The Outsiders is one of my top ten all-time favorite novels. I'll always remember sitting in my 8th grade junior high English class and each student getting to read a paragraph aloud. That may have been my first "grown" novel with mature content. That fun fact makes my kids laugh, considering they've read so much more.
S.E. Hinton wrote it when she was only 15 and published it when she was 18. It's a classic battle of the classes: greasers vs. Socs with themes of grief, discovering one's identity, and loyalty. Hinton did a beautiful job of creating such dynamic characters.
I decided to re-read The Outsiders aloud with the kids, and I'm glad I did. Seeing it through their eyes made it even better.
We read it over three weeks and did several activities to help us better understand its themes and content. We read about the 1960s to get a feel for the lifestyles mentioned in the book and focused heavily on character analysis.
We discussed stereotypes heavily and compared the Socs with the Greasers. They participated in a fun activity where they added clip art to each jacket, symbolizing each group.
In addition to the discussions, these activities were a lot of fun. All of them are available in my Google Drive for free.
We watched the film at the end. I own it on DVD, but it is also available to stream on different platforms.
Fun Fact: If you're a 90s kid and a fan of the movie, reading the background story of how Danny Boy O'Connor from House of Pain owns The Outsiders Museum (the house used in the film) in Tulsa, OK, is fantastic.
I've collected and organized all of my resources, available to you HERE. Enjoy!