University of North Alabama Lesson Plan Template

Lesson Grade: 8
Title: Analyzing Characterization in S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders Date: 11/20/2022
CCRS Standard(s):

3. Analyze how authors use key literary elements, including setting, plot, theme, characters, internal and
external conflict, dialogue, and point of view, to contribute to the meaning and purpose of a text, using text
evidence as support. (Alabama, ELA, Grade 8, 2021)

13. Create and edit digital products that are appropriate in subject, occasion, audience, point of view, purpose,
and tone. (Alabama, ELA, Grade 8, 2021)

Individual Education Plan/504 Goal(s) and Benchmarks specific to this lesson (as directly indicated on
the plan):

**This lesson is a sample lesson plan included in my Teaching Portfolio. As there are no specified students for
this sample lesson, the potential lesson accommodations/modifications for diverse learners are as follows:

 A copy (digital or printed) of the PowerPoint used during instruction

 A physical copy of The Outsiders, and/or a translated version of the text (for English learners)
o An audio recording of the text/audiobook (for English learners and low-level readers)

 Increased opportunities for discussion/small-group work to support English learners and students with
specific learning needs (Ex: Implement the “Characterization Identification” task as a small-group
activity, as opposed to independent work)

 A copy of the guided notes answer key to be implemented after instruction (to support students with
specific learning needs, also serves as a whole group support)

 A copy of the assessment prompt and rubric (as a whole group support)

 A tutorial/user guide for Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canva, Prezi, or the slide presentation
program to be used by students [determined by instructor] to support all students, especially students
with specific learning needs.

 A detailed example of a completed version of the assessment for students to review as they create
their own similar projects (whole-group support)

Strategies
Daily Lesson
Objective(s)  The student will be able to use textual evidence to analyze how S. E.
Objectives are Hinton’s use of characterization contributes to the meaning and purpose of
measurable and The Outsiders.
aligned with the
standard.  The student will be able to create and edit a PowerPoint presentation
mimicking a real-world blog from the point of view of a character in The
Outsiders, so that the product is appropriate in audience and purpose, per
the traits/qualities of their chosen character.

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Introduction to Use the PowerPoint located in the “Materials” section of this lesson plan for the
Lesson/ following instruction elements:
Activating Thinking
***Use knowledge of 1. Slide 1: Title of Lesson
students’ academic,
social, and cultural 2. Slide 2: Introduce students to the lesson agenda.
characteristics to meet
diverse needs. 3. Slide 3: Introduce students to the standards/objectives associated with
the lesson

4. Slide 4: Create a Character Activity Prompt

a. Students will get into small groups. Each group will work together to
build one fictional character, using the following character-building
guide:
i. Choose a career field for your character.
ii. Decide where in the world your character will live.
iii. What is your character’s signature outfit?
iv. What does your character look like?
v. Give your character a name.
vi. Describe your character’s personality.

5. Slide 5: Character Share-Out

a. Each group will share with the class a brief overview of the character
they have created, using the character-building guide to describe their
characters.

6. Slide 6: Essential Question

a. As a whole group, the class will discuss the following question:
i. How did knowing information about your character help you to
better understand them/know their personality?

Body of What is Characterization?

Lesson/Teaching  Students will use a guided notes sheet to learn about characterization in
Strategies literary works. Students will…
Body of Lesson/
Teaching Strategies 1. Define characterization (Slide 8)
a. Characterization: how authors describe characters for readers and how
the author develops characters throughout a story

2. Note the two types of characterization (Slide 9)

a. Direct Characterization: the author directly tells readers what a character
is like
b. Indirect Characterization: the author indirectly shows readers what a
character is like

3. See examples of characterization in S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders:

a. Slide 10: Direct Characterization – S. E. Hinton uses Ponyboy’s self-
description to tell readers directly what Ponyboy looks like.

b. Slide 11: Indirect Characterization - S. E. Hinton uses the dialogue

between Dally and Cherry to show readers indirectly what Dally is like.

Characterization Identification: Show What You Know (Slides 12-15)

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  Students will view brief passages from The Outsiders. For each passage,
students will note the type of characterization used in the text, and an
example from the passage to justify their answers. Answers will be recorded
using the guided notes worksheet.

1. Slide 12: Task Instructions

2. Slide 13: Passage #1 (Ponyboy’s reaction to Dally talking about jail)

3. Slide 14: Passage #2 (S. E. Hinton’s description of Two-Bit Mathews, given

through Ponyboy [the narrator])

4. Slide 15: Passage #3 (Ponyboy picking up the glass from a bottle he broke to
scare away three Socs)

Materials/Technology
Teacher Materials:
1. “Analyzing Characterization in S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders” PowerPoint
presentation: https://1drv.ms/p/s!AhtA4uMGlMePk1atVZsqMmG6caPT?
e=PWZWcM

2. Guided notes answer key: https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhtA4uMGlMePk1--SE2n-

8S0B2Io?e=YBgaFh

3. Example of character blog slide presentation for students to review

a. My example (Valerie Walker): https://1drv.ms/p/s!
AhtA4uMGlMePk1Qb9VEZj7qbtn8O?e=a9llVh

b. NOTE: STUDENTS SHOULD NOT USE THE SAME CHARACTER

INCLUDED IN THE TEACHER EXAMPLE!

Student Materials:
1. Copy (digital or printed) of the “Analyzing Characterization in S. E. Hinton’s
The Outsiders” PowerPoint

2. Editable copy (digital or printed) of the “Analyzing Characterization in S. E.

Hinton’s The Outsiders” guided notes worksheet: https://1drv.ms/w/s!
AhtA4uMGlMePk100JKCA-zMbnEXI?e=gsDQ3I

3. Access to a laptop/computer and a slide presentation program (Microsoft

PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canva, Prezi, etc.) to create the character blog
slide presentation (assessment).

Closure/
Summarizing 1. Characterization Identification Answers (Slide 16)
Strategies: a. Students will review the correct answers to the characterization
identification activity from slides 12-15:
i. Passage #1: Indirect Characterization
ii. Passage #2: Direct Characterization
iii. Passage #3: Indirect Characterization

2. Lesson Review (Slide 17)

a. Students will revisit the definition of characterization

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 b. Students will revisit the two types of characterization (direct and
indirect characterization)

3. Slide 18: Students will discuss the following question: How does an author’s use
of characterization help us better understand the whole story?
Assessment/
Evaluation 1. The Outsiders Character Blog Activity:
 Students will choose a character from S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. From the
point of view of their chosen characters, students will create a “blog” which
aligns with their character’s attitudes/motives/beliefs/actions/words, as
presented in the novel. Students will use a PowerPoint presentation to format
their “blog”.
 Students will be required to include a title slide, a blog homepage slide, an
author biography slide, a blog description slide, a photo gallery slide, 3 “blog
post” slides, a character quote slide, a citation slide, and a reflection slide.
 Students will be required to also include vocabulary from the novel and MLA9
format in-text citations for information they pull from the text to use in their
projects.
 Students will be graded on their ability to meet the requirements associated
with each PowerPoint slide.

Follow this link to view the full assignment prompt and grading rubric:

https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhtA4uMGlMePk1pfZxnzubbZGKDS?e=3nQbSg

**Slide 19: Introduction to Character Blog Activity

**Slide 20: Link to assignment prompt/rubric document for students accessing the
presentation online, as opposed to receiving a handout in class.

Reflection The first standard associated with this lesson asks students to analyze how an
author’s use of key literary elements (this lesson focuses on
characters/characterization) contributes to the meaning/purpose of a text, using
textual evidence as support. Throughout the lesson, students learn what
characterization is, the two major types of characterization, and how to identify it in a
text, using textual evidence to justify their identification of characterization in
passages. This sequence scaffolds the practice of determining what kind of
characterization an author uses and locating textual evidence to support that
interpretation. By completing the characterization identification activity (PowerPoint
slides 12-15), students meet the goal of analyzing characterization and using textual
evidence to support their analyses. Through essential question-based discussions
which are embedded in the lesson, students meet the objective of analyzing
characterization for its contribution to the meaning/purpose of a text.

The second standard associated with this lesson aligns directly to the lesson
assessment. The standard asks students to create and edit a digital product which is
appropriate in subject, occasion, audience, point of view, purpose, and tone. More
specifically (according to the second objective outlined in this lesson), students will
create a “blog” that is appropriate in point of view, audience, and purpose, per their
chosen character from The Outsiders. Throughout the lesson, students work to meet
the first standard/objective to prepare them for meeting this one. As students apply
their knowledge from the first standard in the assessment, they create and edit a
slide presentation meant to mimic a blog that someone would publish online.

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Students create the “blog” based on their chosen Outsiders character’s personality,
motives, actions, words, or even relationships with other characters to make an
authentic blog-like product which is representative of the character. Students must
use their knowledge of characterization to design the blog, meeting all of the
components outlined on the assignment prompt/rubric. As they do so, they are also
meeting the standard/objective regarding the creation of a digital product which is
appropriate in point of view, audience, and purpose.

In effect, the instruction component of the lesson serves to guide students towards
meeting the first standard/objective of the lesson, while the assessment combines
the knowledge acquired during instruction with a new standard/objective to
effectively measure students’ comprehension of the concept of characterization, as it
applies to The Outsiders. This lesson prepares students for an upcoming writing
assignment which requires them to complete a literary analysis of the novel. By
helping students to understand and apply concepts regarding an author’s use of
characterization to the text, they are preparing to analyze the text in-depth for the
larger, upcoming writing assignment.

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