The Outsiders by S.E Hinton

               The Outsiders is a story of a group of boys from the wrong side of tracks and their personal and social struggles in the 1950s Tulsa, Oklahoma.  This is one of my favorite books to read with 6^th grade.  It is a story that is so relatable to kids at this age and older.  Ponyboy, the main character, and his friends become my students’ friends; that connection to the characters is what makes this story so successful with students.  The novel creates genuine excitement to read across all levels: low readers; high readers, GATE; non-GATE, and unmotivated; motivated.  This book will make a great addition to your class library.

            The kids bond with all the characters socially and emotionally because our students are experiencing both social and familial relationships in all its glory as well as all of its ugliness.  For example, Ponyboy and his brothers, who have been recently orphaned, treat their friends like family. This idea of loving people who you are not related to, and the concept of doing anything for them is so relevant not only to them at school, but they see it in their own homes.  I always use this example in class, “How many of you have an aunt of cousin that you are not blood related to, but they are considered family?”  A majority of their hands go up.  From the very beginning of the story, students relate to how the characters interact with important people in their lives. Furthermore, Ponyboy struggles with his own relationship with his older brother Darry, who has high expectations and a strong desire for Pony to be successful, but the lack of beginning able to talk about their feeling pushes them apart.  Again, students relate to this turmoil because they are going through it with their own families.  The relatability to the characters’ lives helps to build the love for this book.

A student's book report

            Social and emotional topics are very much a part of the plot of The Outsiders.  As teachers, we want to protect and shelter our students from the ugliness of this world, but sometimes it is necessary for them to face it.  The Outsiders is a great way to make real-life connections to social problems but in a safe way.  To clarify it is easier to talk about bullying or class discrimination when expressing it through characters in a book.  There is more honesty to discuss positive and negative behaviors when you are not talking about real people.  When I have discussions, with my students about these topics, we have meaningful and authentic conversations, maybe the impact is only in the moment, but I hope they can start to see actions can have serious effects.  The characters all experience loss in major ways, and it allows them to see what are healthy and unhealthy ways of dealing with loss and grief.  Our students look to us as trusted adults they can talk to about these types of topics. If they have one more responsible adult helping them navigate through growing up then it puts them in a better position.

Character Analysis Book Report

          Lastly, and only looking at the novel as a standards based teaching experience, Ponyboy’s narration of the story is filled with figurative language.  Figurative language at the sixth-grade level, we are looking at how it impacts a story’s plot and tone.  This allows me to expose them to allusion, so I get to share with them when an author references another piece of literature; there is a purpose, which often times leads to foreshadowing.  Another standard that is covered is comparing literature in different forms.  After reading the book, we watch the movie, and the students just love this.  I am always so pleased to hear them say, “The book was way better!” Music to the English teacher’s ears.  Once, I had a student notice the dialogue from movie was word for word from the book.  She had been watching the movie and referencing the book the entire time. As of last year, I started using TWITTER to communicate with authors.  I reached out to S.E Hinton, and she answered me!  She is allowing my students to ask 3 questions, and she will answer via her website.  Once more another awesome and memorable learning experience for my students to make a personal connection to the book.

          The Outsiders is such an amazing book!  Just because most students read it in 8^th grade or higher does not mean your sixth graders can’t; I find that they love it so much they don’t mind reading it a second or third time.  There are so many ways to differentiation this novel to fit the needs of your students.  Give it a try, and I promise your students will love it.            

    "Things were rough all over, but it was better that way.  That way you could tell the other guy was human too."  ` Ponyboy Curtis