Lesson 16: The Outsiders, Chapter 5

Have students take out their copies of The Outsiders with their annotations.

Retell & Paraphrase Partner Check

Say these Directions: Take turns summarizing parts of Chapter 5 of The Outsiders while your listening partner checks for accuracy.

• Partner 1: Retell/paraphrase events from the beginning of Chapter 5 and ending with “We could take whatever was coming now” (p. 75).

  • Partner 1: Ponyboy worries about his friends, family, and future. Johnny buys supplies and tells Ponyboy they need to cut and bleach their hair to disguise themselves. Ponyboy is upset because he’s proud of his hair—it’s a greaser “trademark.” But he cuts and bleaches it to avoid being caught. Johnny cries thinking about the boy he killed, and Ponyboy cries out of stress and fear. Then they reassure each other that they will be okay.

• Partner 2: Retell/paraphrase events beginning with “The next four…” on page 75 and ending at the end of Chapter 5.

  • Partner 2: Ponyboy and Johnny read Gone with the Wind and discuss how the characters remind them of people in the gang, like Dally. They watch the sunrise. When Johnny wishes the sky would always look that pretty, Ponyboy remembers the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” After five days, Dally finds Ponyboy and Johnny and gives Ponyboy a letter from Sodapop. Dally tells them that back in Tulsa, the Socs and Greasers are attacking each other in “warfare” due to tension over Bob’s death and that Cherry is a spy for the greasers.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, you’ll use your knowledge of Chapter 5 to discuss how the isolated setting of the church affects Ponyboy’s and Johnny’s characters. You’ll analyze how the characters experience loneliness and fear, as well as how they find connection and empathy, and how their thoughts and actions connect to some of the book’s themes.

Guide students in using context clues and word relationships to determine meanings of sullenly and gallant. Facilitate partner discussion to deepen understanding of connotation and connect vocabulary to character behavior.

Context Clues in Action

Target Words: sullenly, gallant

Say these Directions: We’re learning about the words sullenly and gallant today. Let’s explore these words more deeply.

Display the Sentence: Display page 73 and direct students to read the sentence beginning with “I leaned back next to him…” and ending with “…I guess so.”

• “I leaned back next to him sullenly. ‘I guess so.’”

• Ask: What do you think sullenly means? How do you know?

  • I think sullenly means gloomy. I think this because Ponyboy was irritated.

Build Word Relationships: Present sullen next to sullenly.

• Ask: How are the words sullen and sullenly related?

  • Sullen is an adjective meaning “bad-tempered, unhappy, and irritated;” sullenly is the adverb, meaning “in a way that is” sullen.

• Say: With a partner, talk about what the vocabulary words make you think of. Explain how your ideas connect to the words.

• Ask: When you hear the word sullenly, what feelings come to mind? What actions do you think someone would do sullenly?

  • The word makes me think of disappointment and frustration. Actions someone could perform sullenly might be pouting, stomping away, or doing something they do not want to do but are forced to do.

• Ask: What words have similar meanings to sullen or sullenly?

  • Some words with similar meanings might be grumpy/grumpily, glum/glumly, moody/moodily, or sulky. These words all show someone is in a bad mood or unhappy with something.

• Ask: If sullen means “bad-tempered, unhappy, and irritated,” what would be its opposite?

  • The opposite of sullen might be cheerful, excited, glad, content, or good-tempered. These words all suggest that someone is acting happy and content.

Repeat with the word gallant.

Display the Sentence: Display page 76 and direct students to read the sentence beginning with “I bet they were cool ol’ guys…” and ending with “…They remind me of Dally.”

• “I had read the part about them riding into sure death because they were gallant.”

• Ask: What do you think gallant means? How do you know?

  • I think gallant means brave or heroic because the men rode into danger even though they knew they might die.

Determine/Review Meaning: Explain or review that gallant means “brave, noble, or heroic.”

Language Connection: Spanish cognates of gallant include galante, meaning “courteous and polite.” Sharing this word may help students understand the range of connotations that gallant can have.

• Say: With a partner, talk about what the vocabulary word makes you think of. Explain how your ideas connect to the word.

• Ask: When you hear the word gallant, what images come to mind?

  • I think of cowboys and heroes from romance novels, like the heroes in the book Ponyboy and Johnny were reading. I also think of knights since the word sounds like it describes heroes from long ago.

• Ask: How do you think being gallant might be different from being polite or from being bold?

  • Being polite does not always mean being brave; someone who is gallant would be both polite and brave. Being bold means you are strong and fearless, but it does not always mean you are heroic or good. Gallant seems to have a heroic connotation.

• Ask: If gallant means “brave, noble, and heroic,” what would be its opposite?

  • The opposite of gallant might be cowardly, rude, fearful, or dishonorable. These words all indicate that someone is not being brave or not acting in a noble way.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: In Chapter 5, you read about how Ponyboy responded sullenly after he cut his hair and how Johnny feels that Dally has gallant qualities. Both responses teach readers something about the characters. In this lesson, you’ll explore Ponyboy’s and Johnny’s thoughts, feelings, actions, and reactions in more detail to see what they can teach you about the book’s themes.

Part A: Discuss How Setting Impacts Character: The Outsiders, Chapter 5 (RL.7.3) (15 minutes)

Transition students into the Academic Talk Stems/Moves routine by having them take out and briefly review their homework assignment for Lesson 15: a paragraph responding to the prompt How does being in the church change the way Ponyboy and Johnny see themselves? Ask students to review their response and identify one statement or idea they want to share in the group discussion.

Academic Talk Stems/Moves

Provide cue cards with the following talk moves:

• Add On: I’d like to add to that . . ./I also think/feel that . . ./That reminds me of . . .

• Inquire: Why do you think that?/Why do you feel that way?/Can you give an example?/What if . . .

• Challenge: I agree because . . ./I disagree because . . ./In my opinion . . ./Could it also be that . . .

Say these Directions: Discuss your answer to this question:

• What happens to someone’s sense of belonging when they are isolated from the groups they belong to?

Give students a few moments to think about potential responses. Model a response that includes language from an Inquiry talk move.

• Say: I feel that when someone is isolated, they may consider who they are as an individual instead of who they are as a group member. I feel this way because people may act differently on their own than they do when they are in a group.

• Say: Use any of the provided talk moves to continue the discussion.

Model using Inquiry and Challenge talk moves, as needed, as students discuss.

• Ask: What happens to Ponyboy’s and Johnny’s sense of belonging when they are isolated from the gang?

  • Ponyboy and Johnny still feel they belong to the gang, but they feel less connected to other gang members and more connected to each other. The experience they are sharing and the stress they are under contributes to their feeling different from the rest of the group.

• Ask: How does being in the church change how Ponyboy and Johnny see themselves?

  • Ponyboy and Johnny begin to see themselves less as Greasers and more as individuals. They feel more comfortable crying, being vulnerable, and admitting they are scared. Without many others around, they do not feel pressure to act tough or to hide their feelings.

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: Connect Character Development to Theme (RL.7.2) (15 minutes)

Transition students into partnerships to continue engaging with Chapter 5.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Annotate the text in response to these questions, first by independently forming opinions and then by sharing and refining answers with a partner before whole-class discussion.

• Ask: Find a moment when Ponyboy and Johnny feel lonely, scared, or unsure. How do they show empathy for one another at this moment? How does this moment help build themes of belonging and community?

  • When Johnny blames himself for bringing Ponyboy to the cabin and tells Ponyboy to go home, he feels scared and guilty. He and Ponyboy show empathy for each other by allowing each other to cry, even though they are both bothered that the other one is so upset. This moment shows that when people feel belonging and community with others, they want to protect each other from harm and sadness even when they know they can’t.

• Ask: Think about how Ponyboy uses examples of heroes in books to compare and contrast Two-Bit, Darry, and Sodapop with Dally. Consider how Johnny feels about Dally. How do these examples show a difference between Ponyboy’s and Johnny’s points of view?

  • The examples show that Ponyboy’s point of view is shaped by the books he reads, where heroes often behave in “good” or admirable ways. He admires personality traits like humor, charm, or inner strength. Johnny’s point of view is less shaped by books and more shaped by real experiences. He admires people who can deal with real-life challenges and hardships, even if they don’t have humor or charm.

• Ask: How does the word sullenly help you understand Ponyboy’s changing sense of belonging and identity?

  • The word indicates that Ponyboy is irritated and unhappy because he has to disguise himself. It helps me understand that his appearance is important to his identity and his sense of belonging. He is sullen because he feels part of his identity has been taken away.

• Ask: How do the word gallant and the example Johnny gave of Dally acting gallantly help you understand Dally’s character?

  • The word gallant helps me understand that Dally demonstrates bravery and heroism by being loyal to the gang. The example Johnny gave shows that Dally is willing to face legal consequences to protect Two-Bit, which Johnny sees as an example of courage.

• Ask: Find one moment when Ponyboy and Johnny connect to one another, even in a small way. How does this moment help build themes of belonging and community?

  • Ponyboy and Johnny connect to each other when they watch the sunrise together and agree it is beautiful. This moment shows that people can develop a sense of belonging when they feel the same way about a shared experience.

• Ask: Think about the line with the word “Eden” in the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” (Recall that Eden is a place of perfect happiness). Based on what you know about Ponyboy, how do you think this line relates to Ponyboy’s life?

  • I think that to Ponyboy, the countryside represents “Eden,” or a place where he can be happy. In Chapter 3, he fantasized about a perfect life in the country. Now that he is really in the country, he is feeling grief and sadness. The line relates to his life because he wants to hold on to his fantasy, but he realizes it may never come true.

Have students write a brief response using text evidence to analyze character and belonging. Circulate to spot check annotations for evidence and analysis of key ideas.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Complete a Quick Write in response to the following prompt, using ideas from the Think-Pair-Share discussion.

• Ask: Identify a moment in Chapter 5 when Ponyboy or Johnny feels disconnected or uncertain about where they belong. How is this moment important to their character?

  • Optional Sentence Starter:

    • “When ____, Ponyboy/Johnny feels ________. This is important because _______.”

      • Ponyboy feels disconnected when he considers how he couldn’t tell any members of the gang, except Johnny, about his interests in nature and poetry. This moment helps develop tension between Ponyboy’s private thoughts about the world and his public loyalty to his group, which is important to his character depth.

As students complete the Quick Write, briefly perform an Annotation Spot Check for Chapters 4 and 5. Look for:

• Strong use of text evidence in response to specific prompts

• Notes that indicate analysis of story elements like theme and point of view

Instruct students to read or begin reading Chapter 6 of The Outsiders and to take notes in their Journal in response to the following prompt:

As you read, annotate the text for the following:

• How do Ponyboy’s and Johnny’s relationship and sense of belonging influence the choices they make?