Required activities:
____ 1. Read the book.
____ 2. Complete 10 of the 12 chapters for FINAL grade of unit (in lieu
of a final test).
____ 3. Participate in the class discussions about the book at the
beginning of class.
C Layer Activities: Choose 60 points
____ 1. Find 20 words throughout the book that are new to you.
Write out the words, a definition, a sentence, and a drawing or symbol
to help you remember the meaning of the word. Use the context of
the word from the book to help you. 10 points
____ 2. Read aloud a chapter with friends, each of you taking the
part of one of the characters. Present a page of it to the
class. 20 points
____ 3. Take the main components of a novel study such as
setting, theme, crisis etc. and discuss where each of these concepts is
shown in the book. 15 points
____ 4. Hinton, the author, gives detailed descriptions of each
of the characters in the book. Choose 3 characters and write 3
paragraphs or 3 poems about these characters.
15 points
____ 5. Draw a cartoon of one of your favorite scenes in the
book. 20 points
____ 6. Draw a poster that would appeal to your friends and would
make them want to read the book. For example, the poster could
resemble the back of the book, with pictures and a summary of the book.
20 points
____ 7. Write a newspaper story about Bob, after Chapter
4. 20 points
____ 8. Write a poem about family that reflects Ponyboy's
relationship to either Soda or Darry. 15 points
____ 9. On poster board, create a "graffiti" collage featuring the
slang words in the novel. Include actual meanings and current slang
equivalents. 10 points
____ 10. Write another chapter with a different ending to the
story. 30 points
B Layer Activities: Choose 20 Points
____ 1. Pick out 12 significant incidents in the book. Make a
timeline with the incidents and a two-sentence explanation of why they
are significant. On the timeline, put the positive incidents
towards the top of the paper and the negative incidents toward the
bottom. 10 points
____ 2. Do an interview with Cherry for a local radio
station. Include questions about the problems that exist
everywhere and how she feels torn between the Socs and the
Greasers. 10 points
____ 3. Make a list of 5 "groups" in this school that are similar to
the Socs and the Greasers. What would the strengths and
weaknesses be for each one? (List 5 strengths and 5 weaknesses for each
group). 10 points
____ 4. Design your idea of the perfect place, like Ponyboy talks
about. Include details about what you see, hear, smell, taste,
and touch there. You may include photos or illustrations. Compare
your perfect place to Pony's (at least 2 paragraphs).
10 points
____ 5. Design an award for each main character (choose 6
characters). Write a brief speech outlining why each character
qualified for that particular award. For example: Rebel of the Year
goes to Dally. 10 points
A Layer Activities: Choose 20 points
____ 1. Find two articles in a magazine or newspaper that you
think would explain a lesson that Ponyboy learned. Provide a
3-paragraph summary of each article, then in a paragraph explain its
link to the book, and another paragraph with your opinion as to whether
you agree or disagree (5 paragraphs total). 20
points
____ 2. Read another of S.E. Hinton's novels, and in chart
format, compare it to The Outsiders, focusing on the following literary
elements: plot, setting, characters, and theme.
20 points
____ 3. Find 3 articles on the Internet about gangs and its
risks. Summarize each article in at least 2 paragraphs and then in an
additional paragraph include if you agree with these articles.
Why? Why not? 20 points
____ 4. Research why juveniles commit serious crimes. Compare the
reasons you find with the causes or reasons you can infer from the
book. Use at least 3 sources. Write a one-page explanation
or prepare a 5-minute presentation for the class.