The Outsiders by Hinton - Essay Packet and Fairness Debate of Gangs

Are you teaching The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and want an engaging discussion to take place regarding who has a better life - the Socs or the Greasers? Who are the actual "outsiders"? Do you want to also practice or teach persuasive essay writing, in a very structured, fool-proof way? If so, this 14-page lesson plan and writing assignment is for you! ☺ It includes the following:

1. How to set up a debate/simulation/role play in your classroom between the Socs and Greasers, including signs for your classroom. It is fun and the students love it; it really helps them explore whose life is better, and it forces them to come up with solid examples from the text. This will last about 60 minutes.

2. A graphic organizer which will help organize the thoughts generated during the debate (and also to be used later for writing the essay).

3. An inclusive, 7-page packet for your students that will facilitate every step needed to write a persuasive essay. For example, it includes 2 pages of quotes from the text that students can choose from to help support their thesis. (Obviously quotes are great support, but it's difficult for middle-school students - and ages beyond - to actually locate the quotes; this gives them the practice, but is more accessible for them). The packet also includes graphic organizers within it, helps them arrive at their thesis, and has one page dedicated to editing (the list is more of a worksheet; it forces students to go back to their essay and actually write on their copy - essentially, students will actually edit)!

This document is a pdf. (But because everyone teaches essay writing a little differently, send me a note after purchasing if you would like a Word copy of this document. (You may want to erase or add parts, tailoring it for your class.)