Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Tune In: Judgement lines

20 minutes

Find Out: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

15 minutes

Take Action: Repercussions of violence

10 minutes

Reflection

Tune In: Judgement lines

Step 1

Explain to students that they will be participating in an activity called ‘Judgement Lines’. Nominate one side of the classroom as ‘AGREE’ and the other side as ‘DISAGREE’. You can write these on the whiteboard to help students remember.

Present students with each of the following prompts and ask them to stand on the line indicating their level of agreement. When students have positioned themselves, ask a few to share their thinking and why they have placed themselves where they have. After students share their thinking, invite the class to reposition themselves if their thinking has changed.

Prompts:

Violence is never an appropriate response to a situation
Some forms of fighting are more honourable than others
Fistfights are less dangerous than fighting with weapons
Violence is acceptable in self-defence
There is honour in physically fighting for what you believe in.

Find Out: ‘The Outsiders’ By S.E. Hinton

Step 1

Read the Excerpt from The Outsiders (Chapter 9) with the class. Ask them to read with a highlighter in their hand and to highlight any references to violence or fighting. When you have finished reading, ask students to share their highlighting with the person next to them - what do they notice? Student responses will vary depending on the class. They might comment on the different perspectives as to why the characters like to fight. They may notice all the characters are male. Ask students to look to the text to support their initial thinking about the passage.

Step 2

In pairs, have students answer the following questions on their worksheet, while you circulate and help scaffold their thinking:

Why do you think Ponyboy questions, "What kind of world is it where all I have to be proud of is a reputation for being a hood and greasy hair?"? Why isn’t he truly proud of being a ‘greaser’?
Possible answer: Ponyboy is experiencing somewhat of an identity crisis in this excerpt, as he reconciles the person he knows himself to be, and the gang he is a part of. He doesn’t really enjoy fighting, like his brothers and their friends, but is also drawn into their rumbles through a sense of pride and obligation. Students may have their own reflections on this character, based on their own worldview, and how they feel perceived by others due to their appearance or hobbies.
Write down the reasons why the different characters like to fight:
1. Sodapop: “It's action. It's a contest. Like a drag race or a dance or something.”
2. Steve: "I want to beat those Socs' heads in. When I get in a fight I want to stomp the other guy good. I like it, too."
3. Darry: "He likes to show off his muscles." "Darry liked anything that took strength, like weight lifting or playing football or roofing houses, even if he was proud of being smart too. Darry never said anything about it, but I knew he liked fights."
4. Two-Bit: "Shoot, everybody fights." "If everybody jumped in the Arkansas River, ol' Two-Bit would be right on their heels."
5. Ponyboy: "I'll fight anyone anytime, but I don't like to… There isn't any real good reason for fighting except self-defence."
Ponyboy assures Darry he can join in the fight because “Nobody ever gets really hurt in a skin rumble.” Is this true?
Students responses to this question may vary - this is appropriate at this stage, as you will be introducing them to the idea of the coward punch in the next stage. Some students might already bring this up as part of the discussion.

Step 3

Reorganise students from pairs into groups of four to share their thinking about the questions. Ask each group of four to share one answer with the class.

Take Action: Repercussions of violence

Step 1

Explain to students that while Ponyboy believed that "Nobody ever gets really hurt in a skin rumble", this is not true. When a person strikes another person unprovoked and without warning, it can lead to terrible consequences.

Step 2

Play this video:

Consequences of a Coward Punch - Professor Kate Drummond AM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns05--Bu1So)

Professor Kate Drummond AM, Director of Neurosurgery at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, explains what happens to the brain due to a coward punch.

Step 3

Ask students to consider the STOP the Coward Punch logo found on their Student Worksheet. In their groups of four, ask students to reflect on the following:

Does this logo remind you of another key sign?
Students will likely identify that the logo looks like a stop sign they would see out on the road. A stop sign signals a driver to come to a stop and to wait and look before they drive forwards. This logo could be tapping into this learned behaviour. Stop signs are also legally enforceable - one must come to a complete stop; otherwise, the offender could incur a fine. Students may connect this to the campaign logo, as there is a warning that continuing in the behaviour leads to punishment.
What do you notice about the colours of the logo? Are these important in any way?
The colours mimic the stop sign - red and white. However, red and white are also used on first aid signs; students may connect this stop sign and the links to healthcare and healing.
Consider the font used in the logo - is this important?
The ‘STOP THE COWARD PUNCH’ part of the logo is capitalised, indicating that this is the most important part. Further, ‘STOP’ and ‘PUNCH’ are bigger than ‘THE COWARD’, so this message is the pivotal one: stop punching.
Overall, why do you think Danny Green chose this logo for his campaign?
Student responses may vary.

Reflection

Ask students to think back to the statements they initially responded to on the judgement line:

Violence is never an appropriate response to a situation.
Some forms of fighting are more honourable than others.
Fistfights are less dangerous than fighting with weapons.
Violence is acceptable in self-defence.
There is honour in physically fighting for what you believe in.

Using the sentence stems, I used to think… but now I think… ask students to complete the written reflection on their Student Worksheet.

Differentiated Learning

Extension -

Students can reflect on the following questions about The Outsiders excerpt orally or in writing:

Ponyboy asks his brothers Soda and Darry when they started shaving and reflects he “wished [his] T-shirt was tighter”. Why might Hinton include these conversations and reflections? What does this show about Ponyboy as a character?
Hinton presents the reader with several different representations of masculinity in the other characters perspectives on fighting: “Soda fought for fun, Steve for hatred, Darry for pride, and Two-Bit for conformity.” In contrast, Ponyboy “felt out of things. [He’d] fight anyone anytime, but [he] don’t like to.” Why is Ponyboy’s more passive approach so different to the other boys?
Ponyboy reflects that he would “hate to see the day when [he] had to get [his] nerve from a can.” What does he mean by this?

Provisions for Learning Support -

Teachers could present the different verbal prompts for the judgement lines activity on the board for students requiring support in auditory processing.
Students with additional needs may find it helpful to have access to the excerpt from The Outsiders before the class, so they can pre-read the passage to aid with comprehension. Alternatively, they could listen to an audio version (start to 7:35): Outsiders - Chapter 9 (https://youtu.be/pG4NvhkZSgE).

Coward Punch - Viewpoints on Violence

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