The Outsiders – Page 2 – Teaching The Outsiders (and more)

Assemblies, Rerun, Richard Cory, Schedules, The Outsiders

57% New Material (Chapter 5 and Richard Cory)

mrC

I can’t figure out what’s going on. We’re at least 3 or 4 chapters behind where we usually are. I haven’t been trying out that much new material. One of the science teachers made a comment the other day about how many times we’ve had weird (read: shortened period) schedules this year. Let’s see… Extended […]

Hank Williams, Presenting the Book, Prince, Student Aides, The Outsiders

Hank vs. Prince. (Also: “Lean meat?”)

mrC

Most of the classes finished the pivotal chapter 4 today. We listened to Hank Williams sing “Why Don’t You Love Me Like You Used to Do?” My Hank bobblehead rocked, even headbangin’ a little. Most of the kids squirmed and looked at each other nervously. “Pony feels the same way.” I did have a few […]

Assemblies, Presenting the Book, The Outsiders

50% New Material

mrC

We finally had a regular schedule today (54 minute periods). Monday was our weekly TCT (Teacher Collaboration Time)/Late Start Schedule (43 minute periods – the kids start at 9:30 instead of 8:20; not as collaborative as hoped) and yesterday we had the ASB election assembly (assembly schedule: 47 minute periods). (Aside) As ASB election assemblies […]

Presenting the Book, The Outsiders

“Can we read Outsiders today?”

mrC

The down side of reading the book entirely in class is that there’s usually a lot going on in class. What with the warm up, a little grammar work, vocabulary, and whatnot (there’s always that dang whatnot), sometimes it ends up… “Dang it. We’ll have to get back to reading tomorrow.” We’re a little behind […]

mechanics, Schoolhouse Rock, The Outsiders

Snnkkkttt! (Also: Adjectives)

mrC

Finally! I get to bust out the switchcomb. The groove is back. We finally had enough time to get a good start today. I managed not to accidentally show the switchblade comb too early, so it was a beauty when I clicked it open as I read the line… “The medium-sized blonde took a knife […]

Paul Newman, Presenting the Book, The Outsiders

No-Brainer

mrC

And so it begins (again). We finally got to start reading The Outsiders today. The way things have been going so far this year, I still haven’t found my groove. We didn’t even get to the book’s hook – Ponyboy getting jumped. But to continue the fishing metaphor, getting seventh-graders hooked on this book is […]

Me, Seventh Grade Behavior, stories, The Outsiders

OMG! Haircut!

mrC

I’m going to dispense with the “oh noes, vacation is over, and I didn’t do anything except sleep in, install a toilet, and play Wii” in one sentence and be done with it. There. Also, before I get back to 120 Seconds tomorrow, I have another first to share. (That’s another beautiful thing about this […]

Euphemisms, Follow up, Seventh Grade Behavior, The Outsiders

Oh, of course!

mrC

As we have seen, the seventh grade mind works in mysterious ways. Last week left us pondering seventh grade translations for the euphemism, “vertically challenged.” In addition to the correct response, short, and many silly ones (retarded? stupid?), we also received three sincere, mystery responses: hard, clumsy, and gay. Here are the kids’ explanations: Hard […]

Presenting the Book, Seventh Grade Behavior, The Outsiders

“Who is this Jhonny?”

mrC

Most of them have gotten past chapter 10, and the answers to my question, “Why is Dally’s death somehow sadder than Johnny’s?” are starting to trickle in. I’ll share some of those soon, when we talk about chapter 12, but I want to talk about this guy Jhonny. (me, reading the first responses to the […]

Presenting the Book, Seventh Grade Behavior, The Outsiders

I hate “make-up” work requests. Also, silence.

mrC

I was going to talk about the absolute silence that reigned when I turned them loose to read silently today. OK I will anyway, then I’ll rant about make-up work requests. I told them today I was going to read aloud up to the bottom of page 146, and then they were going to read […]

Presenting the Book, Seventh Grade Behavior, Stories of Seventh Grade, The Outsiders

Chapter Nine – Part I (Also, sarcastic comedy.)

mrC

Admittedly, chapter 9 has some filler. I still don’t get Pony’s little poll about why each of them fights. I finally eliminated questions about that from my quizzes. Unlike almost everything else in the novel, this feels tacked on, maybe just to build tension for the rumble. There are a few laughs. Soda trying to […]

open mouth quizzes, Random Featured Post, Seventh Grade Behavior, Stories of Seventh Grade, The Outsiders

True That.

mrC

We had an open mouth quiz on chapter 8 today. One class has several boys who have a new phrase they’re trying out. Personally, I sort of like it. 4) On p127, we get an example of what seems to be foreshadowing. What is it? a) When Two-Bit says that Darry will kill him if […]

Presenting the Book, Seventh Grade Behavior, The Outsiders

Almost there…kleenex at the ready.

mrC

Right now we are well into chapter 7. It’s only been a week (book time) since chapter 1, and S. E. Hinton starts us off by showing a slice of life at the Curtis house. Friends come and go, they get to eat chocolate cake for breakfast, pillow fights. Almost sounds fun. Then we get […]

Presenting the Book, Seventh Grade Behavior, The Outsiders

First Tears

mrC

My friendly and sensitive class is also the furthest ahead in the novel. When Johnny tells Dally that he wants to turn himself in, and Dally flips out and tells Johnny that he doesn’t want him to “end up like me,” we stop and talk about Dally. This class is quick to realize that Dally […]

Presenting the Book, Related readings, The Outsiders

“But it says he!”

mrC

The boys are in the church cutting their hair (some of the girls visibly wince as Johnny “starts sawing” on Pony’s hair with the same knife he used on Bob) and killing time with Gone With the Wind. We’re talking about irony and Richard Cory. We go through the poem, and I keep the fourth […]