The Outsiders

By S.E. Hinton

“You take up for your buddies, no matter

what they do. When you’re a gang, you stick up for the
members.”

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS/GRADE 8

2012-2013

Name __________________________
Mrs. Voss

Page 1 of 39
 Sentence Stems for Student Generated
Questions
Excellent readers generate excellent questions as they read.
This ensures that they comprehend the text, think critically
about it, and are able to participate in an intelligent
discussion with others. Use these sentence stems to help
you generate questions as you read each chapter. Avoid
developing questions that have “yes” or “no” answers. The
best questions are ones that may not have a definite answer,
but rather begin discussion.

 Who is…

 How did…

 How would…

 What if…

 Why did…

 When did…

 What would happen if…

 Do you think…

 If I were…

 Compare…

 Contrast…

 Predict…

 Identify…

 Examine…

 What is your opinion…

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  What can you infer…

Reading Guide Questions – Chapter 1

1. What conflicts are introduced in this chapter? Explain

who is involved and what the conflicts are about.

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2. Student Generated Question:

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Words of Wisdom – Chapter 1

Directions: While reading The Outsiders, keep track of the

quotes that you think are thought provoking or significant to
teens today. Use the space below to record a quotation that
you find significant. Be sure to include the page number for
the class to refer to. Then, explain why you chose this
quote to record. We will use these to decorate our back
bulletin board throughout the unit.

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 “_______________________________________________
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Pg. # _______

I chose to record this quote because

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Chapter 2 Activity - Comparing the Socs

and Greasers
Directions: Write a brief description for each of the “gangs” provided in the chart
below according to the categories listed.

Greasers Socs

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Turf (Where they live and hang out) Turf (Where they live and hang out)

Social Class (rich, middle class, or poor) Social Class (rich, middle class, or poor)

Clothing Clothing

Hairstyle Hairstyle

Cars Cars

Behavior Behavior

Attitude Attitude

Reading Guide Questions – Chapter 2

1. What literary technique does S.E. Hinton use to explain

what happened to Johnny? Why does she do this?

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2. What does Cherry tell Ponyboy in defense of the Socs?

Why can’t Ponyboy accept her opinion of the Socs?

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3. Student Generated Question

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Words of Wisdom – Chapter 2

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Pg. # _______

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I chose to record this quote because
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Reading Guide Questions – Chapter 3

1. According to Cherry, what makes the Socs different from the

greasers?

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2. How does Chapter 3 create suspense regarding the two

conflicts introduced in Chapter 1?

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3. Student Generated Question

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Words of Wisdom – Chapter 3

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Pg. # _______

I chose to record this quote because

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Chapter 3 Activity - Teen Issues: Then &

Now

Directions: In the left column, write down the issues that

you think most effect teens today. In the right column, write
down the issues that the characters in the novel face.

Teen Issues Today

Teen Issues in the 1960s

Page 8 of 39
 Reading Guide Questions – Chapter 4

1. How does Hinton tie the two conflicts in the book together in
Chapter 4?

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____________________________________________________
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2. Do you think that the boys’ decision to run away was a smart
one? Why or why not?

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3. Student Generated Question

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Words of Wisdom – Chapter 4

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Pg. # _______

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I chose to record this quote because
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Chapter 4 Activity – Murder or Self-

Defense?

Self-Defense or Murder? Oklahoma Case Sparks

Debate

By CLAYTON SANDELL (@Clayton_Sandell) ,

SABRINA PARISE and KATIE KINDELAN
May 30, 2011

A story of crime and punishment that is dividing an

Oklahoma community has now entered the online world,
raising questions about what is self-defense and first-degree
murder.

The debate stems from the life sentence an Oklahoma City,

Okla., jury handed down to pharmacist Jerome Ersland on
May 26 for a first-degree murder conviction in the killing of
16 year-old Antwun Parker.

Ersland's attorneys told jurors throughout the murder trial

that their client had acted in self-defense when he shot
Parker six times during an attempted robbery at his
Oklahoma City pharmacy. Prosecutors, meanwhile, argued
Ersland went too far.

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"This defendant was absolutely not defending himself or
anyone else," Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Chance
told jurors during closing arguments Thursday.

Defense attorney Irven Box asked jurors to close their eyes

and imagine what they would do in the same situation.

"He eliminated the armed robber," Box said.

After 3.5 hours of deliberation, the jury — eight women and

four men — recommended a life sentence.

Self-Defense, or Murder?

In the days since the verdict, an outpouring of support

erupted in Ersland's hometown of Oklahoma City, with calls
for Oklahamo Gov. Mary Fallin to commute the local man's
sentence.

"I'm gonna spend the rest of my career, however long it may

be, trying to right this wrong," one prominent supporter,
Oklahoma State Sen. Ralph Shortey (R), told ABC News.

Ersland, 59, had been hailed as a hero for protecting two co-
workers during the May 19, 2009, robbery attempt at the
Reliable Discount Pharmacy in south Oklahoma City.

Dramatic surveillance video of the attempted burglary

shows Parker and an accomplice running into the pharmacy
in the crime-ridden neighborhood and pointing a gun
directly at Ersland.

The video then shows Ersland, a former Air Force lieutenant

colonel, firing a pistol at the two men, hitting Parker with
one shot that knocked him to the ground.

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After chasing Parker's accomplice out of the store, Ersland
retrieved a second gun and returned to shoot Parker five
more times, 46 seconds after firing the first shot.

Ersland's lawyer told ABC News that the pharmacist saw

Parker moving and thought he was still alive, and still a
threat."

Now the debate over his sentencing has taken to Facebook,

with pages both for and against Ersland's punishment, and
Twitter, where posts and tweets have been just as divided.

One Facebook page supporting Ersland has more than 2,000

followers, while other groups say his punishment is
deserved. Facebook pages such as "Free Jerome Ersland"
and "Pardon for Jerome Ersland" have also sparked petition
sites with goals of sending more than 5,000 signatures to
Gov. Fallin.

But any action by the governor on the case will not be soon.

First, Ersland must go before the judge in the case,

Oklahoma County District Judge Ray Elliott, on July 11, for
sentencing.

The judge could suspend part or all of the life term. If he

chooses to uphold the jury's full suggestion, Ersland will not
be eligible for parole for another 38 years and three months.

Jurors had the option of finding Ersland guilty of first-

degree manslaughter instead of murder, or of acquitting
him.

Ersland's attorneys have vowed to appeal the murder

conviction of their client, and have also asked that the
formal sentencing be rescheduled for as soon as possible.

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Directions: Use the space below to record the details
from the case that would qualify the act as either
murder or self-defense.

Murder Self-Defense

Reading Guide Questions – Chapter 5

1. Describe the conditions in which Johnny and Ponyboy are

living.

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____________________________________________________
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3. Student Generated Question

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Words of Wisdom – Chapter 5

“____________________________________________________
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I chose to record this quote because

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 Chapter 5 Activity - “Nothing Gold Can
Stay” by Robert Frost
Poetry Analysis

Vocabulary Words:

Hue: color

Subside: to sink or fall downward to a lower level

Eden: the garden of God and first home of Adam and Eve; a delightful place; a paradise

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief.
So dawn goes down to day,
Nothing gold can stay.

1. Read the poem. Explain what each couplet1 is saying.

Couplet 1 says:
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Couplet – a pair of rhymed lines
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 _____________________________________________
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Couplet 2 says:
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Couplet 3 says:
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Couplet 4 says:
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2. Explain briefly and in your own words, what the poem
means.
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3. What images does Robert Frost use in the poem? What

do they have in common?
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4. Why do you think Hinton chose to include this poem in

Chapter 5?
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5. Do you agree with the theme of the poem? Why or why

not?
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Reading Guide Questions – Chapter 6

1. Why do Johnny and Ponyboy feel compelled to risk their lives

by running into the church?

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2. What discovery does Pony make about Darry when his

brothers arrive at the hospital? Why has Darry been so strict with
Ponyboy?

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3. Student Generated Question #1

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Words of Wisdom
“____________________________________________________
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I chose to record this quote because

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Reading Guide Questions – Chapter 7

1. Explain the significance of the conversation between Ponyboy

and Randy?

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____________________________________________________
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2. Student Generated Question

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Words of Wisdom
“____________________________________________________
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I chose to record this quote because

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Page 21 of 39
 Chapter 7 Activity – Poetry Analysis
“Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington
Robinson
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean-favoured and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,

And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
"Good Morning!" and he glittered when he
walked.

And he was rich, yes, richer than a king,

And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine -- we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked and waited for the light,

And went without the meat and cursed the
bread,
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet in his head.

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 Reading Guide Questions – Chapter 8

1. What do you think of Cherry Valance? Why?

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2. Student Generated Question #1

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Words of Wisdom
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I chose to record this quote because
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Reading Guide Questions – Chapter 9

1. What does Johnny tell Ponyboy just before he dies? What is

the significance of these last words?

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2. Student Generated Question

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________________________________________________
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Words of Wisdom

“____________________________________________________
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I chose to record this quote because

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Chapter 9 Activity – Advice for the Future

“Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”

By Baz Luhrmann

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Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of 99...

Wear Sunscreen

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen
would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been
proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no
basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I
will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind;

you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth
until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look
back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t
grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how
fabulous you really looked. You’re not as fat as you
imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that

worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra
equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your
life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried
mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle
Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other peoples hearts, don’t put up

with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re

ahead, sometimes you’re behind the race is long, and in the
end, its only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults;

if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

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Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank
statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do

with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t
know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of
the most interesting 40 year olds know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have

children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40,
maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th
wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate
yourself too much or berate yourself either. Your choices
are half chance, so are everybody elses. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what
other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll
ever own..

Dance even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own

living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you

feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be

gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past
and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious
few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in
geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more

Page 27 of 39
you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you
hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it
makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians

will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll
fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable,
politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a

trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never
know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time its 40, it
will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those

who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is
a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off,
painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than
its worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen...

And Now…Your Final Writing

Assignment for 8th Grade…!!!

Consider all that you have learned about life

over the past three years. Record a list of all
of the advice that you would like to pass
down to incoming 6th grade students. This
Page 28 of 39
advice can range from lessons that you have
learned as far as schoolwork, relationships
with others, or just life in general. Be sure to
type your advice. Refer to the best advice I
took from last year’s 8th grade class provided
on the next two pages for ideas.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the EIMS Class of

2012,
Life goes by so fast, so don’t rush it.

Life isn’t always fair. Get over it.

Less is ALWAYS more. Period.

Embrace yourself in every way possible.

You never learn a lesson if you don’t learn it the hard way.

Trust your gut. If you have a feeling inside, whether it’s good or
bad, trust it.

Having good friends that you can trust is better than having a lot
of friends that aren’t trustworthy.

Take too many pictures, laugh too much, forgive freely, and love
like you’ve never been hurt.

Remember, “Things are rough all over.”

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Make the most of every opportunity that comes your way. You
may find that you really enjoy something which could open up a
whole new world to you.

Things get tough, but remember, through every dark night there’s
always a bright day ahead.

Don’t try to be someone you’re really not.

Your real friends are the ones who like you for who you truly are.

Work hard. Nothing in life will be handed to you.

Be proud of who you are and never change.

Be humble.

Don’t do anything you wouldn’t want your mom to see you do.

Enjoy your childhood while you can.

Don’t cry over the little things or the things that are in the future
unless they’re set in stone.

Friendship isn’t about who came first and who you’ve known the
longest. It’s about who came and never left.

Don’t feed into other people’s drama.

Create your own rules. Innovators, the people who define our
generations and improve on what we have, are the few who have
made their own rules.

Do everything when you can and do nothing when you can’t.

Work hard and don’t give up because it’s not about being the best,
it’s about being the best you can be.

Write down your thoughts. They are important.

Words can hurt. Think about what you say before you say it.
One word can change what you think, but the way you say it can
change a life.

Popularity is having friends who understand you.

Always take the road less traveled.

Don’t judge if you don’t know.

Listen to your parents more. They want what is best for you.

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Slow down and live your youth before it’s gone. Scraped knees
are better than broken hearts, right?

Every single decision you make, big or small, may greatly

influence your future life.

Be kind to everyone you meet. They are fighting a difficult

battle.

Rudeness is a weak person’s imitation of strength.

Never go a day without doing something to make someone else

smile.

Don’t stress over too many things: worry less, smile more.

Don’t grow up too fast – it’s overrated.

When people hurt you, think of them as sandpaper. They rub you
and scratch you painfully, but you end up being polished and
smooth and they end up getting worn out.

Always be teachable – you’re never too old to learn new skills.

Have faith in everyone because all people have good in them.

Never wish to be anyone but yourself.

While you can kill two birds with one stone, sometimes it takes
longer to line up the shot than to get another one.

When nothing is going right, go left and try something new.

Do not let hate stop you, make it your motivation.

There’s not enough time in your life to live with regrets. Life’s
too beautiful to focus on some tiny problem. As time goes on,
life shows you amazing sites. Don’t over think things or you’ll
miss out on the beautiful picture forming around you.

Nobody will ever be perfect. Imperfection is beauty, madness is

genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely
boring.

Reading Guide Questions – Chapter 10

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1. What is the difference between the way Johnny dies and the
way Dally dies?

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2. Student Generated Question

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Words of Wisdom

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I chose to record this quote because

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 Reading Guide Questions – Chapters 11-
12

1. In their conversation, what worries do Randy and Ponyboy

confess to each other?

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2. How does Johnny’s note change Ponyboy’s attitude towards

himself, his future, and his friends?

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____________________________________________________
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3. Why does the book begin and end with the same words? Is
this an effective technique? Why or why not?

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4. Student Generated Question

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Words of Wisdom
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I chose to record this quote because

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________________________________________________
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Cause/Effect Relationships in The

Outsiders
1. Situation: Ponyboy goes to the movies alone and must
walk home by himself.

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 Cause –

Effect –

2. Situation: Darry hits Ponyboy.

Cause –

Effect –

3. Situation: The Socs jump Johnny and Ponyboy in the

park.

Cause –

Effect –

4. Situation: Ponyboy and Johnny feel responsible for the

fire in the church.

Cause –

Effect –

5. Situation: Johnny dies.

Cause –

Effect –

6. Situation: Ponyboy is failing English class.

Cause –

Effect –

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 Who is S.E. Hinton?
Bom in 1950, Susan Eloise Hinton was raised in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. She was an avid reader as a child and
experimented with writing by the time she turned ten. Her
early stories were about cowboys and horses, and she
preferred plots with rough riding and gunfights. When
Hinton reached her teens, however, she could not find
anything pleasing to read. Adult literature was still a bit too
complicated for her, while literature for teens consisted of
innocent tales about girls finding boyfriends. To please
herself, she decided to create a different fictional universe
from these annoying "Mary Jane goes to the prom" novels.
She wanted to create a realistic story about being a teen.
Additionally, like her character, Ponyboy, she wanted to
record some events of her high school years. She took
inspiration from real events and people to create a story of
class warfare between teens. After working on the novel for
a year and a half and through four re-writes, she let a
friend's mother read it. The mother liked it enough to refer
her to an agent, Marilyn Marlow of the Curtis Brown
Agency. A contract offering publication arrived during
Hinton's high-school graduation ceremonies.

The Outsiders was published in 1967, when the author was

just seventeen. Susan Eloise shortened her name to S. E.
Hinton so that boys would not know the author was female.
Since the narrator was a boy, Hinton’s publishers feared that
readers wouldn’t respect a “macho” story that was written
by a woman. Hinton says today, “I don’t mind having two
identities; in fact, I like keeping the writers part separate in
some ways.” Today, more than 40 years after its first
publication, The Outsiders ranks as a classic, still widely
read and one of the most important books in the field.
Finally, someone was writing about the real concerns and
emotions of a teenager. The Outsiders brought a new kind
of realism into books written for young adults.

The success of The Outsiders enabled Hinton to go to the

University of Tulsa, where she earned a B.S. in Education in
1970. While in school she met her future husband, David
Inhofe, who encouraged her to write her second novel, That
Was Then, This Is Now (1971). Over the next decade, she
published a new novel every four years. In 1975, she
published Rumble Fish and Tex in 1979. Although she was
no longer an adolescent herself, Hinton was still able to

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bring her sympathy for teens and insight into their lives to
her work. She only published one work in the 1980s -
1988's Taming the Star Runner. In the 1990s, she focused
more on picture books for younger readers than on novels.

Other than her writing, Hinton is kept busy by family life

and her son, Nicholas David. She has also served as a
consultant on the film adaptations of her novels and has
even appeared in minor roles. She continues to write and
lives in Tulsa. Her pivotal role in the development of young
adult fiction was recognized in 1988, when the American
Library Association awarded her the first Margaret Edwards
Young Adult Author Achievement Award for her body of
work.

Biography
Reading Comprehension Questions

Direction – Answer each of the following questions in

COMPLETE SENTENCES.

1. What motivated S.E. Hinton to write The Outsiders?

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2. What is Hinton’s real name? Why did she publish The

Outsiders under the initials S.E.?

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3. Why is The Outsiders considered a classic and important

book?

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