The Outsiders Essay Topic Sentence Help

To improve your thesis statement and your topic sentences answer these questions.  Your answers will work as topic sentences and as your thesis.

 Paragraph 1: How does Ponyboy's view of Greasers and Soc's change over the course of the novel?  Include some of  these key words in your answer: grows, changes, evolves, stereotypes, individuals.

Paragraph 2: How does Ponyboy view Greasers and Socs at the beginning of the novel?

Paragraph 3:  How does meeting Cherry Valance cause Pony to begin to think differently about Socs and Greasers?

Paragraph 4:  How does talking to Randy change the way Pony views Greasers and Socs?

Paragraph 5:  How does the author use the conflict between the Greasers and the Socs to explore the theme 'things are rough all over'?

Please see me by Thursday if you need any help.

Final drafts are due Monday.  Scroll down for directions about MLA format.

Here's the Aztec Priest's song.





 You can find the Pachacuti song here:

MLA Format for The Outsiders Essays

Key things to remember for MLA format:

• Double space the entire essay, even the heading.
• Indent paragraphs.
• Center only the title.
• Do not change the default font or its size.

You can find details about MLA format at these links:

Purdue OWL  Check this site for complete details.  If you scroll down, you'll find a sample page from a student essay.  Your paper should look like this one when it's in MLA format.

CSUS This site has basic, easy to understand instructions for MLA format.

Essays are due on Monday, April 6.  

Vocabulary Challenge: Kerfuffle vs. Brouhaha

Which is worse a 'kerfuffle' or a 'brouhaha'?

Use dictionaries and internet sources to find the answer.  Decide which is worse.  Explain why in a typed paragraph.

You paragraph should follow these steps:

• Start with a hook that grabs the reader's attention.
• Use a (green) topic sentence that includes both words.
• States a definition of each word.  (yellow)  Cite the source of the definition.
• Give an example sentence that shows the meaning of the word. (Red) This can be a sentence you make up or one you find in another source.  Cite the source.
• End with a conclusion (green) that states which of the two words is worse

Type up your paragraph.  

Your answer is due on Wednesday, March 25.

You may illustrate your paper.

Ponyboy Poetry

Write a poem in the voice of Ponyboy from The Outsiders.

Pretend that you are Ponyboy.  Write a poem that he might have written.  You can be writing just after a certain event in the book has happened, or you can pretend that you are Ponyboy after the book is finished and are looking back at your life.

Ponyboy's poetry would be...

• about a subject he is interested in like one of the motifs we have been following: gold, sunsets, heroes, things are rough all over, etc.
• like the poetry of Robert Frost: short, rhyming, full of images from nature.

Type your poem up. Include a proper MLA heading.

Make sure your poem looks like a poem, not like a paragraph.  

Do not center it; use left justify instead.

You may write more than one poem on the same paper.

Give your poem a title.

Geography Challenge: Meso-America

Step 1.  Research.

Research one interesting fact about #1-7

1. Andes Mountains
2. Amazon River
3. Yucatan Peninsula
4. Sierra Madres
5. Tenochtitlan
6. Lake Titicaca
7. Valley of Mexico

Step 2.  More research

Find the ansers to #8-10.

8.  Find the size of the Aztec Empire in square miles.

9.  Find out how much a guided tour of a Mayan temple costs.

10.  Find out how many miles long (north/south) the Incan Empire was.

Step 3.  Draw your map and label items 11-19 on it.  Use the map in your history book as a guide.  Do not draw the modern day countries.  Just draw an outline map.  Then draw in items 11-19.`

11.  Andes Mountains

12.  Amazon River

13.  Sierra Madres Occidental and Sierra Madres Oriental

14.  Valley of Mexico

15 Atacama Desert

16.  Lake Titicaca

17.  Inca Empire

18.  Aztec Empire

19.  Mayan Civilization

Step 4.

Use your notes from step one and two to annotate your map.

Vocabulary Challenge: jippa jappa vs. jibber jabber

What is the difference between "jippa jappa" and "jibber jabber"?  Both are English words.

Look up definitions of each.  See if you can find a sample sentence for each word. You might even be able to find a picture of each.  Make sure you understand the difference between each word.

Write a paragraph that explains the difference between jippa jappa and jibber jabber.

Make sure you do these things in your paragraph:

• Start with a topic sentence.  It can be a fun one.
• Define each word.  (Cite your source.)
• Write an example sentence of each word.  (Cite your source or write your own sentence.)
• Conclude with a sentence that discusses how the words are different.

You may illustrate your paragraph.