It’s not too hard to connect his story to the transcendentalist movement. Asking him to write a “This I Believe” essay in the style of the PBS radio series, focusing in on one crucial belief with lots of specific, detailed anecdotes and examples to support the power of that belief, would be a great activity for an Outsiders unit. Ponyboy has a strong mind of his own, and his beliefs get clearer and clearer as the book progresses. Writing personal belief essays is a great activity with any class, but it also functions well as an activity for a literary character. You know how I feel about PBS’ “T his I Believe” curriculum (LOVE). Then ask them to go inside that character’s head, creating a page of sketchnotes that go deep with the relationships, crucial life events, dreams, and developments relating to that character. When you’re looking to get students thinking deeply about characters, consider an activity I call “The Open Mind.” Either assign students a character, or let them choose one they are most interested in. And don’t miss the free final project, integrating STEM + ELA, at the end of the post. Sprinkle these in between your discussions and you’ll be set for a fabulous unit. If you’re lucky enough to get to add it to your curriculum, it lends itself to SO MANY wonderful creative activities! Here are ten to make your unit planning easy peasy. And it’s quite the platform for discussing things that matter to our kids – the ways they define themselves, the raging social divisions going on around them, the complexities of being a teenager. Though the book is at a relatively easy reading level, it’s a great option for hooking kids who have defined themselves as non-readers. Probably because the book was actually written by a teenager dealing with truly difficult experiences. Don’t you agree? The novel, about a teenage boy who questions the divisions – social, political, economical – of the society he’s trapped in, is wildly engaging for students. The Outsiders is an ideal book for the ELA classroom.
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