"The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton

The Outsiders novel is reputably known to be covered in YA classrooms. The novel centralizes around many different themes that relate to YA students. Because of this, The Outsiders is an excellent novel to integrate into the English curriculum, specifically for YA classrooms. In a way, The Outsiders can be considered under the category of a Bildungsroman. We witness the protagonists struggle to make sense of out of life’s difficulties, specifically difficulties adolescents may struggle with. 

The setting of the novel takes place in Oklahoma during the 1960s. There are many main characters in the book, but Ponyboy Curtis is our narrator. The main characters of the book are segmented into two different groups known as The Greasers and The Socs.  Ponyboy, our narrator, is a part of the greaser group, along with his brothers Sodapop and Darry, Johnny, Steve and Two-Bit. The Greasers are considered to be a group of kids belonging to a lower class of social rank. The Socs, which are the Greasers’ rivals, belong to an upper-class social rank. Rivalry between social class and cliques is a major theme in the novel, where we see the main characters conflict with a power struggle of which group is better. There is also a bit of a Romeo and Juliet conflict between Pony boy and Cherry (one of the girls from the Socs). We see that these two really like each other, but there differences seem to get in the way, because of the prejudices against their groups. We see conflict between the two groups escalate and physical fights begin to happen. The physical fights get out of hand and we see a character getting murdered by his rival. Pony boy and Johnny come across the Socs at the park and the Socs start a violent fight, suffocating Johnny under the water fountain, and beating up Johnny. Pony boy blacks out, and out of fear, Johnny kills Bob(one of the Socs). Shocked from what just happened, both Pony boy and Johnny flee to an abandoned church in hopes that the police and the other Socs won’t find them. Johnny begins to feel guilty and thinks about turning himself in.  Just as he decides to go back into town, the church goes up in flames with schoolchildren caught inside. Both Johnny and Ponyboy save the kids, but they end up getting hurt, Johnny especially who ends up in critical condition. Johnny doesn’t survive, and Dally who is so upset about Johnny’s death runs off and robs a grocery store out of anger. The greasers try to find Dally but by the time they found him, the police had already found him. Dally takes out his gun and points it to the police, and the police end up gunning him down. Again, Ponyboy loses conscious. Ponyboy wakes up at home and and the doctors order him to stay in bed. This final scene depicts the brothers reconciling and healing from their past pain. Considering everything that has happened, Sodapop asks Darry and Ponyboy to stop fighting. This final scene depicts the brothers reconciling and healing from their past pain, while at the same time, realizing the value of family. 

The title, “The Outsiders” is perfect for the novel because it represents the struggle of feeling left out; feeling like an outsider. This struggle is highly relatable to students, which is why this novel is a great resource to use in the classroom. As far as social rank in relation to YA students, we see two different types of social classes here; lower class and upper class. Depending on the reader, students can make connections with their own class, and see how these two classes treat one another. Themes such as friendship, fitting-in, violence, family, and rivalry are of high-interest to YA students. The novel portrays realistic situations and their consequences, where students can connect their own experiences and even learn from the mistakes the characters in the novel make. 



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Vocabulary

reputably: considered to be good or acceptable usage

adolescents: young persons who have not reached full maturity; teenagers

conflict: disagreement; fight or battle

prejudices: unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, regarding a racial, religious, or national group.

suffocating: not being able to breathe

conscious: having the mental faculties active

reconciling: forgiving

relatable: (relate) to have a connection with

portrays: to show in words

consequences: instances of following something as an effect, result, or outcome.

Grammar Point:A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. 

Grammar Exercise: How many syllables are in each vocabulary word?

1. reputably

2. adolescents

3. conflict

4. prejudices

5. suffocating

6. conscious

7. reconciling

8. relatable

9. portrays

10. consequences. 

Farmers in the 1800s did not have an easy job. Farming required a great deal of hard, physical labor. A harvest might provide just enough food for the farmer's family with very little surplus. Today, new technology helps make farming more efficient. Using mechanical farm equipment can result in less physical labor and a surplus of crops. Because a farmer's identity is closely linked to the success of his or her farm, many farmers are eager to take courses in agriculture. These courses can help them to learn how to improve their farms. To find the right courses, they can visit a college counselor who knows about the courses that are being offered.

Vocabulary 

physical: of or relating to the body as opposed to the mind.

surplus: an amount of something left over when requirements have been met; an excess of production or supply over demand.

identity: the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.

agriculture: the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.

counselor: a person trained to give guidance on personal, social, or psychological problems.

Vocabulary Exercise: Answer the following questions in complete sentences.

1. ___________ fitness is required.
2. Without __________________, we would not have any food on our tables.
3. You must speak to a _____________ to help you with your problems.
4. She revealed her ___________ when she told us her name.
5. The final figure will be the net _________ or deficit for the period.

Grammar Point: 
A verb is the main word in the predicate of a sentence. The verb tells what the subject of the sentence is or does.
An action verb tells what the subject does.
A linking verb links, or joins, the subject with a word or words in the predicate that tell what the subject is or is like.

Grammar Exercise: Write A if the underlined word is an action verb. Write L if the underlined word is a linking verb.

1. The apples were crunchy. ___
2. We serve the bread with fresh butter. ___
3. Matthew is hungry, and supper smells delicious. ___
4. Hot coals heat the iron. ____
5. Erika became impatient with the boys. _____

Snakes can be deadly-but they can also save lives

Most people wouldn't go near dangerous snakes. But a man named Jim Harrison goes near reptiles everyday. I learned about Jim Harrison when I went to the Kentucky Reptile Zoo. Snakes may be some of the world's best-known venomous creatures. But they aren't the only ones. Some jellyfish, snails, stingrays, scorpions, insects, spiders, and even a few mammals make venom. Many animals, including snakes, use their venom to catch animals to eat. Others, such as stingrays, use it to defend against attackers. Different venoms work in different ways. It all depends on the mixture of toxins each venom contains. In the U.S., venomous snakes bite 7,000 to 8,000 people every year. Almost all of these victims survive, thanks to a lifesaving treatment called antivenom. Antivenoms are custom-made to stop a specific venom's effects. To create them, scientists need the venom collected by people like Harrison at the Kentucky Reptile Zoo. Scientists are finding that some toxins in venom can be used to treat disease and life-threatening conditions. For example, the large doses in a snakebite are dangerous. But in smaller doses, they can stop blood clots that can cause strokes or heart attacks. A lot of people are afraid of snakes but little do people know is that snakes can actually be beneficial to our health.




Vocabulary

reptile: cold-blooded animal with a backbone

mammal: warm-blooded animal whose young feed on milk produced by their mother

toxin(s): poisonous chemical made by a living thing

antivenom: medicine used to treat venomous bites or stings

stroke: occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain stops

Vocabulary Exercise:

1. It only takes harmful ________ out of the body.
2. ____________ is a medicine used to block off venom.
3. A ____________ is cold-blooded.
4. A ______________ is warm-blooded.
5. My grandfather had a ___________ due to a problem with the blood flow towards the brain.

Grammar Point: A sentence must have both a subject and a predicate. A subject is the part of the sentence that tells whom or what the sentence is about. The predicate is the part of the sentence that tells what the subject is or does. 

Grammar Exercise: Draw a line between the subject and predicate in each sentence.

1.Most people wouldn't go near dangerous snakes.
2. Snakes may be some of the world's best-known venomous creatures.
3. Some jellyfish, snails, stingrays, scorpions, insects, spiders, and even a few mammals make venom.
4.  Antivenoms are custom-made to stop a specific venom's effects.
5. Scientists are finding that some toxins in venom can be used to treat disease and life-threatening conditions.

The Amazing Amazon

The basin of the Amazon River in South America is covered by the Amazon River and the rivers that flow into it. It is an area in Brazil that holds amazing wealth. This area is part of the tropics, the land near the equator. It rains everyday in the tropical rainforest. Then the hot sun evaporates water from the soil and trees and other plants. This water vapor goes into the air, becomes clouds, and falls again as rain. Water is then recycled and kept in the region. It is believe that many valuable medicines and other products can be made from the plants and animals that live there. However, people who live in this region want to live well. They want Brazil to become an industrial nation. Many of thousands of square miles of forest are being cut down every year to make way for industry. Much of the wood is burned.. The tropical soil is thin, and soon erosion carries it away. The people often use the help of charities to help them find ways to exist without destroying their forests.

Vocabulary

1) basin: A small enclosed or partly enclosed body of water.

2) tropics:  

3) equator: the imaginary great circle around the earth's surface; extreme hot tempatures

4) evaporates: to draw moisture from, as by heating, leaving only the dry solid portion.

5) recycled: to put or pass through a cycle again, as for further treatment.

6) industry: commercial production and sale of goods.

7) charities: an organization or fund established to help the needy.

Vocabulary Exercise

Fill in the blanks with the correct word.

1. Fred walked along a river ________. 

2. Career opportunities exist in buying and merchandising as well as related field in the retail fashion ________. 

3. We are grateful for all of the ______ that help support those in need.

4. Make sure to _____ all paper and plastic bottles.

5. The water must ________  into the air.

6. The _________ is the hottest part of the Earth.

7. Common nursery plants can turn your patio into the__________.

Grammar Point:  An ending is a letter or letters added to the end of a base word. The endings -s and -es are added to singular nounds to make them plural. The ending -ed is added to a verb to make it past tense. The ending -ing is added to a verb to make it tell about present or ongoing actions. 

Grammar Exercise: Answer the following questions:

1) Bananas and tropics both have the same ending. What are their base words? How does -s change the meaning of their base words?

2) What letters are added to the word charity to make it plural?

3) Choose a noun or a verb from the passage. What is its base word? Add a new ending to it. How has the meaning of the word changed?

The Orphan Dog

The dog I found standing in the yard was a hungry-looking mongrel.  He was put together like a puzzle of many different breeds. He might have been lost or maybe abandoned. I knew he had belonged to someone because he knew how to behave properly. This dog had manners and someone had taught them to him. All of the sudden, when I was groping in the cupboard for some bread, I thought I saw a movement. Sure enough he had started trotting down the road. He was deaf to my pleas that he return. It was as if he had a destination set in his mind. That was the last that I've seen of this poor orphan dog. 

Vocabulary

mongrel: animal of mixed breed
abandoned: having been deserted or cast off
behave: act or conduct oneself in a specified way, esp. toward others.
groping: feeling about with the hands
pleas: requests or appeals
destination: place to which someone or something is going or is being sent

Vocabulary Activity

Fill the word into the proper blank that completes the sentence.
1. We must __________ in order to receive extra points at the end of the day. 
2. This place seems __________ because there is no one here.
3. I will answer your _________ in one moment.
4. Which __________ trip are you planning now?
5. When I am awakened in the night, I can't see the time without_________ for my glasses.
6. For a small rescue _______ , it is a real rags to riches story.

Grammar Point: 
Subject/Verb Agreement

The basic rule states that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.

Example:

talks, talk

Which one is the singular form?
Which word would you use with he?
We say, "He talks." Therefore, talks is singular.
We say, "They talk." Therefore, talk is plural.

Grammar Activity:

Subject-Verb Agreement: Circle the word that best fits the sentence.

She (go/goes) to the store everyday to buy fresh fruit.

Everyone (know/knows) how to dance the cha-cha.

My mother and I (go/went) there last week.

(Is/Are)my boss or my sisters in the union going to win this time?

(She/He) loves his new toy.

 Everyone selected to serve on this jury (have/has) to be willing to give up a lot of time.