Journalism Reporting for
THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton
Submitted By: Monica M. Esparza
Endorsed by: Dr. Mangelsdorf
School or Affiliation: University of Texas at El Paso
Date: May 10, 1996
Grade Level: 9th grade English literature or Remedial 10th and 11th grades
Description:
This exercise is used to introduce journalism writing to student through their
observation of the events within the novel. The exercise is also effective in checking for
reading comprehension on the part of the student.
Background Information:
THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. HInton can be taught on many levels. The incidents are still
contemporary in today's society as arson, gang hostility, and police-induced murders.
These incidents can be spotted on local news progamming as well as in local newspapers and
students will respond easily to things they are familiar with.
Concepts Covered in Lesson:
This lesson discusses contemporary problems facing the youth of today. It allows the
student to connect affectively to the novel as they can relate their own experiences to
those of the characters. It is an excellent way to check for student comprehension of the
material presented through the novel itself as it covers the who, what, where, why, and
how of the book.
Materials
- The students will require the novel,paper, pens, brads, hole punchers and colored paper
to collect the information into newspapers.
- The students will need a copy of the local newspaper to use as a visual example.
Activities and Procedures:
- A short journal-writing assignment asking the student to describe any similar event they
may share with the characters of the novel.
- A short presentation by the instructor that includes examples and definitions of the
parts of a newspaper: the headline, the lead, and the body.
- Have the students choose one of the following topics and write their own news story
describing the incidents using the information presented through the novel.
a) the murder of Bob
b) the rescue of the children from the burning church
c) the police murder of Dallas Winston
Evaluation:
Have students read their article aloud to class and later gather the stories into short
newspapers. Each newspaper will contain one of each of the three stories. Student
responses are welcome after each article is read.
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