10 English – The Outsiders Novel Study – Unit Introduction

This Unit Introduction PowerPoint is designed to launch a secondary English unit focused on S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders. It provides students with a clear overview of the unit’s purpose, learning focus, and assessment expectations, helping to set consistent and explicit expectations from the outset.

At the culmination of the unit students were to sit an exam. They would respond to a seen exam question (1 week prior to the exam) in the form of an analytical essay. Their 600-800 word essay would be around any of the 4 themes taught during the term. Students also needed to be familiar with a range of language features and text structures used by novelists.

After providing information about the assessment, students had to set a goal for the semester and consider the strategies they would use to get there. We then launched into the lesson with information about the author (Susan Elouise Hinton), the setting (Tulsa Oklahoma) as well as the social groups which inspired the novel (Socs and Greasers). Students then took notes about the 4 themes being studied: Belonging, Conflict, Social Division & Loyalty.