Lesson 11: The Outsiders, Chapter 3, Part 2

Have students take out The Outsiders with their annotations.

• Lesson 10 Homework: Students were instructed to respond in writing to this reflection prompt: What is one way the Socs and Greasers are alike? Why do you think this similarity is important?

Display a blank Venn diagram on chart paper or a digital board and provide students with their own copies of the graphic organizer.

Collaborative Idea Board

Say these Directions: A Venn diagram compares/contrasts two things by writing similarities in the overlapping space and differences in the outer spaces.

Label the two circles “Socs” and “Greasers.”

Use your observations from Chapter 3 to compare and contrast the social classes.

Model using a sentence from Chapter 3 to identify a difference. Read page 37 beginning with “They liked the Beatles…” until “…that seemed the only difference to me.”

Review that the Beatles and Elvis were popular musicians during the 1960s. Remind students or have them volunteer that tuff means “cool, sharp” and is a compliment among the Greasers.

• Ask: Based on the context of this sentence, do you think that rank means cool or uncool? (uncool) Does the sentence show a way the two groups are alike or a way they are different? (different)

Write or paraphrase the details from the sentence in the Venn diagram’s Socs and Greasers circles.

Say these Directions: Review the following paragraph at the beginning of Chapter 3. Read page 38 beginning with “No,” Cherry said slowly…” until “…really gotten through to.” Identify one difference between the Socs and the Greasers. (Ex. Greasers are emotional, Socs are sophisticated.) With a partner, complete the diagram by adding at least one similarity from your homework and one more difference between the groups. Make sure to discuss your responses before adding them to the Venn diagram.

• Ask: What patterns do you notice?

Connection to Today’s Learning:

• Say: Today, you’ll use your knowledge of the two main social groups in the novel to analyze how and why the author describes their similarities and differences. You’ll consider how the author further develops the point of view and how she communicates themes, or big ideas.

Guide students in reviewing and connecting vocabulary to deepen analysis of characters and groups. Facilitate partner discussion to apply word relationships to the text using evidence and precise language.

Word Relationships

Say these Directions: We are reviewing words we have studied in past lessons. With your partner, define each of the words.

• Unfathomable: impossible to understand; incapable of being understood

• Incredulous: unable or unwilling to believe something

• Nonchalantly: in a calm, relaxed, casual way that shows you do not really care

• Aloofness: the state of being emotionally distant, unfriendly, and disconnected from what is going on around you

Say these Directions: Now, discuss the relationship between the words incredulous and unfathomable. Then, use them to complete the sentence. Finally, rewrite the sentence in your own words on the lines.

• If you are _______ about something, you may think it is _________.

  • If you are incredulous about something, you may think it is unfathomable; if you can’t believe something happened, you may find it impossible to understand.

Share Student Connections: Share the students’ responses in a whole group.

Say these Directions: Apply your understanding of the words to the text. 

• Consider Ponyboy’s perspective in The Outsiders. Is there anything that he finds unfathomable? How does he show that he is incredulous about it?

  • Ponyboy finds it unfathomable that Darry could care about him. He shows that he is incredulous about this idea when he tells Cherry that Darry can’t stand him.

Repeat the routine with nonchalantly and aloofness.

Say these Directions: With a partner, discuss the relationship between the words incredulous and unfathomable.

• What do the two words have in common?

  • Both words describe behavior that shows you do not really care about something or someone.

Share Student Connections: Share in a whole group the connections students made in pairs.

Say these Directions: Apply your understanding of the words to the text. Remember the related word forms of nonchalance and aloof.

• Which character in The Outsiders do you think acts the most nonchalantly? Which character do you think acts with the most aloofness? Why? (You can pick the same character for both words or choose two different characters.)

  • Two-Bit acts the most nonchalantly because he makes jokes and acts resigned to the fact that the Greasers don’t have the Socs’ advantages; he thinks this is just how it is. Bob acts the most aloof because he treats the Greasers in a cold, impersonal way.

Tell students that this vocabulary will be further analyzed in this lesson's text analysis work.

Allow students to share their work. Once sharing is complete, affirm the connection:

Connection to Today’s Learning:

• Say: Building relationships between words can help readers understand more about an author’s word choices. As you discuss story elements, notice how the vocabulary words can describe the different characters and groups, and think about why the author chose these words.

Transition the students into partnerships to engage with the text using their Venn diagrams and previous annotations.

Part A: Use Comparisons/Contrasts to Analyze Point of View (RL.7.6, L.7.6) (10 minutes)

Review that as characters develop and change, their perspectives change. The author may use characters’ points of view to challenge the reader’s perspective as well.

Say: As Ponyboy learns more about the Socs, the similarities and differences he notices challenge his ideas of what belonging and group identity mean. Does belonging really mean he is different and separate from everyone else outside of the group? Does his identity mean that his life will always be a certain way? These are questions the author wants readers to consider.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Use your Venn Diagrams and Chapter 3 annotations to respond to these questions. Use at least one of the words incredulous, unfathomable, nonchalantly, or aloofness in at least one of your responses.

• Ask: How do stereotypes contribute to the characters’ points of view?

  • The Socs are incredulous that their girlfriends are spending time with Greasers because they hold stereotypes about greasers being violent “bums.” Ponyboy is angry that the Socs seem to have everything; his stereotype of the Socs is that their lives are easy and that they don’t appreciate what they have.

• Ask: Based on Chapter 3, what key similarity between the Socs and Greasers changes how Ponyboy—and the reader—understands the two groups?

  • Ponyboy discovers that the Socs and Greasers both have a set of values that drive their behavior. They behave in certain ways to fit in with the norms of their group. For instance, Cherry pretends to act nonchalantly and to be “cool to the point of not feeling anything” when she is around her friends. Ponyboy tries to act tough, strong, and prepared to defend himself with violence so he can fit in with the other Greasers. This similarity helps Ponyboy and the reader understand that people in each group feel a different kind of pressure based on the norms of their community.

• Ask: On page 35, Cherry says, “Things are rough all over.” On page 43, Ponyboy reflects, “Things were rough all over, all right.” How is S.E. Hinton using this repetition of language to contrast these character’s perspectives?

  • Cherry used the same statement in Chapter 2 to describe how kids in rich neighborhoods had it rough despite their wealth. However, Ponyboy believes the Greasers are dealing with problems that are much more difficult than those of the Socs. He repeats “Things were rough all over” sarcastically, because unlike Cherry, he doesn’t really think that’s true.

Part B: Use Comparisons/Contrasts to Analyze Theme (RL.7.2) (20 minutes)

Keep students in pairs. Remind them that they discussed the theme in Lesson 7. Briefly review the definition of theme and why authors include themes.

Explain that they will use their annotations and Venn diagrams to analyze how the author develops themes. Review the words, phrases, and sentences related to the theme that students identified in Lesson 7, and provide these as an idea bank for students’ use.

Give One, Get One

Model connecting a similarity or difference to the novel’s themes.

• Say: One difference we noticed between the Socs and the Greasers is that, according to Cherry, Greasers are emotional, and Socs are sophisticated. Members of each group express themselves in a certain way. This difference helps develop themes of identity and belonging. It indicates that your self-expression and behavior can be influenced by the groups to which you belong.

Then choose a similarity from the class Venn diagram and ask students to volunteer a connected theme from the word bank.

• Ask: How does this similarity relate to [theme]? Record student responses.

Say these Directions: Rotate among pairs and give and get ideas from your annotations and Venn Diagrams, using these sentence frames:

• The text shows that the Socs and Greasers are [similar/different] because . . .

• This similarity/difference develops a theme of . . . by . . .

The text shows that the Socs and Greasers are similar because people in both groups may enjoy the same activities privately, like Ponyboy and Cherry watching the same sunset. This similarity develops a theme of connecting to others by showing how a shared experience can create a bond between two different people.

Give students time to think of an idea independently. Have them practice one rotation to share their ideas with a new partner. Provide cues to stop and start the first rotation. Then have students rotate several times and collect responses using the Give One, Get One graphic organizer.

Have students write a brief response using text evidence to connect group similarities to the theme. Use responses to assess understanding of theme development.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Write a response to the prompt using specific evidence from the text. Use your Venn Diagram for reference.

• Ask: Choose one similarity between the Socs and the Greasers and explain how it contributes to the development of a theme. Write two to three sentences.

The Socs and Greasers are similar because they both “take turns getting [our] names in the paper,” according to Cherry. This suggests that the groups both get in trouble because of the way they handle their emotions. It helps develop the theme of the pointlessness of violence that doesn’t help either group resolve their problems.

Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

• How does experiencing a major, scary or dangerous event with others change relationships? How do you think the shared experience builds bonds?