S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders" Study Guide Questions

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Directions:  DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PAPER!!!!  On a separate sheet of lined paper and using complete sentences, write the answers to the following questions.

Chapters 1:

1.        This story is being told from 1^st person point of view. Who is telling the story?

2.        Please tell me more information about the main character (i.e.: name. physical description, personality, likes/dislikes, etc.)

3.        What is the setting at the beginning of the story? Where is Ponyboy coming from?

4.        The East-side kids are called _____.  Why?

        The West-side kids are called _____.  Why?

5.        What happened to Ponyboy’s parents?

6.        Which group does Ponyboy and his brothers belong to?

7.        What almost happens to Ponyboy in Chapter 1?  Who rescues him?

8.        Please write any information you find about the following characters:  Darry, Sodapop, Two-bit Matthews, Steve Randle, and Dallas Winston.

9.        How are the gangs in this part of town different than in New York?

10.     What is a rumble?

11.     Is Ponyboy concerned with the appearance he gives off to others?  Why or why not?

12.     What two things does Sodapop tell Ponyboy at the end of Chapter 1?

Chapter 2:

1.        What is the setting of Chapter 2?

2.        Please write any information you find about Cherry Valance.

3.        How was Jonny so out of character in this chapter?

4.        What is Two-bit’s version of a fair fight?

5.        How does Ponyboy feel about being seen with Cherry and Marcia?

6.        Why is Johnny so nervous and panicky all the time?

7.        Ponyboy doesn’t believe that Socs can have problems.  What problems do you think Cherry is talking about?

Chapter 3:

1.        How does Cherry explain the difference between the Socs and the Greasers?

2.        How does Ponyboy feel about his brother Darry?

3.        What does Ponyboy mean when he says that his gang gets all “the rough breaks”?

4.        Why did the girls take a ride home with the Soc boys in the Mustang?

5.        What were Cherry’s last words to Ponyboy before she left?  What do you think she meant by that?

6.        Why was Darry so angry with Ponyboy?  How did Darry react and how did Ponyboy respond?

7.        What does Johnny say about the abuse he receives from his parents?

8.        How is the last line an example of suspense?

Chapter 6:

1.        What is Cherry’s connection to Bob (the Soc who was killed)?

2.        What was Cherry offering to do to help bring Johnny and Ponyboy back home?

3.        What does Johnny want to do?

4.        Why do you think Johnny wants to know about his parents?

5.        What happened at the church on Jay Mountain?

6.        Who is Jerry Wood?  Why do you believe he is helping the boys?

7.        Who came to pick Ponyboy up from the hospital?

8.        How does Ponyboy’s opinion of Darry begin to change in this chapter?

Chapter 7:

1.        What is Johnny’s condition at the beginning of the chapter?

2.        How did the headline read in the newspaper?

3.        What does Ponyboy learn from the newspaper article?

4.        What happened to Soda’s thought of marrying Sandy?

5.        What did Randy want to talk to Ponyboy about?

6.        Ponyboy is beginning to understand what cherry meant by “it’s rough all over.”  What does he think she meant by the comment?

7.        Ponyboy says Randy isn’t a Soc.  He says, “he’s just a ______________.”

Chapter 8:

1.        When Ponyboy and Two-bit went to see Johnny what two things did he ask for?

2.        Why do you believe Johnny asked not to see his mother?

3.        What did Dally want from Two-bit?  What do you think he’s going to do with it?

4.        Why do Two-bit and Ponyboy believe that Darry could be a Soc if it weren’t for the Greasers?

5.        What did Cherry tell Two-bit and Ponyboy about the Socs plan for the rumble?

6.        Why won’t Cherry go to see Johnny?

7.        How is Ponyboy making a connection with Cherry?

Chapter 9:

1.        Why did the boys spend so much time and effort getting ready for the rumble?

2.        Why do the boys like to fight?

3.        Why doesn’t Darry want Ponyboy to fight?

4.        Why are the boys singing songs and chanting about being a Greaser?

5.        Who was waiting at the vacant lot when the Greasers arrived there?

6.        What Greaser shows up at the rumble?

7.        Who won the rumble?

8.        What advice did Johnny offer Ponyboy and Dallas?

9.        What happens at the end of the chapter?

Midsummer Night's Dream Script

Midsummer Night's Dream Script: Act 1, Scene 1

Monday, May 14, 2012 - Friday, May 18, 2012

7th Grade ELA:
  Students will spend the week discussing and correcting their various poetry exercises completed in class.  Upon the completion of this week, students will begin their final unit of the year.  The majority of the reading and response activities will take place in class.  There will be a mini-project and test at the conclusion of the book during the first week of June.  There will be various "pop quizzes" throughout the reading of the novel as well to verify comprehension and individual student accountability to maintain the reading pace.

8th Grade ELA:
  For the remainder of the year, 8th grade students will be reading S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders".  The majority of the reading and response activities will take place in class.  There will be a mini-project and test at the conclusion of the book during the first week of June. There will be various intermittent "pop quizzes" throughout the reading of the novel as well to verify comprehension and individual student accountability to maintain the reading pace.

8th Grade AELA:
  For the remainder of the year, AELA 8th grade students will be reading Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream".  Students will be required to complete the reading, several reading activities, and short play production.  Students will be provided class time, but are also responsible to complete unfinished work at home in order to be prepared for each class period.  Students will be expected to act out at least one scene of the play in full costume, props, etc. as their culminating project.  They will also take a written test.  Specific due dates will be posted and announced.

Diary of Anne Frank Responses

Diary of Anne Frank

Act I

Questions & Responses

¨1. At first, Anne is unaffected and considers the hiding place “a very peculiar summer boarding house”.

¨2. While the workers are in the building, there had to be complete quiet. There could be no noise from 8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. They could move only in their stockinged feet and could not speak above a whisper. They could not run any water.

¨3. Her father’s command that she must never go beyond the door of their hiding place makes Anne realize the severity of their confinement.

¨4. Margot, Anne, and Peter do school assignments under the guidance of Mr. Frank. Mrs. Frank and Mrs. Van Daan do sewing, embroidery, and prepare dinners. They all celebrate Hanukkah. The families cannot make any noise for fear of people becoming aware that they are hiding upstairs. They are never allowed to leave the attic to go outside. When a thief enters the warehouse, his noise fills everyone with fear.  They think the intruder is the Green Police

¨5. Anne wants to be able to ride her bike, to laugh, to have new clothes, to have a hot bath, and to be back at school with her friends. Her nightmare was that the Green Police broke down the door and grabbed her.

¨6. Hanukkah is a time of celebration. It is a way of renewing your faith in God. Anne has managed to surprise the group by finding appropriate Hanukkah presents for each one

¨7. Peter is gentle and well mannered. He is shy and at times withdrawn. Anne is intelligent, honest, and eager for perfection. However, at times she can be difficult and temperamental. Peter impulsively rips the Star of David off his shirt and burns it. Anne has stronger feelings about what the star stands for and can’t burn it.

¨8. Margot is quiet, courteous, and distant. Anne is boisterous, self-assertive, and engaging. Their mother prefers Margot’s character to Anne’s. Anne feels she is not understood and has nothing in common with her mother.

¨9. The statement means that, even though they are virtually prisoners in the attic, they can go anywhere through books. Anne is eager for intellectual activity and Mr. Frank is a great source of intellectual stimulation for her.

¨10. Everyone is fearful that the intruder will go to the Green Police and tell of their hiding. Yet they try to renew their faith and courage by continuing to celebrate Hanukkah.

¨11. Traditions help us get through difficult times by giving people a sense of security. The idea of sharing long-established values prevents a sense of rootlessness.

¨12. Answers may vary…Yes. Students should note that Anne provides firsthand observations on the barbarism of the Nazis.

Act II

Questions & Responses

¨ 1. The people from whom Miep had gotten the ration books have been arrested, and so the refugees are particularly hungry.

¨ 2. Answers may vary…Some examples include Mr. Van Daan’s attempt to sell his wife’s fur coat, Peter’s resentment over Dussel’s remark about the boy’s lost cat, news of the workman’s blackmail of Mr. Kraler, Mrs. Van Daan’s disapproval of her son’s growing affection for Anne, and Mr. Van Daan’s theft of food.

¨ 3. News of the D-Day invasion of Normandy and expectations of imminent liberation give the group hope.

¨ Mr. Kraler tells the group that he thinks one of the workmen is trying to blackmail him and knows that there are people hiding in the attic.

¨ 4. Mrs. Frank wants to turn out the Van Daans because she discovered Mr. Van Daan stealing bread that should have gone to the children.

¨ Mrs. Frank has always been shown to be concerned about the health and well-being of the children

¨ 5. The Gestapo traces the stolen radio back to the thief, who reveals the location of the hideout to the Nazis.

¨ 6. Peter provides her with the security she craves, and now this confidence in his affection for her enables her to be less defensive with the other occupants.

¨ 7. Ulcers can be caused by stress and aggravation. Mr. Frank feels that Mr. Kraler’s ulcers were caused by constantly worrying about their safety.

¨ 8. Mr. Frank refers to the fact that living in confinement, compounded by the strain and tension of war, causes problems among people which might otherwise never occur.

¨ 9. Anne’s successful struggle to achieve courage, hope, and compassion allows her to believe that people are really good at heart.

¨ 10. The implication is that Mr. Frank has lost his faith. Reading his daughter’s entries restores his own faith in humanity.

¨ 11. Answers may vary. Like Anne in this speech, some young people think they can ignore the world’s evils and on the strength of their hopes and ideals make the world a better place.

¨ 12. Anne’s diary is an enduring testimonial to the power of courage and positivism to prevail over despair

Monday, May 7, 2012 - Friday, May 12, 2012

8th Grade ELA & AELA:

Monday: Complete Diary of Anne Frank questions; "Thinking about the Selection" questions #1-12 on page 343 and "Thinking about the Selection" and "Analyzing Literature" questions on page 369 #1-12 and #1-4.
Tuesday: Correct and discuss Diary of Anne Frank questions
Wednesday: Discovery Education Testing Day!
Thursday: Begin Memoir Writing Assessment
Friday: Complete Memoir Writing Assessment and complete Diary of Anne Frank Reading Test