1. Novel Study: The Outsiders
Timing: This unit could take between __ and ___ classes. One way to shorten the unit is to remove the Socratic Circle Novel Prep Booklet and to move the Quotation Hunt and Theses segment up in its place (as prep for the Soc Circle).
PLOs: A12, A1, A2, B5, A9, B4, C4, C10, C14, B11, B6, B10, B9
Objectives:
Collaboration (true collaboration, where you rely on the knowledge of others to build mastery/meaning)
Using quotations effectively: choosing appropriate quotes (not just the first ones that seem to work) and using quotations in a piece of writing.
Adaptations to prep for:
Have chapter summaries of each chapter (for the novel in a day) ready for adapted students (and stressed/absent students). OR, be sure to assign the novel to the student in advance. They can do some summaries in support and then be placed in an appropriate group.
Big Ideas (taken from Cowell, Smith & Johnson’s Unit plan):
1.Perceptions lead to stereotyping and internal pressure to conform (peer pressure).
2.Expand awareness that all people have common life experiences both positive and negative to promote empathy.
3.Loyalty and rivalry and their impact on self, family, and friends.
4.Power takes different shapes and forms.
Essential Questions from Big Ideas to Guide Instruction and Assessment:
1.How do perceptions lead to stereotyping and pressure to conform?
2.Why is it important to recognize that all people have common life experiences that are both positive and negative?
3.What is loyalty and rivalry?
4.What does power mean

2. Why Read Fiction? Think, pair, share. Report out
I do this purely as a metacognitive exercise. They already know this and this activity doesn’t take long, but focuses on the positives of reading in a quick whip-around,
Students do a fair bit of non-fictional reading in other classes, so it’s important to cover fiction in English.
Answers could include: helps build fluency (which helps in other classes), it’s fun, it helps stir your imagination, etc.
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Metacognition exercise and reader-response theory
Metacognition: they need to think about their thinking to understand what I’m talking about when I discuss reading strategies
Reader-response theory: They also need to realize that every person has a different experience while reading a novel because we have different prior knowledge, emotions, etc.
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3. Don’t Read… Books that are too hard Books that are too easy
Books that bore you
Give handout (I will not finish books I don’t like)

4. Book List
Create a list of ten books you’d like to read (or at least try) this year
Use:
Your Genre Activity (from last day in the library),
Your memory (of what you liked before)
Recommendations from people at your table
The books in my room

5. First Step - Brainstorming
The novel we will be reading involves many themes, including stereotyping.
Why do people stereotype others?
Later, once we’ve read the novel, we’ll come back to this and add information from the novel.
Brainstorm aspects of stereotyping on a poster-sized web, as a class. Be sensitive to the fact that they’ve probably been lectured on this a zillion times. Don’t lecture or be patronizing. Express frustration that even teachers don’t really know how to fix it.
Keep in mind that not all stereotyping is conscious.
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6. What goes into writing an essay?
Write down the steps to writing an essay
Describe the easiest steps
Describe the most difficult steps
Self-assess: How good are you at writing essays?
They need this at the end of the unit to decide what they’ve learned about the process.
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7. Read
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