answer the questions.

Project these kernel sentences and read them aloud.

• Ponyboy was hiding. He felt nervous.

Model one way to combine the kernel sentences. 

• When Ponyboy was hiding, he felt nervous.

• Ask: Which word shows the connection between the two sentences?

  • when

• Ask: How does this word connect the sentences?

  • It shows that two things are happening at the same time.

Model another way to combine the kernel sentences.

• Ponyboy felt nervous; he was hiding.

Point out the semicolon. Explain that this punctuation mark is a way to connect two ideas that are closely related.

• Ask: Which connecting word could I use in place of the semicolon?

  • and

Project two more kernel sentences and read them aloud.

• Ponyboy read books. Books distracted him.

As needed, explain that distracted means “makes someone think or pay attention to something else.”

Point out the repeated word “books.”

• Ask: If I wanted to use a pronoun instead of saying books a second time, which pronoun could I use?

  • they

• Say: With a partner, practice combining the two new kernel sentences above, replacing books with a pronoun as needed. Write more than one new sentence, combining the sentences in different ways. You may change some of the words and their order as needed.

  • When Ponyboy read books, he was distracted; Ponyboy read books and they distracted him; Ponyboy read books to distract himself.

Bring the class back together and review how the ideas in each sentence are related. Allow students to share their work. Discuss how each new combination changes the meaning.

• Ask: How does the sentence show a cause-and-effect relationship?

Correcting Misplaced Modifiers

Present these two sentence combinations and read them aloud:

• While reading, books distracted Ponyboy.

• While reading, Ponyboy was distracted.

• Ask: One of these sentences is correct, and one is incorrect. Which one do you think is incorrect? Do you know why?

  • While reading, books distracted Ponyboy.

• Ask: Who is performing the action of reading in the sentences, Ponyboy or the books?

  • Ponyboy

Reread the first sentence. Explain that since the noun “books” comes right after the phrase “while reading,” the sentence implies that the phrase is describing the books, not describing the person reading them.

Reread the second sentence.

• Ask: Which noun does the phrase “while reading” describe in this sentence?

  • Ponyboy

• Say: When a phrase describes or gives more detail about a word in a sentence, it modifies the word. Another word for this description is a modifier. When modifiers are placed next to the wrong word, as they are in the first sentence, they are called misplaced modifiers.

Say these Directions: Read the sentence below. Then, work in pairs to rewrite the sentence correctly.

• Feeling nervous, the church was where Ponyboy hid.

  • Feeling nervous, Ponyboy hid in the church.

Allow students to share their work. Discuss sentence meaning as a class.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: As you reread a passage from The Outsiders, pay attention to how the author uses sentences and transition words to show relationships between ideas.

Part A: Review Examples of Craft Elements: The Outsiders, Chapter 3 (W.7.9.a) (10 minutes)

As a class, reread the paragraph from Chapter 3 beginning “In the country” (p. 48) where Ponyboy imagines country life and describes his parents. Have students take turns reading sentences aloud.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Think about your response to this question first, and then share and refine your answers with a partner.

• How does Ponyboy’s narration show that there was a “golden” time in his past? How does this passage help you understand what “gold” symbolizes in the text?

  • Ponyboy describes a time when his brothers were happier than they are now. For instance, he explains that Darry used to be different. He also chooses positive memories associated with his parents and calls his mother “golden.” These times are “golden” to him both because they are special and because they are short-lived. He knows he will never experience them again. For instance, he will never see his mother again because she passed away.

How Authors Connect Ideas and Pace a Scene

• Say: As we read, we will review clauses and how they are connected. We will also consider the pacing of the text and how it relates to how narratives are written.

  • Clause: A group of words that includes a subject and a verb; can appear once or multiple times in a sentence

  • Pacing: The speed at which a story is told

Draw students’ attention to a sentence in the “In the country . . .” passage that connects multiple clauses using commas and the word and. Have them reread the sentence.

Explain or review that a clause is a group of words that includes both a subject and a verb. A sentence can have a single clause or multiple clauses. Clarify this idea by pointing out or having students point out a single clause in the sentence.

• Ask: How are the clauses in this sentence related?

  • Each clause describes something Ponyboy wishes would happen if his parents were still alive.

• Ask: How are the clauses in this sentence connected to each other?

  • The clauses are connected with commas and the word and.

Explain that authors can use long sentences with multiple clauses to share several ideas that are related to each other. Then introduce the concept of pacing.

• Ask: What does the word pace mean?

  • the speed at which you move

• Ask: Based on this meaning, what do you think pacing is in narrative writing?

  • the speed at which a story moves

Explain that pacing describes the speed at which a story is told. Authors can use sentences, punctuation, and other elements to speed up or slow down a story, creating a rhythm that helps the narrative “flow.” This affects how quickly or slowly the reader moves through the story.

Point out a set of two or three sentences within the passage where the author follows a short sentence with a long sentence or vice versa.

• Ask: How does the length of sentences affect the pacing?

  • The reader can move quickly through the short sentences and more slowly through the long sentences.

Point out the final sentence of the paragraph (“My mother was golden and beautiful . . .”). Explain that the author makes this sentence short so the reader will focus on its ideas.

• Ask: How is this sentence important to the paragraph?

  • The sentence emphasizes how Ponyboy’s memories of his mother are special to him and how his time with her was “golden” or precious and temporary. It leaves a strong image in the reader’s mind.

Point out the ellipses in the passage and explain what they are called.

• Ask: Have you seen this punctuation before? These three dots are called ellipses. How does this choice of punctuation affect the pacing of the text?

  • It slows the pace down and draws out the passage.

Explain that authors can use ellipses to give the narrative more depth by creating dramatic pauses. As the reader pauses during the ellipses in this paragraph, they can imagine what the narrator is thinking and feeling.

Choose a set of ellipses in the passage.

• Ask: What could Ponyboy be thinking or feeling at this moment?

  • He could be imagining what his life would be like if his parents were still alive.

• Ask: How do these ellipses help readers focus on this moment?

  • They help readers slow down and think.

• Ask: Why do you think the author would want readers to focus on this moment?

  • The author wants readers to learn more about Ponyboy by imagining what his relationship with his parents was like.

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: Revise a Narrative Paragraph (W.7.3.c, W.7.3.d, W.7.5, L.7.1, L.7.3.a) (20 minutes)

Identifying Areas for Revision

Display the sample paragraph and explain that it is a draft of a narrative nonfiction paragraph about the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” Read the paragraph aloud.

Early in the day, the poem describes a gold dawn when everything is perfect. The poem describes how a pretty flower will disappear. It starts bright, like dawn. It fades to be darker. Feeling special, gold could stand for happiness. But flowers and leaves will disappear, the poet calls nature “her,” and the color green represents the natural world. Nature has a hard time holding on to happy things like dawn and flowers. The poem describes how nothing good lasts, even if you feel good now, you might feel grief later.

Then, guide students through revisions of the first four sentences.

Read the first sentence aloud.

• Ask: What is happening “early in the day”? Is the poem itself happening “early in the day”?

  • No, the gold dawn is happening.

• Say: This is a misplaced modifier. I’ll rewrite the sentence to say, “Early in the poem, everything is perfect in the gold dawn.” This sentence will set the scene.

Read the second sentence aloud.

• Ask: Which words in this sentence could be more vivid and precise? Which words could we use instead?

  • pretty: delicate, gorgeous, glowing

• Say: Let’s revise this sentence so it connects to the first sentence clearly by showing a time transition.

Model a revision. (Ex. Later, a glowing flower disappears.)

Read the third and fourth sentences aloud.

• Ask: What exactly are these sentences describing?

  • the day, the light in the day

• Ask: Do any words make these sentences confusing? How?

  • The word “it” is confusing because readers do not know what “it” is.

• Ask: Do these sentences express any new ideas that have not appeared earlier in the paragraph? Why do you think the author included these sentences?

  • Answers may vary; listen to students’ suggestions and guide them to understand that while the sentences include new images, they do not include new ideas. The author included these sentences to emphasize the ideas using new images.

Model and explain a revision, such as:

• Combining the sentences and using imagery to describe an idea in a new way (Ex. The shine of the dawn dims.)

• Deleting the sentences altogether to pace the paragraph more quickly

Say these Directions: Work with a partner to revise and rewrite the paragraph.

Consider these questions as you revise:

• Are the clauses or ideas in each sentence related to each other in a way that makes sense? If not, can any clauses be edited, added to another sentence, or deleted?

• Is each description, or modifier, clearly connected to the word(s) it describes? If not, how can you rewrite the sentence so the reader understands what is being described?

• Does the paragraph describe a logical sequence or order of events/ideas? If not, how can you put ideas in the right order for a clear beginning, middle, and end?

• Did you use transition words, phrases, or clauses to show sequence and signal shifts in time or setting?

• Where can you choose more vivid, precise words, such as to describe sensory details?

• Where can you change or omit words and details that are repetitive?

• Where can you change the punctuation to make transitions clearer?

Circulate as students revise, providing assistance as needed.

• Early in the poem, everything is perfect in the gold dawn. Later, a glowing flower disappears. The shine of the dawn dims. Gold stands for joy and satisfaction, but these feelings will disappear, like flowers and leaves do. Green represents the natural world, where signs of happiness are delicate and temporary. The poem uses images of nature to show how sunny moments in life can quickly give way to grief.

Lesson 15 Writing Rubric: Narrative Paragraph — Dialogue & Pacing

Writing prompt: Write a narrative paragraph that includes at least one exchange of dialogue and uses pacing techniques to slow down a key moment. Show how the characters speak and act in a way that reveals something about their relationship or identity.

Have students reflect on challenges in revision and identify areas for growth. Use responses to guide future instruction on writing skills.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Complete a quick written response to this prompt:

• Ask: Which part of revision is most challenging to you—combining and connecting ideas, correcting grammar and punctuation to improve sentences, or making stronger word choices? What do you want to understand about this part of revision?

  • I find it challenging to correct grammar and punctuation because there are many possible corrections I could make, and I don’t always know which corrections are the best ones. I want to understand more about what makes one grammar and punctuation choice better than another.

Optional Sentence Frame: “_____ is most challenging to me because ______. I want to understand ____.”

Have students finish reading and annotating Chapter 5, if they have not already done so, and use their annotations and notes to write a brief paragraph in their Journal that answers the question in the Lesson 14 homework prompt. Their paragraph should show clear connections between ideas.

• How does being in the church change the way Ponyboy and Johnny see themselves?