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21 The Outsiders Activities for Middle Schoolers

September 6, 2022 //  by  Katherine Monsen

I remember reading The Outsiders in middle school and while it was okay, I think that it would have been more engaging if there were more activities done with it, aside from the written comprehension questions and essay. Some are free and some aren't, so you may have to pick and choose, but in my opinion, they are all fabulous resources that I would use with my students. Enjoy and happy reading!

1. Anticipation Guide

A quick anticipation guide can be a great pre-reading activity. It could be done independently or in a discussion format, depending on how much time you have for it. Personally, I would have students answer independently, then share their thoughts in a small group, but you could also make it a whole class activity.

Learn more: Poster 4 Teachers

2. 1960's Scavenger Hunt

This digital pre-reading activity is great because it introduces the time period to kids so they have a better understanding of what's happening while reading and also teaches online research skills. I feel like kids are out of touch with how things were before their time, so this activity can really ground them with relatable ideas. The link is for the word document, which I would shorten a bit, in the interest of time.

Learn more: Chloe Min

3. First Impressions

First impressions can often lead kids to stereotype without getting to know someone. In this pre-reading activity, students will get to discuss their thoughts on images, which hopefully leads to them realizing that we can't always judge a book by its' cover. It compares modern photos with some of the book characters too.

Learn more: Ms. SM'S English Classes

4. Pop! Characterization

Kids will be head over heels for this activity! Funko Pop! figurines are being collected like crazy, so this task will be easy to set up and get going for them. It's a creative way to do character analysis and engaging for kids that like to draw. They can choose their favorite characters to draw and write about or be randomly assigned.

Learn more: Laura Randazzo

5. Who Would You Choose?

It may look like this activity is just a character analysis graphic organizer, but there is also a second part. Students use their character notes and the book to decide which character they would choose to help them in certain situations and then have a class discussion to explain how they made their decision.

Learn more: How To Teach a Novel

6. Symbolism Bookmarks

Understanding symbolism is difficult for many kids and it is prevalent in literature. For an activity after students finish reading, this one is helpful. The slides are included, so just download and away you go. In the end, students will end up with a bookmark too.

Learn more: Slideshare

7. Hercules Book Report

When you go to the link, you'll be able to get a copy of the assignment sheet sent to your Google Docs. The original assignment gave 3 options on presentation formats, but I am partial to Bloom Balls, which takes the traditional book report and breaks it into manageable pieces while allowing for creativity. Any way students present the information, this is a great review activity.

Learn more: Mr. Hudyman

8. The Outsiders One Pager

Final book projects don't have to take an extended period of time to complete. This one-pager can be done in 2-3 class periods and still requires in-depth analysis and creativity. The final product can be used as an eye-catching classroom display. I like how it asks kids to analyze the book in a unique way.

Learn more: Teach Sparkle Pop

9. Activity Pack

If you're looking for a full unit of activities that just need to be copied, then look no further. This downloadable book has everything you need, broken down by chapter. You can also get a printed copy or 30 copies of the book along with the activity pack. If you have the budget for it, then this will be a lifesaver.

Learn more: Prestwick House

10. Novel Unit

This is a free fabulous unit plan with all printouts included in pdf. It is from a school in Kentucky and includes everything you need, including standards and discussion questions. The wanted poster activity seems like a fun activity that kids will be engaged in as well.

Learn more: Raechel Cowell, Terri Smith, Karen Johnson

11. Teaching the Outsiders for Engagement and Inclusion

This engaging package is unlike the others and really caught my attention. It makes kids think outside the box and brings diversity into the book, where there isn't any seen. These 4 activities will surely grab your students' attention.

Learn more: Nouvelle ELA

12. Crossword Puzzle

Sometimes we need a quick extension activity, review activity, or something for early finishers. Here you can customize the crossword puzzles and give students something meaningful to work on.

Learn more: Word Mint

13. Newspaper Writing

Looking for a creative writing activity ? Here's a great one! It comes with all the graphic organizers you need as well. It will take some time to complete, but can be classwork and homework.

Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers

14. Comprehension Questions

These questions can be answered either in person or virtually on Google Classroom, which is great considering all that's going on in the world. There are over 100 questions included, so you'll have everything you need for the entire book.

Learn more: Simply Novel

15. Figurative Language

What a great resource this is. It includes video clips and digital activities for students to complete. They focus on 5 different figurative language components and provide everything you need, which makes this a great assignment.

Learn more: PBS Learning Media

16. Storyboards

Students can create storyboards for 7 different activities, which include plot diagrams, themes, symbols and motifs, characters, conflict, narrative adaptation, vocabulary, and a wanted poster. I love that they allow for creativity without the demand for students to be artistic. Ponyboy Curtis would approve of these activities.

Learn more: Storyboard That

17. "Some Novel Ideas"

A veteran teacher shares her thoughts and activities she uses and includes links to explain activities or provide the files she mentions. Her introduction to the activities is so relatable as well.

Learn more: Some Novel Ideas

18. Collaborative Poster

This activity is in response to Robert Frost's poem "Nothing Can Stay Gold". Students will answer why Ponyboy reads this poem in the book and then students will get to each color a piece that will end up being assembled into one poster. This is such a creative activity!

Learn more: Study All Knight

19. Vocabulary Activities

Unlike some vocabulary activities , this one is text-dependent and utilizes text-based sentences, questions, and definitions. It would be beneficial in a digital classroom as well. It can be done in a little bit of time each day.

Learn more: Teacher Created Materials

20. Conflict Foldable

This activity is a bit more basic, but still teaches a valuable lesson about the types of conflict seen in The Outsiders. Students are asked to find scenes in the book that demonstrate each type of conflict.

Learn more: Think. Live. Be... Positive

21. Characterization Quick Write

I saved my favorite activity for last. The author randomly assigned characters, which is probably the quickest way to begin. There is a graphic organizer to complete as planning for the final product. This is definitely an activity that will grab the attention of most kids.

Engaging Activities for Teaching The Outsiders

When I learned I’d most likely be teaching The Outsiders this year, I was a little skeptical. Only vaguely remembering the book from when I read it, I was totally judging the book by its publication date and the dust on its cover. Truth be told, I was wondering how in the world I’d sell my tough-to-please 8th graders a story about a kid named Ponyboy in 1960s Oklahoma. But I resolved to reread the book with an open mind and just see. Maybe I would teach it, maybe I wouldn’t.

It took me just a few pages to remember how much I loved Ponyboy as a narrator and just why this story continues to resonate with teenagers decades later. T he Outsiders has that unique written-by-a-teenager magic that I wish I could bottle up and sprinkle on everything in my classroom library. And while I don’t ever want to be a teenager again, remembering what it felt like was pretty powerful. It made me want to teach this book and do it justice, too. So I got to work planning engaging lessons and activities that would extract all the juicy goodness from this timeless classic. And the rest was history: I planned and taught a unit that would stay gold for my students, half a century after this book was published. 

Together, we empathized with Ponyboy’s struggles, explored the idea of identity, learned from Ponyboy’s curiosity and empathy, admired sunsets, brainstormed how to overcome stereotypes, mourned the death of Johnny, and cherished the “gold” in our lives. Oh yeah, and we hit all of the big standards and skills, too! 

The Outsiders is pretty powerful, but if you’ve been teaching it for years, you’re teaching it for the first time, or you’re just not feeling your lesson plans, you might want to add a little dash of “gold” to keep it fresh. Whether that’s a unique, kinesthetic lesson, a new nonfiction pairing to spark some brilliant connections, or a creative twist on your typical comprehension questions, I’ve got you covered with fresh, new lesson ideas.

If you’re ready to revitalize your unit on The Outsiders and make the novel even more engaging and relevant for your students, here are 10 of my favorite activities.

PRE-READING LEARNING STATIONS

Learning stations are my favorite strategy for hooking my students before reading and building essential background knowledge, and The O utsiders is no exception! In fact, I think a good hook activity is even more important with a book like this so students aren’t judging it by its cover and/or setting. No offense, but 1960s Oklahoma has never been on my students’ reading radars. But do you know what will register on their radars? The ridiculous-sounding slang! So I take advantage of that and use it to reel readers in through a well-designed set of learning stations. Not only do these stations spark students’ curiosity before they read a single page, but they also equip students with the pre-reading information they need to start the book strong.

Here’s what my learning stations for The Outsiders look like:

• Students preview and discuss essential questions with an anticipation guide
• Students “meet” Ponyboy and make inferences from provided excerpts
• Students sample some of the fun 1960s slang in The Outsiders
• Students learn about the coming-of-age genre and make connections
• Students preview the Greaser vs. Soc conflict

Click HERE to see a video of these stations in action in my 8th-grade classroom! As you can see, these station tasks engage students and help the class start the novel with a strong foundation. These print/digital pre-reading learning stations are available separately or bundled with other resources for The Outsiders HERE.

For more information about pre-reading activities and creating your own learning stations, check out the following blog posts:

• 5 Engaging Ideas for Pre-Reading Activities
• 10 Reasons to Implement Learning Stations
• How to Create Engaging Learning Stations
• How to Facilitate Successful Learning Stations
• 10 Ideas for Virtual Learning Stations

CHARACTER REPORT CARDS

It can be challenging for students to keep all the characters straight at the beginning of The Outsiders . To help students dig into the most important characters in a unique, memorable way, try assigning Character Report Cards. This activity is exactly what it sounds like: students “grade” characters on different categories, like intelligence and loyalty, and then cite examples/evidence to support the grades. This lesson is a great way to spark discussions about the moral complexity of the characters and their relationships with each other. Students love the chance to be the teacher and assign “grades” to the characters. You’ll be surprised at just how willingly they will cite textual evidence to support a failing grade! (Rarely do middle schoolers cite evidence without complaining…)

After you do this activity, you can connect it to stereotypes and labels! Essentially, you are asking students to judge characters based on the little information they have after a few chapters. As students continue to read the novel, encourage them to return to the report cards and reevaluate the grades they gave each character. 

CHARACTERIZATION & FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE QUESTION TRAIL

As I mentioned, digging into characterization at the beginning of The Outsiders is crucial. But instead of assigning worksheets, keep the momentum strong with an engaging question trail over the characters and the figurative language SE Hinton uses to describe them. If you’re unfamiliar with the wonderful question trail strategy, it’s a unique, kinesthetic activity that gets students up and moving around the classroom on a quest to complete a “trail” of multiple-choice questions.

During this lesson, different questions are posted around the room. Each question answer (A, B, C, D) sends students to a different question “on the trail,” so if students answer each question correctly, they complete a full circuit. But if students answer a question incorrectly, they’ll end up at a question they’ve already been to, which is their cue to backtrack and problem-solve. This means that question trails give both teachers and students clear, immediate feedback. It’s engaging and effective…a win-win! If this question trail idea sounds a bit complicated, I promise you it’s easier in person. And it’s easiest when you can use an already-organized and student-ready trail, like this one for Chapters 1-3 of The Outsiders. You can find this resource available separately or in my unit bundle for the book.

For more information on question trails:

• Click HERE to watch a quick video on this lesson
• Click HERE to learn about how to create your own question trail
• Click HERE to check out a blank question trail template for any text, skill, or subject

BOB’S DEATH: BLAME CHART

The murder of Bob the Soc propels the plot of The Outsiders, so it’s important to pause and process after this key event. One creative way to get students critically thinking about this scene is through a “Blame Chart,” where students analyze the different sources of conflict that lead to Bob’s death. Obviously, Johnny is physically responsible for Bob’s death, but any good reader knows there are multiple factors playing into the murder. Students always have strong opinions on whether the murder was self-defense and enjoy discussing their pie charts after this activity. This lesson is also a great way to spark predictions for future chapters and discuss how everything goes back to the Greaser vs. Soc conflict.

PONYBOY’S CHANGING PERSPECTIVE ACTIVITY

Studies have shown that drawing can help with memory and comprehension, so I always like to incorporate a little room for creativity and sketching during my novel units. (Stick figures are welcome!) Since The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel that follows Ponyboy as his perspective changes, it only makes sense to challenge students with the task of pinpointing his perspective shifts. To do this, ask students to consider what impacts Ponyboy’s perspective the most. Then, give students a graphic organizer with space for them to visually represent the moments that impact Ponyboy’s perspective the most. This activity sparks some incredible discussion, and it’s interesting to see how students approach it. Some end up focusing on events that impact Ponyboy, while others focus on relationships with other characters. 

This activity is great because it gets students thinking about the most important characters and parts of the plot that ultimately contribute to the themes of the novel. The more you discuss throughout the text, the easier it will be for students to analyze the development of themes at the end of the book!

FUNERAL FOR JOHNNY: EULOGIES & ELEGIES

I’ve been doing character funerals ever since my days of teaching The Great Gatsby in high school (RIP, old sport), and they’re always one of the most memorable lessons of the unit! It feels cruel to keep on reading, business as usual, after a character passes away, so it only makes sense to put the novel on pause and host a funeral.

This is exactly what we do after Johnny passes away at the end of Chapter 9 of The Outsiders . Before the funeral, students write eulogies or elegies from the point of view of Ponyboy or Dally. During the funeral, I pass out funeral “programs” (to sneak in some learning) and students can volunteer to dramatically read aloud their eulogies and elegies during our class service. This lesson is also a great time to return to the “Nothing Gold Can Stay” poem and start thinking more about the themes of the novel.

RELEVANT NONFICTION PAIRINGS

When it comes to The Outsiders , the possibilities for nonfiction pairings are endless! There is simply so much you can discuss when it comes to this book: stereotypes, empathy, identity, grief, group behavior, and more! I’ve rounded up multiple texts that you can pair with The Outsiders , and you can find lessons for each in my unit bundle. Here are a few of my favorites:

• “The Danger of A Single Story” TED Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: We watch this before reading the book, but you could play it at any point during the novel for some great connections to stereotypes and Ponyboy’s perspective.
• “How One Man Convinced 200 Ku Klux Klan Members To Give Up Their Robes” mini-podcast episode from NPR: This is quick but powerful, so I highly recommend giving it a listen and using it in your classroom. This story illustrates the power of relationships and interpersonal curiosity when it comes to overcoming stereotypes.
• “How to Be More Empathetic” guide from WebMD: This article is perfect for helping students recognize the strategies Ponyboy is using to gain empathy for Socs like Bob and Randy. It works well after Ponyboy sees Bob’s picture in the yearbook and finally sees him as a fellow human being.

SPEED DISCUSSION

So you’ve finished the book…now what? With a book so rich in life lessons like The Outsiders, the post-reading phase of your unit can be overwhelming. How do you do a book like this justice? How can you help students understand the enduring themes and appreciate the story as a whole? There’s so much you can discuss, but before you try to host that magical whole class discussion, soft-launch it with speed discussion! This strategy will get every student engaged at the same time and help readers think through important questions before a whole-class discussion.

During this activity, students discuss different questions with different peers during different rotations of discussion. In each “round” of discussions, students rotate to a new peer and discuss a new question. This means that by the end of class, students will have interacted with at least a dozen peers and discussed a dozen questions (or more, depending on your class periods). It all adds up to a lot of low-risk discussion practice

Speed discussion is always an engaging, effective lesson, but it’s especially helpful as a review before a literary analysis essay, final test, project, or Socratic Seminar. It gets students thinking about the big ideas, themes, and the So what? after reading!

BOOK COVER GALLERY WALK

One perk of The Outsiders’ 1967 publication date is the fact that so many different covers of the book have circulated since then. And a plethora of book covers makes for the perfect lesson: a book cover gallery walk! To do this lesson, pull some book covers from Google Images, print them out, and hang them around your classroom. You can frame your gallery walk with any question/s you’d like, but I like to structure it with my favorite open-ended question: “What do you notice?” You can see the graphic organizer I give students below. This activity sparks such powerful discussions and helps students better understand the theme, symbolism, and author’s purpose!

MOVIE ANALYSIS

Anytime I teach a novel with a film adaptation, I’m all about showing that movie in class–not just for fun, but to engage students in meaningful film analysis. Teaching students how to analyze a movie is an engaging, accessible way to scaffold the challenging skill of literary analysis. With thoughtfully crafted questions, helpful modeling, and a strategic approach, students can analyze a movie just like they’d analyze a text. By switching out your comprehension-based “viewing guides” for thoughtful film analysis worksheets, you will prompt much more critical thinking and spark rich discussions about the text and film adaptation. 

In addition to asking students to compare/contrast the text and the film, try asking them why they think the film directors made certain changes and how these changes affect the audience. These kinds of questions spark more thoughtful insight and engaging discussions.

The Outsiders is especially perfect for this because you can show the extended “full novel” version but ask questions about scenes that were deleted from the original version. This will prompt students to think about how scenes impact the story and its themes.  For print/digital worksheets with these types of questions, check out my film analysis worksheets available separately or in my unit bundle.

I hope these lesson ideas help you bring new life to this classic. For more engaging activities and resources for teaching The Outsiders, check out this unit bundle full of print/digital learning stations, quickwrites, creative activities, vocabulary resources, and more.

To see some of this unit in action, check out these Instagram posts for more info:

• How I Launched Our Unit on The Outsiders
• Pre-Reading Learning Stations
• The Outsiders: Reading Schedule
• Engaging Activities for Chapters 1-4 of The Outsiders
• Character Report Cards
• Characterization/Figurative Language Question Trail
• Engaging Activities for Chapters 5-9 of The Outsiders
• Engaging Activities for Chapters 10-12 of The Outsiders
• The Outsiders: Novel Unit

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Easily Plan your Unit on The Outsiders (+ Free Final Project)

• April 25, 2018

The Outsiders is an ideal book for the ELA classroom. Don’t you agree? The novel, about a teenage boy who questions the divisions – social, political, economical – of the society he’s trapped in, is wildly engaging for students. The voice is gripping, real, honest. Probably because the book was actually written by a teenager dealing with truly difficult experiences.

Like so many of our students.

Though the book is at a relatively easy reading level, it’s a great option for hooking kids who have defined themselves as non-readers. And it’s quite the platform for discussing things that matter to our kids – the ways they define themselves, the raging social divisions going on around them, the complexities of being a teenager.

If you’re lucky enough to get to add it to your curriculum, it lends itself to SO MANY wonderful creative activities! Here are ten to make your unit planning easy peasy. Sprinkle these in between your discussions and you’ll be set for a fabulous unit. And don’t miss the free final project, integrating STEM + ELA, at the end of the post.

#1 The Open Mind When you’re looking to get students thinking deeply about characters, consider an activity I call “The Open Mind.” Either assign students a character, or let them choose one they are most interested in. Then ask them to go inside that character’s head, creating a page of sketchnotes that go deep with the relationships, crucial life events, dreams, and developments relating to that character. Ask them to include several quotations.

#7 Peacemakers Presentations Ponyboy is a peacemaker. Despite all that he has been through, he builds bridges. One great extension activity would be to have students research other peacemakers, creating a wall of peace in your classroom with visual displays on great leaders of peace throughout history.

Suggest people like:

• Mahatma Ghandi
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Nelson Mandela
• Desmond Tutu
• Malala Yousafzai
• Aung San Suu  Kyi
• Jane Addams

#8 “This I Believe” Essay for Ponyboy

You know how I feel about PBS’ “T his I Believe” curriculum (LOVE). Writing personal belief essays is a great activity with any class, but it also functions well as an activity for a literary character. Ponyboy has a strong mind of his own, and his beliefs get clearer and clearer as the book progresses. Asking him to write a “This I Believe” essay in the style of the PBS radio series, focusing in on one crucial belief with lots of specific, detailed anecdotes and examples to support the power of that belief, would be a great activity for an Outsiders unit.

#9 Bring in a Touch of Transcendentalism

Ponyboy walks his own road. It’s not too hard to connect his story to the transcendentalist movement. I especially like to bring in one quotation by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” Ask students to consider the meaning of this quotation, and how the different characters in the book stack up to it. Who is willing to let their views change when confronted with new ideas and circumstances? Who grows instead of stagnating? What characters cling to their consistency and small-mindedness?

#10 Create the App Final Project

Particularly if you’ve already experimented with the critical thinking required for One-Pagers and This I Believe essays, you may wish to do a creative final project for the novel rather than an essay. Build a bridge to the ever-popular themes of STEM by launching your students into an app creation project. Have them imagine they are Ponyboy, creating an App that would help real people break down the barriers between them. You can download this final project completely free here .

I’ll help you find the creative ELA strategies that will light up your classroom. Get ready for joyful teaching!

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The Outsiders Lesson Plans | Entire Novel Study

This lesson is  Background Information for the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton.

The focus of this lesson includes history of the 1960s and topics like culture, style, music, and cars.

Before reading the novel  The Outsiders , familiarize your students with the culture of the time period as  The Outsiders  is set in 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this lesson, your students with be engaged as they take notes from a Powerpoint presentation and answer questions using the accommodating worksheet provided. Students will learn about the history of the 1960s, the clothing of the generation, the music the youth listened to, and other important details from the novel such as: car models, Paul Newman, hitchhiking, and drive-in movie theaters.

Students will also be introduced to the author S. E. Hinton, the gang rivalry present in the novel  The Outsiders , and the genre of Coming of Age literature.

Students will end this lesson with a quick write where they will actually read an excerpt from the story and answer a related prompt.

Have your students answer serious questions about life in order to build anticipation  before reading The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton.  These open-ended questions will be sure to get your students’ wheels turning and will help bridge connections to the themes in the novel.

After your students are done reading the entire novel, have them reflect on the literature with these  open-ended questions for after reading.

These reflection questions will open up wide conversations and discussions amongst students as well as help them digest and analyze the literature.

Teach your students the  Slang Words and Phrases from the novel The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton  to enhance comprehension and understanding of the plot as well as the time period the novel is set (Oklahoma 1950s).

This activity can work for BEFORE, DURING, OR AFTER reading.

Two graphic organizers are included; each make it easy to teach students the definitions of slang terms used throughout the novel. The first graphic organizer is a fun way to prepare students for the novel by having them guess the meaning of each slang word before telling them the actual meaning. The second graphic organizer is a great way to review the text during or after reading as it includes the quote and chapter number where each slang term is used. Answer keys provided.

Also included is a Powerpoint presentation that contains all slang words or phrases with their definitions.

If you are working on a  novel study for  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton, these Vocabulary Lists, Practice Activities, and Quizzes  will work perfectly for you!

There are three sets of vocabulary words, divided by chapters. I’ve created graphic organizers for every chapter of words, which includes the definition, part of speech, line from the novel, and the students’ definition in their own words.

Additionally, I have created corresponding practice activities for students to actually use the words independently before being tested on them.

There are three separate quizzes, divided by chapters that require students to use their comprehension skills. The tasks included ensure students will understand the context of each word in a sentence as well as how to write their own sentences using said vocabulary words.

ANSWER KEYS INCLUDED FOR ALL!

If you are doing a novel study for  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton, these Before Reading activities  can aid your students with engagement and reading comprehension. Using the word splash technique, students will  make predictions  about what each new chapter will be about.

Students will connect the words provided in the word splash to what they already know and what they’ve been reading in the novel  The Outsiders.  Making predictions is a fun exercise and builds anticipation for students.

Included in this purchase are 12 individual  journal prompts  based on each chapter of the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton.  These journal prompts are meant to be used at the end of every chapter.

Students will reflect on what they’ve just read by connecting their personal opinions and feelings with the major conflicts of each specific chapter. Each prompt is ready to print individually or as a packet!

While completing a novel study for the book  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton, have your students answer reading comprehension questions for every chapter  using this organized packet.

Included are 12 sets of questions (for every chapter) which analyze character motives, themes, symbols, irony, dialogue, and basic comprehension of the plot. Detailed answer keys are provided for all questions.

If you want to make sure your students are following along and completing the reading for the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton, these simple Reading Checks or Quick Chapter Quizzes  are the way to go! This product works well if your students are reading independently or if you are reading as a class.

These questions are recall questions that are meant to be brief and easy to remember. This is a tool used simply to check that students are completing the independent reading, comprehending the basic information, and/or paying attention during class.

The reading checks are divided by every 3 chapters (Chapters 1-3, Chapters 4-6, Chapters 7-9, Chapters 10-12). There are three different versions of every set of questions (a, b, and c). This is so you can use different quizzes for different classes and avoid cheating (students talk and share answers)!

This product is a Powerpoint presentation only.

To administer quizzes:

• project the questions on your board for students to see
• have students use scrap paper or lined paper to write their answers
• when everyone is done, have students grade each other’s answers by switching papers in class
• review the correct answers out loud and project them on the board
• collect graded quizzes

Answer keys included.

This lesson is a  poem analysis of “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost . This is a perfect side activity for the novel The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, but will also work on its own if you are looking just to teach about the poem itself.

In Chapter 5 of The Outsiders, Ponyboy recites the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay. This poem plays a major role in the novel as it represents the universal message to stay gold and stay pure. Have your students analyze the poem and build their comprehension; it will make analyzing the theme of the book much easier later on! The poem analysis will touch on important literary elements such as: rhyme scheme, tone, theme, metaphor, alliteration, allusion, imagery, and personification.

To enhance their learning and make the lesson more engaging, students will also study a poem with a similar theme. Students will listen to the Bob Dylan song, answer the questions, analyze the lyrics, and then compare and contrast the themes present in both texts.

Have your students analyze characters from  S. E. Hinton’s  The Outsiders  in a fun and engaging way:  Character Collabs !

Your students will use several  characterization  methods to depict each character’s profile, demonstrate their understanding of the literature, and present their final work on a beautiful poster.

This Body Biography Project  is a hands-on approach to learning that enhances retention and inspires students to tap into their creativity.

Students will engage with the novel on a deeper level, encouraging thinking critically, making inferences, and fostering empathy. Additionally, they will learn the importance of collaboration and effective communication.

There are 10 characters from  THE OUTSIDERS  included in this resource:

• Bob Sheldon
• Cherry Valance
• Dallas Winston “Dally”
• Darrel Curtis “Darry”
• Johnny Cade
• Ponyboy Curtis
• Randy Adderson
• Sodapop Curtis
• Steve Randle
• Two-Bit Matthews

Teach your students to  analyze themes in the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton  with this lesson plan. Your students will determine what morals/lessons were learned or taught by specific characters in the novel; they will then evaluate how these lessons were incorporated by the author and provide textual evidence as support—all using a theme graphic organizer! An answer guide is provided for teachers.

Using their literary analysis, students will then write a TDA essay based on one theme of their choice from the novel. Students will choose a theme and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot. Rubric and essay prompt included.

After reading  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton, have your students write a personal essay  of their choice using the two options provided. Essay rubrics, prompts, and brainstorming graphic organizers are included for both essay options.

Student choice allows students to pick the topic they are most comfortable talking/writing about. The prompts both relate directly to the novel (one about heroism and one about characterization).

Rubrics focus on: content, style, conventions, focus, and organization.

Each graphic organizer is designed to match the prompt and will guide students to write a cohesive five paragraph essay.

After your students read the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton,  have them complete a  Plot Diagram and Chronological Order Timeline.  These activities help students determine cause and effect relationships between specific events in the story. Finding textual evidence to fill out these charts also show students how and where certain elements of the story connect.

Students will analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop by identifying exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Students will also determine how the plot unfolds and how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. The timeline worksheet also aids students in reading comprehension. Answer keys are provided.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton Character Comparison Game: Would You Rather?

You’ve probably played the simple game of WOULD YOU RATHER before… where you answer a series of questions that ask would you rather pick one thing or another? For example, would you rather be a SOC or be a GREASER?

In this activity, students will first answer a number of “would you rather” questions about themselves. Then, they will answer those same questions based on what they think Ponyboy Curtis would choose. This requires students to critically think about character motivations and personality traits—plus, it’s great fun.

Afterward, students will write about what they share in common with Ponyboy and how they consider themselves different.

In this lesson, have your students complete a  quote analysis  on the most important quotes in the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton.

Students can complete this activity independently or in groups. I include directions for a jigsaw activity which is a great cooperative learning strategy.

Included is a graphic organizer that divides important quotes by chapters and requires students to identify the speaker as well as explain the significance/ meaning of each quote.

Have your students  analyze symbols and motifs in the novel The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton  using this graphic organizer.

Students will fill out a chart to identify important symbols and then explain the significance of each symbol or motif that is demonstrated in the story.

Answer key included!

Study the four types of  Conflicts from the novel The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton.

Included in this lesson are the definitions and examples of internal and external conflict plus the four specific kinds of conflict:

1) Character vs. Self

2) Character vs. Character

3) Character vs. Nature

4) Character vs. Society

Students must look at examples of conflict from the novel and identify the conflict as one of the four types listed above.

Students must then support their answer with textual evidence.

Lastly students must explain how the conflict is resolved.

Answer key provided.

Analyze Figurative Language in The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton . Students will identify the type of figurative language being used in the quotes provided, and then explain each of their significance and meaning.

Figurative Language definitions are provided for: Allusion, Personification, Simile, Metaphor, Idiom, and Hyperbole.

Students will then write their own sentences using Figurative Language that highlight details from the novel  The Outsiders.

Answer keys provided.

If your class is reading the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton,  you will want them to  analyze the point of view  in the story, to include: what makes an unreliable narrator and what is biased perspective.

In this lesson, students will complete the following:

• Narrator Analysis: Students will analyze the narrator Ponyboy Curtis by considering his personality traits/ and characteristics. Answers included.
• Point of View Perspective Challenge: Students will take a look back at ten scenes from the novel, considering what facts they were given by Ponyboy alone. They will then consider how these events would be different or told differently if they were to take on a different character’s perspective. They will consider how other characters are feeling emotionally in these scenes or how they might feel in hypothetical situations.
• The Trial Point of View Analysis: Students will analyze the trial/hearing that takes place in the novel. Ponyboy is on trial for the murder of Bob, but readers do not hear much about it. Ponyboy was currently in a state of delusion and didn’t understand how the trial was unfolding. Students will write the testimonies of several characters as if they were him or her in court to either defend or defame Ponyboy.
• Constructed Response: Students will learn the definition of an unreliable narrator and reasons why a narrator’s perspective might be compromised. Then, students will write a constructed response that explains why Ponyboy could be considered an unreliable narrator using textual evidence. Possible answers included.

Have your students share their understanding of the novel  The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton  by imaginatively blending their written ideas with colorful images based on information from the text. With this  one-pager reading comprehension project,  students will analyze the literature by determining theme, symbolism, characterization, and more. Students’ artwork make for unique and creative analyses of the literature and also make great bulletin boards!

Included in this purchase is:

• Student directions for the one pager project
• Rubric for the one pager project
• Example one pager
• 10 BLANK TEMPLATES (printable—optional)

Play Bingo with your students as a fun literature review game for the novel,  The Outsiders . This  character review game  includes at least 100 questions that entail information all about the characters from the novel. Questions range from physical appearances to quote identification to character motivation. With this many clues, you will have the opportunity to play SEVERAL rounds with your students without repeating questions. This game entails details from the entire novel  The Outsiders  and should be used as a review after the entire text is read (perfect for before a test). Bingo cards, character clues, and instructions are included. Bingo tokens are not included.

Characters that will be focused on include:

Your students are going to love deciphering and solving puzzles in this spectacularly themed,  The   Outsiders  360° digital escape room.  This activity is designed to work for a laptop, tablet, or smart phone. Students will solve a series of clues based on the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton in order to crack the master lock and escape the Socs! This game entails reading comprehension skills, finding textual evidence, and making inferences . It’s the perfect addition to your novel study, whether just for fun, or to use as a review activity before administering the final test.

Included in this download are teacher instructions, student instructions, the master lock graphic organizer, answer keys, and a reflection sheet (optional).

After a novel study with the book  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton, assess your students with a final test.  This product includes THREE versions of  The Outsiders  test including one  learning support adaptation  modified version.

I like to have multiple versions of tests so that students are less tempted to have “wandering eyes” during the exam. Version A and B are the same in format, but contain different questions, with some questions in different orders.

Version C of this test is adapted/modified for Learning Support students or students with IEPs. To make accommodations for my students in LS, I have chunked questions, added bigger spacing, bigger fonts, less answer choices, and reduced the number of directions in certain sections.

All tests are 50 questions. 20 questions are multiple choice, 5 are short answer, 9 are quote identification, 14 are true or false, and 2 are extended response questions.

Answer keys included for all.

Challenge your students to  analyze the film The Outsiders,  movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola   (1983) and compare/contrast important elements to the classic, coming-of-age novel  The Outsiders by S. E Hinton.

This lesson includes a packet for students to complete during or after viewing the film The Outsiders. Media analysis questions as well as compare/contrast prompts are included with answer keys. Additionally, students will complete an activity that requires them to choose their own celebrity cast of actors and actresses for a hypothetical reboot of The Outsiders film.

Enjoy this extensive  Novel Study  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton  with your students this year! Analyze the literature using these 25 products included in this complete  Unit Plan Bundle.

This novel study will allow students to develop their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills through the novel  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton.

You will have access to a multitude of before, during, and after reading activities like: quizzes, tests, projects, essays, reading questions, vocabulary, background information, plot diagram, graphic organizers, journal prompts, a movie guide, and a DIGITAL ESCAPE ROOM!

BONUS FILE:  Also included in this bundle is a 6 and a half week schedule for teachers to use as a pacing guide. Teacher plans are explained for each day as well as how to best utilize this bundle of products. There are so many choices, you really can personalize this unit plan however you’d like!

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21 The Outsiders Activities for Middle Schoolers

• Middle School

Introduction:

The Outsiders, a novel by S. E. Hinton, is an engaging and thought-provoking story that is commonly taught in middle schools. Here is a list of 21 activities that will help students better understand and appreciate this timeless classic. These activities are designed to develop critical thinking, interpretation, and creativity skills in middle schoolers who are exploring the themes and characters of The Outsiders.

1. Character Analysis Collage: Have students create a visual collage representing one of the main characters in the novel.

2. Greasers vs. Socs Debate: Split the class into two groups representing the Greasers and the Socs, and have them participate in a structured debate about their differences.

3. Alternate Ending Assignment: Ask students to rewrite The Outsiders’ ending from a different character’s perspective.

4. Diary Writing Activity: Students write diary entries as if they were one of the characters from The Outsiders.

5. Plot Diagram Puzzle: Have students create a plot diagram using puzzle pieces to demonstrate their understanding of the story’s structure.

6. Create a Movie Poster: Students design a movie poster for The Outsiders, complete with catchy taglines, images, and creative billing.

7. Compare and Contrast Essay: Assign students to write an essay comparing and contrasting the lives of Ponyboy and Johnny.

8. Setting Exploration: Have students examine Tulsa’s geography to pinpoint key locations from the novel and understand their significance.

9. Socioeconomic Status Discussion: Initiate a guided class discussion on the impact of socioeconomic status on the characters’ decisions and development.

10. Symbolism Hunt: Conduct an active scavenger hunt for symbols present throughout The Outsiders.

11. Soundtrack Creation: Ask students to create an original soundtrack for The Outsiders, exploring songs reflecting themes or moments from the story.

12. Theme Analysis: Prompt students to analyze and discuss the novel’s themes in small groups.

13. Newspaper Article Assignment: Have students write a newspaper report on key events from The Outsiders.

14. Role-Play Activity: Students act out pivotal scenes from the novel, exploring character motivations and emotions.

15. Character Interviews: Assign students to write interview questions for other characters based on their understanding of the story.

16. Creative Writing Prompt: Ask students to develop a spinoff story focusing on one aspect of the novel’s themes or characters.

17. Book Jacket Project: Students design a new book jacket for The Outsiders, incorporating important thematic elements.

18. Poetry Analysis: Explore poems referenced in the novel and discuss their significance to the central themes.

19. Costume Design Challenge: Have students create costume designs for characters based on their descriptions in the novel.

20. Venn Diagram Comparison: Use a Venn diagram to compare The Outsiders with Hinton’s other work, Rumble Fish, highlighting similarities and differences.

21. Social Media Project: Students create social media profiles for the characters in The Outsiders, incorporating dialogue, images, and personality traits from the story.

Conclusion:

These 21 activities offer a dynamic approach to teaching The Outsiders by engaging middle schoolers in critical thinking and discussion about the book’s explorations of identity, loyalty, and socioeconomic status. Incorporating these activities into your lesson plans will deepen your students’ understanding of this influential novel and help them connect it to contemporary issues they face daily.

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Bulletin Board Ideas

The Outsiders Teaching Activities

• By Gay Miller in Book Units

March 13, 2023

• Middle School Novel Study

Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=2399

• Yolonda on November 14, 2017 at 8:13 pm

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Lesson Plans and Resources for The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

• Categories : English lesson plans for middle school
• Tags : Teaching middle school grades 6 8

Handy Resources

The Outsiders is one of my favorite novels to teach, because of its coming-of-age plot and memorable characters. How do you forget characters like Ponyboy, Sodapop and Dally?! Even though it was published during a time when most of my students parents weren’t even born, it inevitably becomes a fave of my students by the end of this unit.

I’ve found a formula for success when teaching this novel that has worked marvelously the past eight years…HAVE FUN WITH IT! We spend the first few days learning the background and setting of the book. Set in 1967, The Outsiders takes place during an era foreign to today’s middle schoolers. Learning about the sixties really is as abstract to them as learning about the 1860s. You have to take them back to the time of record players, Elvis, The Beatles, “tuff” cars, and Paul Newman. YouTube is an essential tool when teaching the background of the sixties. Simply typing in “1967” into the search engine brings up all kinds of stuff! Finding commercials, television shows, and movie clips set in the 60’s are great ways to introduce the groovy decade to your students.

I even have them take home a questionnaire for their grandparents with items like “What was your favorite memory about the 60’s?” or questions that ask them to recall memories of pop culture references in the book, like the Beatles, Elvis, and Paul Newman. Many amazing stories have been shared by grandparents of children in my classroom, and I like the fact that my students learn about aspects of their grandparents lives that they never knew existed!

Those are some ways to introduce the background of The Outsiders , but here are a few other resources you may find useful. A few are written by me, but many are created by other great writers at Bright Hub. Pick, choose, and enjoy!

Links to Amazing Resources for ‘The Outsiders’

• Teaching Background for the Novel - We discussed in the first section of this article the importance of teaching background for the year 1967.
• Discussing the Novel - This lesson plan, Teaching The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton Discussion Questions by Kellie Hayden provides teachers with great discussion questions to implement while reading the novel. These questions would also be a great asset to book circle assignments.
• Character Analysis - Kellie Hayden also has a study guide for analyzing the characters of The Outsiders. The Outsiders Character Guide will help students to better understand the motives and traits for each character clique.
• “Nothing Gold Can Stay” Poem Analysis - Peter Boysen has a great lesson plan for teachers wanting to explore the use of the Robert Frost poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” in The Outsiders . This is a wonderful resource for adding enriching content to your Outsiders curriculum plans.
• Final Assessment Ideas - Looking for a fun, but meaningful way to wrap up the novel? This lesson plan will create competition but understanding amongst the students, causing them to truly identify with the plights of both Greasers and Socs. Read the lesson plans below for detailed instructions on how to host your own Greasers vs. Socs relay. The Outsiders Relay Challenge .

3rd Six Weeks Tips for Teachers

Novel study should be an interactive process for both the teacher and the student. ANY novel can come to life for your students if they see that you are truly engaged in the reading and that you LOVE what you are teaching. I know it is difficult to pull off an interested demeanor during the last period of the day when you’ve already read Chapter 3 five times!

Students are intuitive and they will cop an attitude of defiance and boredom if you assign them two chapters to read while you go sit at your desk and work on grades or catch up on emails. The Outsiders is a novel that promotes a wealth of opportunities to encourage your students to employ higher thinking skills and to engage them in meaningful and deep discussion.

My classes enjoy “circling up” to read the novel aloud and I very rarely assign independent reading because I want them TALKING and VERBALLY reflecting while we read. A worksheet cannot garner the intellectual results that a book discussion can. I start our novel study by leading discussions, then let my students take over by the middle of the story. They begin to figure out that during the natural pauses of reading they can ask questions and we can discuss situations unfolding within the story. I truly believe that this method of teaching a novel is what helps students latch on to and LOVE a novel. By the time we watch the theatrical version of the book, the students are hooked and eager to learn more about the characters they’ve come to love.

This post is part of the series: 8th Grade Reading Curriculum

This series of articles is designed to aide teachers in creating an effective and interesting curriculum that can be used for 8th grade Reading and English or any other middle school grade level.

• Curriculum for 8th Grade Reading
• Middle School Language Arts: Build on Literature With a Short Story Unit
• 3rd Six Weeks - The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
• Essential Resources to Teach the Holocaust Curriculum
• 5th Six Weeks: “Flowers for Algernon” Unit

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Outsiders activities

Resource type.

The Outsiders Novel Study Unit - Questions - Outsiders Projects Activities Tests

THE OUTSIDERS Novel Study Word Search Puzzle Worksheet Activity

THE OUTSIDERS Novel Study Unit Plan Activities PRINT & DIGITAL Prereading, Quiz

The Outsiders Novel Study and Activity Unit - Comprehension, Quizzes, More

The Outsiders Digital Pre-Reading Activity : Explore the 1960s | Google Slides

The Outsiders Novel Study Unit Activities & Workbook (Digital Included)

The Outsiders Novel Study BUNDLE : Activities , Chapter Questions, Quizzes, Tests

The Outsiders Activity Bundle - Creative Activities & Assignments for the Novel

The Outsiders Escape Room Activity - Breakout Review for S.E. Hinton's Novel

The Outsiders Activity - Analyzing the Theme of Stereotyping in the Novel

The Outsiders Unit Activities Projects Posters Chapter Response & More!

The Outsiders Novel Study Activity : "JOHNNY ON TRIAL" (Student Mock Trial)

The Outsiders Activity - Greasers vs. Socs Rumble Interactive Class Activity

The Outsiders Activity - Analyzing the Theme of Identity in S.E. Hinton's Novel

THE OUTSIDERS PreReading Bias Intro Discussion Activity - Novel Questions Fun

The Outsiders Pre-Reading Learning Stations: Engaging Activity

The Music, Fashion & Slang of "The Outsiders " - Station Activity

THE OUTSIDERS Phrases, Clauses, and Sentence Types Activity and PowerPoint

The Outsiders : Non-Fiction Video Jigsaw Activity

The Outsiders Novel/Movie Coloring-by-Number Activities

The Outsiders Movie Guide — Questions, Comparison Analysis, Activity

The Outsiders Digital Escape Room Review Game Activity

The Outsiders Final Project and Activity | Activities for The Outsiders Novel

Informational text; close reading; "The Outsiders "; Pre-reading activity

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Teaching Theme with An Outsiders Novel Study

By  MARISSA DESPINS  Updated April 04, 2024

Outsiders Novel Study: Teaching Theme

Understanding a novel’s theme can be a complex task. In order to grasp the theme of a story, students must be able to summarize key parts of a text to develop understanding. They also must distinguish the theme from the main idea, understand the author’s message, make inferences, and thoroughly understand characters and the ways they can grow and change as a story progresses. There are so many key skills involved! It is no wonder that it can be a struggle for students! Because of this, I love using our Outsiders novel study to teach this complex topic.

For a COMPLETE novel study to teach this engaging novel, with questions, vocabulary, projects, and more, click on the image or button below!

For additional information on teaching an Outsiders novel study, check out our three favorite Outsiders activities!

What is Theme, and Why is it Important?

Essentially, theme is a concept, lesson, or idea that is repeated throughout a story. The theme reflects the character’s internal journey through external plot events.

The theme is an essential part of a work of literature. It is designed to resonate with the reader. Without a strong theme, readers are less likely to connect with a story. When students connect with a story, they are more likely to enjoy it. Teaching a love of reading should always be our overall goal, so understanding theme is crucially important.

What themes are Central to an Outsiders Novel Study?

There are a lot of important themes in The Outsiders that are clear and easy for students to connect to. This makes it a great novel for theme analysis. Some of the key themes in the novel include:

•Divided communities:   Ponyboy struggles with his place in two different communities in the novel.  The first community involves the greasers and the socs. The second involves his place in the family with Soda and Derry.

•The preservation of childhood innocence:  Ponyboy appreciates sunsets and dreams of life in the country. This shows an open-mindedness and appreciation that is characteristic of childhood.

•Honor among thieves: The greasers are often portrayed as tough criminals. However, they live by a powerful code of honor and friendship.

•Personal identity: The greasers and the socs struggle with their own individuality. They cater to the roles they play in their groups.

•Empathy towards others: The socs and the greasers struggle with seeing the world from each other’s perspective.  However, coming together and realizing that they are not so different after all is central to the story’s resolution.

Using an Outsiders Novel Study to Teach Theme Analysis

Thematic essays are one of my favorite ways to examine theme during our Outsiders novel study. My middle schoolers are always in need of essay practice. This makes this activity a really effective way to practice theme analysis. They are able to work on essay writing and theme all at the same time.

For this activity, students are asked to choose one of the central themes in the story. Then, they write an essay that shows the ways it is developed in the story.

A planning template is included in this resource. This makes it easy for students to organize their thoughts. While my students are familiar with essay format, I find that providing a bit of structure helps to scaffold the process. This makes for stronger final essays.

For additional novel study ideas, you won’t want to miss our upper elementary and middle school favorites!

Looking to snag this essay activity for your Outsiders Novel Study?

Click here or on the image below to pick up my COMPLETE novel study unit for The Outsiders. It contains this essay activity, as well as 125 other pages of resources. These include comprehension questions, graphic organizers, projects, and activities. It is a TPT top seller, with over 2,200 copies sold!

Interested in seeing this novel study in action? Check it out on YouTube by clicking on the video below!

Looking for a free activity for your outsiders Novel Study?

Click here or on the image below to grab these package of FREE Outsiders Group Discussion Cards! It includes 24 different question cards to get students thinking deeply and talking about the novel. They make an excellent warm up or review activity!

Looking for more outsiders novel study ideas?

Check out my previous novel study posts below!

3 Favorite Activities for teaching The Outsiders

Middle School Novel Study Favorites

Benefits of teaching Novel Studies

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• My Storyboards

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs for The Outsiders

In this activity, activity overview, template and class instructions, more storyboard that activities.

• This Activity is Part of Many Teacher Guides

Themes, symbols, and motifs are valuable aspects of any literary work, and they add richness to stories. Part of the Common Core ELA standards is to introduce and explain these complex concepts. However, abstract ideas are often difficult for students to analyze without assistance. Using a storyboard, students can visually demonstrate their understanding of these concepts, and master analysis of literary elements. For best practices, see our supplementary article with specific lesson plan steps on setting up your classroom and activities to teach themes, symbols, and motifs.

In the classroom, students can examine the themes in The Outsiders and the strong lessons they send to readers.

Themes, Motifs and Imagery to Look For & Discuss

Rich vs. poor.

A prevalent theme throughout literature is contrasts and comparisons between the rich and the poor. This theme focuses on the socio-economic differences between groups of people. Throughout the novel, these differences cause the major conflict between the gangs. The Greasers are poor, with their long hair slicked back, and the Socs, or Socialites, come from the west side of town known for its wealth. Although they may believe they are different, they all must face some similar challenges in life.

Loyalty and Honor

No matter what side a character is on, their group has a code. The Greasers uphold what they believe is right and fair. This can be seen when Johnny rescues the children, or when Dallas takes the heat for a crime his friend committed.

Throughout the novel, girls get a bad rap. Although no one is fighting directly over them, they seem to be a center of controversy and trouble. When lines are blurred, and a Soc girls starts talking to a Greaser, or when Sandy becomes pregnant with another man’s child, the message is clear: Hinton women cause conflict.

Reference to Literature

Throughout the novel the author uses allusions to literature such as Gone With the Wind and Great Expectations . For Ponyboy Curtis, characters create bonds with his friends and with the world he hopes to make sense of.

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that identifies recurring themes in The Outsiders . Illustrate instances of each theme and write a short description below each cell.

• Click "Start Assignment".
• Identify the theme(s) from The Outsiders you wish to include and replace the "Theme 1" text.
• Create an image for an example that represents this theme.
• Write a description of each of the examples.
• Click "Save & Exit" when done.

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 6-8

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual, Partner, or Group

Type of Activity: Themes, Symbols & Motifs

(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric .)

How To Differentiate Lessons on Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

Discuss the pertinent vocabulary.

Students are often confused by theme, symbols, and motifs, so use real life examples to illuminate these ideas. They definitely bear repeating as students mature and come into their own as readers.

Scaffold as Necessary

Some students will be able to do this on their own, and some won't have any idea where to start. Assist students in finding the symbols to start with by offering them multiple choice answers. Discuss the deeper meanings of the symbols and themes for those who need it.

Use a Storyboard to Differentiate

A storyboard is a natural differentiator because students will automatically create it to their level. The drawings and explanations they create might be different from the person next to them, and you still may need to offer help and suggestions for struggling learners.

Frequently Asked Questions about Themes, Symbols and Motifs for The Outsiders

How are symbols and theme related in a story.

A symbol is an object that represents something beyond itself. The theme of a story is the lesson about life that the story teaches. A symbol often illuminates the theme in the story because it leads the reader to understand the lesson of the story.

Why is it difficult for students to understand themes?

Elements like theme in a story are more abstract, and difficult for some students to understand easily. Also, since there can be more than one theme in a story, this can be difficult for students to grasp. Understanding themes is one of the things that makes stories universal, and it is important to assist them with these ideas.

Outsiders, The

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The Outsiders Literature Study: Create A Fantastic Book Club

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton was the focus of our literature study this month. This is a particularly fantastic book to read with a group of high schoolers because the author was in high school when she wrote the book.

Add in some candy cigarettes, book-themed costumes, and some fantastic food ideas and you have a great ending to The Outsiders Literature Study with a themed book club.

{This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure .}

The Outsiders S. E. Hinton

Genre : Classic Literature and Fiction Length : 224 pages First Published: 1967

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The Outsiders: Publishers Description

No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he’s got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends—true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up on “greasers” like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect—until the night someone takes things too far.

The Outsiders Literature Study

A literature study for the book, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, should definitely include time spent learning about the author in addition to other activities and fun.

Learn About the Author

Read more about S.E. Hinton on her official website .

This article in the New York Times includes my favorite fact to share with kids: S. E. Hinton was failing creative writing in high school when she began writing The Outsiders.

Create A Book Club

One way to make your literature study come alive is by creating a book club. We do this on a regular basis as part of language arts in our homeschool. Here are just a few ideas to create a book club for your own literature study.

Each month we rotate houses and the host mom prepares our snack while I lead a book discussion.

The Outsiders Book Club: Atmosphere

This month, the girls approached me with the idea that they wanted to dress up as Greasers. I was truly tickled that they were embracing the fun and adventure of our book club meetings. I suspect this idea arose from my appearance as Effie at our Hunger Games book club in September.

Of course, I agreed and decided to dress up as a Soc (short for Social).

The majority of the group came dressed as a Greaser so there weren’t very many Socs present.

Our hostess mom surprised the girls with a truly fun surprise, well known to those of us who grew up in the ’80s, but a completely new treat for these gals!

Yep, the mom who hosted this particular book club was able to track down candy cigarettes to add to the atmosphere of the evening.

The Outsiders Book Club: Snacks

After a lively book discussion, we headed downstairs for some “Outsiders” themed snacks including:

chocolate cake gold wrapped candies drive in pop-corn sodapop candy cigarettes

The Outsiders Literature Study For Kids: Book Club Questions

You can search google for The Outsiders discussion questions to find plenty of great questions for your discussion. Look for open-ended questions that will create conversation. Here are a few sites to get you started:

Shmoop: The Outsiders

Sparknotes: The Outsiders (sample answers provided)

These fantastic discussion questions that you can use with any book, including The Outsiders, are the perfect source for additional book club questions:

The Outsiders Book Club: Decor

Printing quotes is a fun way to embrace the book club experience as well as decorate the table. We added some fun table decor for our The Outsiders book club:

After a lively discussion, the girls watched the movie, The Outsiders, which included all of the heart-throb male stars of the 80’s. They headed home with their parting gift, a reminder to “stay gold:”

I loved this night with these gals and am so thankful for the moms who love hosting and having fun with our teens’ book club as much as I do.

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More Resources For Literature Study:

Book clubs for kids: poppy by avi, book clubs for kids: the green ember, book clubs for kids: anne of green gables, book clubs for kids: mysterious benedict society, book clubs for kids: love that dog, ultimate collection of book clubs for kids.

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The Outsiders Fun Activities

View the 1983 film adapted from the novel, in class.

Author Insight

S.E. Hinton won the 2008 Chicago Tribune Young Adult Book Award and gave a humorous and insightful speech/Q&A at the reception. View video of this (available on YouTube) to gain a deeper understanding of the writing process.

Play a game similar to "Memory," where students match words or phrases from the book's setting to their meanings. Play in groups, game show style, or as a pop quiz following a brief introduction to the slang of the 1960's.

Fashion Show

Have students dress as characters from the book, with prizes or extra credit for best Ponyboy, best Soc, etc.

Write horoscopes for each character in the novel, having students use their imagination to assign "signs" to the characters. Encourage students to use examples of foreshadowing in the book, as well as other ways...

(read more Fun Activities)

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These post-reading activities for The Outsiders allow students to share their understanding of characters, plot, and settings of the novel. They have opportunities to write, draw, and perform based on what they've learned. Perfect for use at home or in the classroom, this lesson and activity support at-home learning.

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• Distinctly Delaware
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From museums to parks to pools, here are 10 free things to do in Delaware this summer

Looking for something fun to do in the summer on a budget? Check out our list of free events and activities in Delaware.

1. Check out Wilmington State Parks

Unlike the rest of the state parks in Delaware, there are no entry fees at the state parks in Wilmington . This includes Brandywine, Rockford and H. Fletcher Brown parks, as well as Kentmere Parkway and the Hobbs Property. Make sure to check out the Jasper Crane Rose Garden, Josephine Fountain, Rockford Tower and the Sugar Bowl while you're there!

Parks are open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset.

Delaware State Parks Guide: Amenities, parking, passes and all the fun you can get into

2. Visit the Delaware Art Museum

Did you know that admission to the Delaware Art Museum is free on Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. all summer? See permanent and temporary exhibits, including a new photography exhibit exploring Black womanhood. Parking is also free!

3. Get free museum passes with your library card

Want to visit a museum without paying for a ticket? Look no further than your local library. Any adult with a library card — which you can get for free at your local branch — is eligible for the library's museum pass program . You can view available dates for museum visits and reserve passes online when you log in with your library card.

The program allows you to reserve free tickets to the Brandywine Zoo, Biggs Museum of American Art, Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art, Delaware Historical Society, Hagley Museum, Delaware State Parks, Winterthur Museum, Rockwood Park and Museum, Historic Odessa Foundation and Tyler Arboretum.

4. Go swimming in Newark

Newark has two free outdoor pools open during the summer: Dickey Park Pool , located at 60 Madison Drive, and the George Wilson Center Pool, located at 303 New London Road. The pools will be open from June 16 to Aug. 26, according to the city's website, though they may close due to inclement weather or lifeguard availability. Anyone can visit the pools for free on Tuesdays through Sundays from 12:30 to 5 p.m.

5. Learn about aviation history at the Air Mobility Command Museum

The Air Mobility Command Museum at the Dover Air Force Base is home to over 30 aircraft of various types and sizes, including helicopters, fighters and a bomber. You can visit the old Dover Air Force Base control tower, learn about airlifts during the Korean War and see artifacts dating back to World War I.

The museum is free and open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You cannot enter the museum from the base; instead, follow the signs off Route 9.

6. Spend an evening at Dewey Beach

You're not alone if you don't want to pay for parking to visit the beach this summer. Luckily, Dewey Beach offers free parking in all permit-only and metered spaces from 5 to 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. Even better, the beach hosts free family-friendly events on Monday and Wednesday nights all summer. Come see a movie like "The Little Mermaid" or "Back to the Future" on Monday nights, or hang out at a bonfire on Wednesdays. Although the events are free, s'mores supplies and glow necklaces at the events will be available for $1.

7. Take advantage of extended hours at the Police Athletic League of Wilmington

The Police Athletic League "Safe Haven" program will return for another summer to provide free activities for anyone between the ages of 8 and 21. Youth will have access to the gymnasium, music and arts programs, games and computer area. Free dinner also will be provided.

PAL is typically open on weekdays from 3 to 8 p.m.; with the extended hours, it will remain open until 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and be open on Saturdays from 3 to 6 p.m. PAL is also offering free African drumming classes to the community and youth on Fridays from 4 to 5 p.m.

8. Explore our 'maritime heritage' at the DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum

The DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum in Fenwick Island houses artifacts recovered from shipwrecks dating back to the 1600s. The museum houses about 10,000 artifacts at any given time, according to its website.

The museum is open on weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through June. Starting in July, the museum will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Wednesday.

9. Stroll through lavender fields in Milton

Take in the relaxing sights and smells of lavender at Warrington Manor , a family farm in Milton. The grounds are free to walk through most days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — make sure to check on social media or call the farm at 302-684-1514 to make sure it isn't closed or hosting an event.

Pets are not allowed in the flower fields, according to the farm's website.

Lavender Fields at Warrington Manor also hosts paid, ticketed events, and runs a shop selling local products like soaps and lotions.

Farmers Market Guide: Your guide to Delaware farmers markets 2024

10. Experience nature at the Mispillion Harbor

The DuPont Nature Center at the Mispillion Harbor Reserve near Slaughter Beach is open for the season! The center's deck, which is open all year from dusk to dawn, is a great vantage point to see the harbor, beach and Delaware Bay. It's also a prime spot to watch spawning horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds, which are typically visible through early June.

Exhibits showcasing the environmental and historical importance of the harbor — not to mention saltwater tanks housing species like horseshoe crabs and diamondback terrapins — are free to explore inside of the nature center. The DuPont Nature Center also hosts programs for visitors of all ages. Details will be posted on the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control 's website.

The DuPont Nature Center is open all summer from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

The Outsiders Activity Bundle - Creative Activities & Assignments for the Novel

• $12 99 $12.99 Unit price /  per 

The Outsiders   Activity Bundle includes 15 ready-to-use activities and assignments to help students respond to   The Outsiders   by S.E. Hinton. The activities in this bundle are engaging and interactive and allow students to form connections and analyze the novel. The assignments are fun and creative but also meet many ELA skills and standards.

Included in The Outsiders Activity Bundle:

Chapters 1-2

➡️ The Outsiders Identity Activity:   After reading chapters 1-2 of   The Outsiders   by S.E Hinton, students will participate in an interactive activity that will help them examine their own identity, choose a group that they identify with, and consider what stereotypes or misconceptions exist about their group. This activity for The Outsiders is designed to help students empathize with the characters in the novel and examine the complexities of the theme of identity in the novel. 

➡️   Character Study:   In Chapter 1 of   The Outsiders , the students will meet many of the main characters in this novel. Students will list the characteristics, physical attributes, personality traits, and important relationship connections with this ready-to-use assignment. A detailed answer key is included.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapters 3-4

➡️ The Outsiders Stereotyping Activity:   After reading chapters 3-4 of   The Outsiders   by S.E. Hinton, students will participate in an interactive activity that will help them examine their own stereotypes and stereotypes made in the novel. This activity for   The Outsiders   is designed to help students empathize with the characters in the novel and examine the complexities of the theme of stereotyping in the novel.

➡️   Newsworthy Article Writing:   Students will write and design a headline newspaper article for the day after Bob is killed in the novel. They will incorporate text evidence into their writing as well as two quotes from characters of their choice.

Chapters 5-6  

➡️ Nothing Gold Can Stay Poetry Analysis:   The Outsiders  Nothing Gold Can Stay resource has everything you need to help your students explore the meaning and theme of the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost. This poem is recited by Ponyboy in chapter 5, and this poetry analysis activity will help your students understand its meaning and apply it to the content and theme of the novel.

  Chapters 7-8

➡️ The Outsiders Interview Activity:   Ponyboy tells the reader about being interviewed by reporters while in the hospital visiting Johnny and Dally. Not much detail is provided on who is interviewed and what questions are asked, In this activity, students write a transcript of the interview Ponyboy gives to the reporters based on the newspaper article from the novel.

Chapters 9-10  

➡️ The Outsiders Socs vs. Greasers Rumble Activity:   The Outsiders   Activity Greasers vs. Socs Rumble is a fun and interactive class activity that will allow students to explore the similarities and differences between these two gangs in   The Outsiders   by S.E. Hinton. In groups, students will take on the perspective of either a Greaser or a Soc and answer prompting questions about their rival gang. Then, they will consider the similarities and differences between the gangs and begin to understand that they are not as different as they first appear. Finally, students will examine important quotes from   The Outsiders   that relate to this theme in the novel. ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapters 11 - 12

➡️ The Outsiders Plot Diagram Assignment:   The Outsiders   plot diagram assignment includes a ready-to-use template for students to write what happens in the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution of the novel. This is a useful assignment for students to show their understanding of plot structure using a story arc template. Also included is a detailed answer key that outlines the key moments of the plot in each of the areas of the plot diagram.

➡️   The Outsiders Movie Novel Comparison:   After watching the film adaptation of The Outsiders, students will find three differences between the text and film versions.

➡️   The Outsiders Movie Review:   After watching the film version of   The Outsiders , students will write a review for the film adaptation of the novel. They will evaluate the movie, decide if they would recommend it, consider which scenes stood out, decide if the film or novel version is better, and give the film a rating.

➡️ The Outsiders Essay Topics:   Use these four essay topics to help students examine and analyze the novel in a 5 paragraph essay.

Other Assignments

➡️   Character Social Media Fakebook Page:   Students will create a social media page for one of the characters in   The Outsiders . They will draw a picture of the character, update their status with how they are feeling, write information about them from the reading, and have other characters leave comments.

➡️   Designing a Wanted Poster:   Students will design a “Wanted Poster” for a character from   The Outsiders . They will use the included graphic organizer with prompting questions first, then use the wanted poster template to create their good copy.

➡️   The Outsiders Assignment- Tattoo a Greaser:   For this assignment, students will choose a Greaser and design two tattoos that they might get. Students will have to explain their reasons with support from the text. This creative assignment requires students to show an understanding of symbolism as the tattoos must relate in some way to the Greaser's personality or a theme that emerges in the novel.

➡️   Golden Quotations:   Playing on the "Stay Gold" quote from   The Outsiders , students will choose two quotations that they think are "golden." This means they are important to either the theme, conflict or characterization of the novel. They must justify their choice with text evidence.

What teachers are saying about The Outsiders Activity Bundle:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This resource helped to make my   Outsiders   unit one of the most successful of the year. I love how hands-on this resource is. it helped my students connect to the text and gain a deeper understanding of the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding activities!!!!!! I love this novel and always look for ways to "change it up" because I get bored teaching the same activities year after year.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I LOVE this unit! I love teaching   The Outsiders   and this makes it so organized and fun. The kids are completely engaged in all aspects of this unit. Great resource!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This product was awesome! Really enjoyed using it in my classroom! Worth the purchase! :D

>>>This resource is included in my unit plan for the novel!

➡️   The Outsiders Complete Unit Plan  

Take your unit for The Outsiders to the next level with an escape room!

→   The Outsiders Classroom Escape Room

© Presto Plans

➡️ Want 10 free ELA resources sent to your inbox?   Click here!

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• The Weekender: Boston's Saturday Morning Newsletter

Boston on a budget: Free, fun things you can do this summer in the city

Editor's Note:  This is an excerpt from WBUR's Saturday morning newsletter, The Weekender. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox,  sign up here . 

I’ve seen firsthand how a day of fun in Boston can get expensive fast.

It might start out with a fancy coffee from Tatte. Next thing you know, you’ve spent $27 for admission to the Museum of Fine Arts, another $30 for lunch and a drink at Time Out Market, and $40 for a parking ticket, after it slipped your mind to feed the meter.

Making memories with friends is priceless, but weekly outings costing over $100 aren’t exactly in my budget. Thankfully, with a little planning, there are ways to  save a few bucks  on a day out in the city — without having to sacrifice any fun.

Below, you’ll find details for free fitness classes, art showcases and music festivals happening around Boston this summer. And for local families, we’ve included a few places offering free admission for kids during summer break.

Art and music

• The  Harvard Art Museums   are  free and open to the public  Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Peruse the pieces on display on your own or listen to one of the museum’s  gallery talks . Plus, on the last Thursday of every month, you can mingle and grab a bite in the museum’s courtyard during its free  “Harvard Art Museums at Night.”  (Mark your calendar;  the next one is July 25. )
• The Institute of Contemporary Art  in the Seaport is free  every Thursday night  from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. (just make sure to grab an advance ticket the day of when they become available at 10 a.m.). This happily coincides with “ Harborwalk Sounds ,” a free concert series set on the ICA’s waterfront with music from some of Berklee College’s brightest. If Thursday night’s not your vibe, check back in on Friday, starting in mid-July. The  ICA’s free outdoor “Vinyl Nights”  series  will return  with tunes to close out your week, though admission into the mueseum will still cost you. (If you’re not a planner, you don’t need a ticket for either of the music events.)
• There are a number of free music festivals  happening around Boston, including  BAMS Festival , which is currently underway this weekend at Franklin Park.   BAMS (which stands for Boston Art & Music Soul), seeks to highlight Black artists and international sounds. The  festival’s impressive lineup this year  includes local stars like  Lisa Bello  and  Nay $peaks . There will also be food trucks and vendors at the park, so come hungry and ready to vibe. Looking for more? Noah Schaffer has a roundup here of  10 places you can sing, rock and sway to live music for free this summer.

Fitness classes

• The City of Boston’s  Parks Fitness Series   is back this summer with daily classes for locals to try. Now through Aug. 31, join a group at one of 16 different parks around Boston for Zumba, tai chi, yoga or a HIIT workout led by a fitness instructor. If an hour of dancing is more your style, you’re in luck: There are also opportunities to try Afrobeats or salsa dancing, and even low-intensity line dancing. Classes are held every day of the week.  See the full schedule here.
• River Fit  is a series of free fitness classes created by the Esplanade Association in collaboration with DCR. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays starting July 15,   they’ll host runs, walks, cardio workouts and sunset yoga at the Hatch Memorial Shell and Fielder Field along the Charles. Four of River Fit’s recurring classes start after 5 p.m. — perfect for the 9-5 crowd.  Just make sure to register and reserve your spot in advance.
• Seaport Sweat , a summer workout series on the Seaport Common, offers a mix of Pilates, barre, athletic conditioning and body sculpting classes meant to make you perspire. And you should definitely be able to find something that works with your schedule, as there are classes at a variety of times from  Monday through Saturday . Apart from a mat (which you can bring yourself), classes are equipment-free.

Free activities for families

• Families with children in the Boston Public Schools  can explore any of these six institutions for free on the first and second Sunday of each month: The New England Aquarium, the Franklin Park Zoo, the Museum of Science, The Museum of Fine Arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Boston Children’s Museum.  There are only four more free Sundays  left this summer, so don’t wait.
• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum   is always free for kids under 17 — and anyone named Isabella, in case you didn’t know. Children who are 7 and older can also participate in a hands-on art activity in the Gardner’s Bertucci Education Studio , or just enjoy a tranquil walk around the museum’s neatly manicured courtyard. (FYI: Adults still have to purchase a general admission ticket for $20.)

P.S. — Keeping in the theme of free-ish fun, we’d like to know: What local goodies are in your picnic basket? Perhaps it’s a few chocolate chunk cookies from  Sofra  or a creamy brie from  MA France . Email us at [email protected] to tell us which food, snacks and drinks you bring along on your summer picnics, and we might include your recommendation in a future newsletter.

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• More fun than a water slide: How to summer in Boston
• Day trips in Massachusetts: Hikes, history made fun, ice cream and unofficial hot dog tours

Hanna Ali Associate Producer Hanna Ali is an associate producer for newsletters at WBUR.

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Looking for summer fun? 'Perfect Day Kentucky' outlines the best of the best in the Bluegrass

When it comes to piecing together a summer of fun while traveling the state of Kentucky, author Kathryn Witt has the inside track.

A native of the Bluegrass State, Witt, a Kentucky travel expert, writes the official Kentucky Vistors Guide and has compiled her favorite insider tips in "Perfect Day Kentucky" (Reedy Press). The 170 pages of Witt's new book are filled with day trips, weekend getaways, and other escapes. From the largest known cave system in the world at Mammoth Cave to the world's longest underground suspension bridge at Horse Cave and the most natural arches in the country east of the Mississippi River — "Perfect Day Kentucky" outlines the best of Kentucky with additional suggestions to inspire further exploration in each area described in the book.

We asked Witt for a few summer trip ideas for July and August and she immediately suggested exploring Kentucky's vast cave systems.

"That's because summer in Kentucky is so sticky and hot but when you are underground in a cave, the temperature is between 52 and 58 degrees and that is such a nice respite from our weather," Witt told the Courier Journal. " Hidden River Cave now has the world's longest underground swinging bridge. So you walk along with the subterranean river rushing below you and at the end is the big beautiful Sunset Dome."

Named for its unusual lighting effects, Sunset Dome is one of the largest free-standing cave domes in the United States. Visitors will find Hidden River Cave at 119 East Main St., Horse Cave, Kentucky.

Additionally, the author provides travelers with nearby alternatives to each of the attractions she writes about in her book. In the case of Hidden River Cave, she spotlights nearby Mammoth Cave, Farmwald's Restaurant and Bakery , Horse Cave KOA Holiday Campground's treehouse and Conestoga wagon overnight accommodations, and Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo .

A summer day trip Witt recommends (that is a good tip any time of the year,) is T he Hatfields & McCoys Historic Feud Sites Driving Tour . Starting at the Pikeville-Pike County Visitors Center , visitors pick up an audio CD or USB for a full-on feud immersion complete with narration, music, and jaunty ballads about the long-running grudge between the two families.

"It is one of the most entertaining things I have done in Kentucky," the author said. "It is quite a theatrical production that you listen to as you approach a variety of different sites including graves, the pawpaw trees where a grisly triple murder took place, and a restaurant that is the former home of one of the McCoys. Once you are done eating, you can go up to the second floor where the family bedrooms were located. There was so much drama. I loved it."

Another insider tip, 10 Kentucky State Parks have sandy beaches, and one of the most beautiful, in Witt's opinion, is Lake Barkley . She also recommends Lake Malone State Park in Muhlenberg County, at 31 State Route 8001 in Dunmor, Kentucky.

"It also has a sandy beach and the 'Big Twigs,' a family of 14-foot giants that now inhabit the park," said Witt. "There are six of these giant fairytale creatures, they are a lot of fun."

"Perfect Day Kentucky" takes you across the state on a Bluegrass adventure where you can feed carrots to a Kentucky Derby champion at a Kentucky horse farm, zipline at up to 60 miles per hour atop Black Mountain , or visit Cumberland Falls , the second-largest waterfall by volume in the eastern United States.

For those looking for expert assistance planning their summer adventure, Witt's book ($27) is available at Carmichael's Bookstore , Amazon, Kentucky State Park gift shops, and Reedy Press .

Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at [email protected].

Seven things to do on Cape Cod when it rains

Rainy days don’t have to mean a washout vacation.

We wish you nothing but blue skies and abundant sunshine for every day of your Cape Cod getaway. But as baseball fans know, sometimes it rains. And when it does, you don’t have to hole up in a motel room watching Netflix on your laptop. Here’s a slew of activities on Cape Cod where you don’t have to make a reservation. After all, who plans for rain? Check websites for hours and admissions.

Soak in natural history

Sometimes walking on a deserted beach in the rain can make you feel like monarch of a wet and windy kingdom. But if you’d rather stay dry, the 14-minute film “Standing Bold″ at the Salt Pond Visitor Center of the Cape Cod National Seashore ( nps.gov/caco ) in Eastham introduces the geology of Cape Cod, calling it “a fragile gift from the glaciers.″ The adjacent museum chronicles the human history. Marine science is the focus in the Falmouth village of Woods Hole. The discovery center of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ( whoi.edu ) celebrates some of the gee-whiz technology that has pushed the boundaries of knowledge, from the Alvin submersible for exploring the ocean floor to a robot shark camera. The Woods Hole Science Aquarium ( fisheries.noaa.gov/woods-hole-science-aquarium ) is much more low-tech, with lots of tanks holding scientifically and commercially important species. The outdoor seal pool and the indoor “two-finger touch″ tank are favorites with kids. The Provincetown branch of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy ( atlanticwhiteshark.org ) is open to walk-ins for a “jawesome″ experience learning about the apex predator of Cape Cod waters. (The Chatham site is by reservation only.)

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Treat your eyes

The broad light of Cape Cod has attracted generations of artists from Impressionists to some of the big names of Abstract Expressionism. Both the Cape Cod Museum of Art ( ccmoa.org ) in Dennis and the Provincetown Art Association and Museum ( paam.org ) focus on that illustrious past as well as mounting contemporary exhibitions. Some of the area’s most idiosyncratic artists also have museums of their own. The Cahoon Museum of American Art ( cahoonmuseum.org ) in Cotuit celebrates the intersection of fine art and folk art in the home and studio of artists Ralph and Martha Cahoon. (Ralph’s rollicking sailors and mermaids were a favorite of John F. Kennedy.) Also in mid-Cape, Yarmouth Port’s Edward Gorey House ( edwardgoreyhouse.org ) celebrates the life and droll humor of the illustrator and author most recognizable for his animated opening credits for PBS’s “Mystery!” While away the hours on a “scavenger hunt″ of Gorey illustrations, perhaps of characters who met grisly ends.

Get your game on

Ryan Family Amusements ( ryanfamily.com ) might be your new best friend on a rainy day. The operation in South Yarmouth augments a bowling alley and extensive arcade of electronic games with an Airpark (think giant bouncy house for all ages) and ax-throwing lanes (largely for adults). Ryan’s Ten Pin Eatery at the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis mashes up a giant sports bar (a restaurant and bar with TV screens at every sightline) with a huge bowling alley, laser tag, a golf simulator, and a cacophony of beeping and binging arcade games. The arcade games at Flashback Bar ( flashback.bar ) in downtown Hyannis conjure up such pixelated simplicities as “Ms. Pacman,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” or the original “Tetris.” There’s also a full menu of food and drink. Seize the joystick and punch the buttons.

Scratch the surface of history

The Mashpee Wampanoag Museum ( mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov ) celebrates the rich indigenous culture of the People of the First Light from post-glacial settlement 12,000 years ago to the present. The traditional bark-covered wetu dome-shaped dwelling on the grounds stays nice and dry in the rain. One of the Cape’s earliest industries was the production of glass objects. The Sandwich Glass Museum ( sandwichglassmuseum.org ) chronicles the process and history. On the hour, a glassblower gives an engaging demonstration. Not far away in Sandwich, the Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center ( www.nae.usace.army.mil/missions/recreation/cape-cod-canal/ ) recounts the realization of a centuries-long dream of cutting days off the shipping route between Cape Cod Bay and New York.

Buy a bit of the past

Cape Cod is generously stocked with antiques and collectibles shops where you might unearth some treasure you can’t live without. The Sandwich Antiques Center and Gallery ( sandwichantiquescenter.com ) features a wide range of dealers who display carefully curated offerings in enticing tableaux. Also a group shop, the Harwich Antique Center ( harwichantiquecenter.com ) follows the something-for-everyone approach, with strengths in collectible china, musical instruments, sports memorabilia, and vinyl records. If you have room in your vehicle, the affiliated barn next door is filled with larger furniture. For sheer quirkiness and sense of discovery, it’s hard to beat Wayne’s Antiques ( waynesantiques.com ) in Brewster, which is packed so full that many items are suspended from the ceilings. Don’t forget to look up — and watch your head.

Indulge your inner bibliophile

Someone could make a fortune by bottling the faintly nostalgic, faintly pungent aroma of old books. That’s the alluring scent wafting from Parnassus Book Service ( parnassusbooks.com ) in Yarmouth Port, a marvelously creaky 19th-century building with wooden bookshelves and masses of volumes on subjects both familiar and arcane. Once you visit, you’ll never be short of a vacation read. The Cape’s oldest bookstore, the Provincetown Bookshop ( provincetownbookshop.com ), prominently features local authors and spotlights LGBTQ+ subjects amid its broad list. Two Chatham shops also display intense loyalty to Cape authors. Where the Sidewalk Ends ( booksonthecape.com ) is a general bookstore with an especially good selection of children’s books, mainly on the upper level. The store has a children’s story hour every Wednesday at 10 a.m. Closer to the town center, Yellow Umbrella Books ( facebook.com/p/Yellow-Umbrella-Books-100064851994162/ ) is a must-stop for lovers of mysteries or readers on a budget, since it sells both new and used books, including half-price paperbacks.

Toast to brighter days

Grab a table and watch the storm rage from the “beer with a view″ upstairs tasting room of Tree House Cape Cod ( treehousebrew.com/visiting-sandwich ) in Sandwich. The full range of contemporary styles of beer is complemented by pizza and summer lobster rolls. On the west end of Hyannis, Barnstable Brewing ( barnstablebrewing.com ) lets you explore their range of brews with flights of four 5-ounce pours. Among the popular choices are a refreshingly light blueberry ale and a very complex and fruity IPA called Two Jesuits Walk into a Brewery (ask your bartender to explain). A food truck parks out front when the brewery is open. Located in East Falmouth, Cape Cod Winery ( capecodwinery.com ) tents their outdoor tasting tables in the summer, ensuring that the patrons stay dry whether their wine choices are dry, off-dry, or sweet. It’s a fun place to socialize over a few glasses with some pretzels, sliders, or other light fare. Let it rain!

Patricia Harris and David Lyon can be reached at [email protected] .

Patricia Harris can be reached at [email protected] . David Lyon can be reached at [email protected] .