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The Outsiders — Chapter 1

Study guide for 1st – 3rd Grade

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Copywork

About This Passage

This short sentence captures a moment when even Darry, who 'rarely grins at all,' smiles at Sodapop's teasing. The author, S.E. Hinton, writes 'cracked a grin' as if Darry's hardness were something solid — like ice — breaking open for just a moment. It shows that underneath his tough shell, Darry still has warmth.

Darry stared at him for a second, then cracked a grin.

Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.

Discussion Questions

Narration Prompt

Tell someone in your family what happens to Ponyboy in Chapter 1 of The Outsiders. Start with when Ponyboy walks home from the Paul Newman movie all by himself, then tell what the Socs do to him, and finish with how Darry, Sodapop, and the gang come running to rescue him.

Discussion Questions

  1. Ponyboy thinks his brother Darry does not love him, but Sodapop tells Ponyboy that Darry is 'really proud' of him. Which brother do you think is right about Darry? What in the story makes you think so?
  2. When the Socs pinned Ponyboy down with a blade at his throat, he started screaming for Soda and Darry. What does the story show us about why Ponyboy yelled his brothers' names first — and how do you know?

+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide

Vocabulary Builder

Item 1

Looked at someone for a long time without blinking

Item 2

Broke open suddenly with a quick, small movement or sound

Item 3

A big, happy smile

+ 5 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide

Critical Thinking

+ 4 more questions in the complete study guide

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More chapters of The Outsiders

Chapter 1 (10th – 12th)Chapter 1 (7th – 9th)Chapter 1 (Adult)Chapter 1 (4th – 6th)Chapter 2 (10th – 12th)Chapter 2 (7th – 9th)View all chapters

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