How many times in your career will you get the chance to teach a book to teens written by a teen? The raw and rare voice of 16-year-old S.E. Hinton is pure coming-of-age magic that makes The Outsiders so iconic. Unfortunately for me, I botched my chance many years ago. As a brand new ELA teacher with no team nor TpT (it didn’t exist yet), I found myself absolutely SCRAMBLING to piece together some sort of Outsiders lesson plans on the fly with zero resources or help.
So, I created the Outsiders unit plan I wish I had back then. A unit that is intentional, meaningful, and FUN. A unit that would give me some breathing room in my lesson planning and make me quit questioning my life choices, ha! A unit that would pull students in, spark real conversation, and make them feel every bit of what Hinton felt when she wrote it.
If that sounds like something you need as well, here are some teaching ideas for The Outsiders that will help your unit start and stay… gold.
The Outsiders Pre-Reading Activities
Like with every unit, it’s important to hook students from the start with engaging pre-reading activities! Here are some Outsiders introduction ideas that will spark their curiosity and help set the tone:
The Outsiders Introduction Stations
One of the best ways to pique students’ interest in The Outsiders is through introduction stations. This approach gets students up and moving while building the background knowledge they’ll need to understand the setting and themes of The Outsiders.
Set the mood by playing some classic 1960s music as students walk in the door. Then, group students and have them rotate through each station, filling out their record sheet as they go.
These stations cover:
- Predicting with cover art
- Previewing with Bookish BINGO
- Evaluating with The Outsiders movie trailer
- Inferencing with a real-world article on social cliques
- Questioning with an anticipation guide
- Visualizing key vocabulary
The Outsiders Novel Themes
When a book is written by a teen, of course it’s going to have themes that resonate with teens, such as:
- Identity and Belonging
- Class Conflict and Inequality
- Loyalty and Brotherhood
A fun way to introduce these themes and other topics is with The Outsiders BINGO board. Students use the board to see how well they relate to topics, try to guess how they might all be connected, and get a visual general overview of the novel. Would you like a copy of this Outsiders BINGO board? You can grab this FREE Outsiders activity by signing up for my Building Book Love Letter here!
The Outsiders Activities by Chapters
One thing students really love about The Outsiders is leaning into the Greasers vs Socs rivalry. This Outsiders unit plan is designed to help you lean into if you wish! Students will form groups at the beginning of the novel study and meet throughout the unit to discuss and compete in a series of “Reading Rumbles.” Here’s an idea of how The Outsiders lesson plans will flow.
The Outsiders Lesson Plans Chapters 1-2
Chapters 1–2 drop us right into Ponyboy’s world — a world divided by social class and the threat of violence. Students meet the Greasers, learn the rules of the street, and get their first glimpse of the tension that will drive the rest of the novel. The rich character dynamics and 1960s social context are what make these chapters so compelling, but also where students may need some support. Here are some The Outsiders teaching ideas for characterization and comprehension:
- Use novel notes to annotate, paraphrase, and summarize the most important parts of Chapters 1–2
- Make connections by starting a character chart that illustrates how characters are linked
- Play your first “Reading Rumble” by gamifying vocabulary in context
The Outsiders Activities Chapters 3-4
Chapters 3–4 are where things take a turn. The tension between the Greasers and the Socs boils over, and Ponyboy and Johnny find themselves in the middle of a violent confrontation that they never saw coming. These chapters are a perfect place to dig deeper into recurring themes and character consequences. Here are some The Outsiders lesson plans for teaching the turning point of the book:
- Use novel notes to explore rising action, word choice, and developing themes in Chapters 3–4
- Host your first “Clique Conversation” to get students talking about debatable topics like “Is violence ever justified?”
- Revisit the real-world article on the positive and negative aspects of social cliques to consider how social pressure shapes the choices young people make
The Outsiders Ideas Chapters 5-6
Chapters 5–6 find Ponyboy and Johnny hiding out in an abandoned church where some of the novel’s most powerful moments unfold. From reading Gone with the Wind and discussing what it means to be gallant to reciting “Nothing Gold Can Stay” and watching the sunrise, these chapters are where the heart of the novel really starts to show. Here are some The Outsiders activities for digging deeper into the themes of Chapters 5–6:
- Use novel notes to explore symbolism, word choice, and developing themes in Chapters 5–6
- Compete in another “Reading Rumble” by gamifying literary devices
- Host a gallery walk Outsiders discussion with compelling talking points taped around the room
The Outsiders Novel Study Chapters 7-8
Chapters 7–8 deal with the aftermath of the church fire. The characters are left sorting through guilt, grief, and uncertainty while the world around them keeps demanding they pick a side. Here are some The Outsiders teaching ideas for helping students think about the cost of loyalty and the true value of friendship:
- Use novel notes to comprehend and annotate the critical parts of Chapters 7–8
- Relate to the real world by having students think about what they value in friendships and discovering which character is the best friend match
- Compete in another “Reading Rumble” by gamifying characterization
The Outsiders Activities Chapters 9-10
Chapters 9–10 are the emotional gut punch of the novel. The rumble the Greasers have been building toward finally arrives, but winning doesn’t feel anything like what Ponyboy imagined it would. Here are some The Outsiders lesson plans for making the emotional climax of the book meaningful and memorable.
- Use novel notes to process and reflect on the tragic events of the chapters.
- Create symbolic memorial patches for a leather jacket or a letterman jacket
- Have another Outsiders discussion to talk through all that has happened
The Outsiders Lesson Plans Chapters 11-12
Chapters 11–12 are where everything comes full circle. Ponyboy is piecing himself back together while giving himself (and the reader) a moment to reflect. These final chapters ask big questions about life, death, and what it means to really see someone for who they are. Here are some The Outsiders novel study ideas for digging deeper into the themes of the book:
- Use novel notes to explore symbolism, transformation, and themes in The Outsiders.
- Connect themes in poetry, prose, and a Broadway piece from the Outsiders Musical
- Host your final “Reading Rumble” that pulls everything together and preps them for their final test
The Outsiders: After Reading Ideas
If you want to “stay gold” to the very end of your Outsiders novel study, then here are some ways to end the unit on a meaningful note.
The Outsiders Projects
I have already mentioned several project ideas for The Outsiders to use throughout the novel, such as designing a memorial patch, discovering which character matches your friendship values the most, and connecting “Nothing Gold Can Stay” with a number from the Outsiders Musical. If you are looking for even more Outsiders project ideas, here you go:
- Visit The Outsiders Museum virtually: If you and your team were hired to add to the collection or design an interactive display, what artifacts would you add?
- Start an initiative at your school: How can the lessons in the book apply to your school? What type of initiative could you start that would help all students from different backgrounds to better understand each other?
- Plan music for the musical: If you and your team were hired to plan music for The Outsiders Musical, which song selections would you choose to match which scenes?
The Outsiders Movie Guide
Finally, the movie! Whether you’ve shown scenes along the way to scaffold understanding or saved it for the end, watching the 1983 film adaptation is a fantastic way to close out the unit. The cast alone is enough to get students talking and comparing the film to the novel makes for rich discussion. Did you know that the director received so many passionate letters from Outsiders fans as well as words from his granddaughter’s 7th grade class that he issued a director’s cut?
Use this movie guide to keep them accountable and enjoy the story one last time.
The Outsiders Essay and Test
To help students better explore the themes in The Outsiders, I provide three research-based essay prompts in this Outsiders novel study. They help students synthesize the psychology of wonder, empathy, and cliques.
I also provide a 35-question multiple-choice test in this complete Outsiders unit plan. The questions mirror standardized test questions to make sure students are thinking critically all the way through the end of the unit.
The Outsiders Party
Then, of course, you have the option to throw a fun after reading party by having the teams dress up as Greasers or Socs and doing one final “Reading Rumble” round to settle the rivalry once and for all.
However you choose to close it, I hope this Outsiders novel study gives you and your students something worth holding onto. Thank you for teaching books that spark empathy, challenge assumptions, and remind teenagers — and all of us — that there is gold worth staying for.
