Students in eighth-grade English read S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders over the summer and have spent the first few weeks of school engaging in discussions to deepen their thinking and perhaps expand their perspectives on the book’s themes. They also have practiced writing nuanced analytical paragraphs and incorporated teacher feedback to strengthen their paragraph-level work. This week, through a scaffolded essay planner and structured work periods, eighth graders crafted analytical essays about The Outsiders. For their essays, students responded to one of the following prompts:
- How do the characters in The Outsiders struggle to belong or face being “othered”? What does the book suggest about the impact of belonging (or not belonging) on identity?
- Where do the characters’ dreams and goals come from? How do life experiences or community shape what feels possible for them?
- How much control do the characters really have over their lives? What limits or freedoms shape their ability to make choices?
- How does the book show the power of stereotypes or assumptions by either reinforcing or challenging them? What does this reveal about how people view one another?
- How does conflict (whether personal or societal) help reveal the meaning of the book?
- In what ways do characters show bravery or resilience? How does this shape the meaning of the book?
- What role does community play in shaping a character’s identity? How do relationships with others define who they are?
– Emily Phan, eighth grade English teacher
