Restorying The Outsiders: Exploring Identity Power and Belonging in 7th Grade

Stories play a big role in how we see ourselves and others. They help shape our identity, sense of belonging, and power in society. By switching up whose story gets told, we can tackle unfairness and build some real understanding. For my next practicum, I have been tasked with teaching the novel The Outsiders (Hinton, 1967). I have chosen to create an interdisciplinary activity that uses the restorying perspective as described in the article "Restorying the self: Bending toward textual justice" (Thomas & Stornaiuolo, 2016).

Understanding Identity and Belonging Through Stories

In The Outsiders (Hinton, 1967), characters belong to different social groups, like the Greasers and the Socs. These groups have distinct identities shaped by their experiences and social status. Students learn that stories reveal how group identity affects how people are treated. For example, the Greasers are often seen as troublemakers, while the Socs are viewed as privileged. This shapes how others interact with them and how they see themselves.

The project begins by asking students to think about their own identities and the groups they belong to. This personal connection helps them understand the bigger picture of identity and belonging in society. They will branch out into groups of 3-4 explore questions like:

• How do stories shape who we feel we are?

• What makes someone feel like they belong or don’t belong?

Having the students link personal experience to the novel, students will see that identity is not fixed but influenced by stories told about groups.

Exploring Power and Voice in Society

Power really influences whose stories get told and heard. In The Outsiders (Hinton, 1967), the Socs have more social power, which impacts how the Greasers are treated. Students will form their groups and engage in disscussion into how power dynamics shape the opportunities and choices for different people and social groups. Some focus questions could be:

• Who holds power in society?

• How does power influence whose voices get heard?

These questions are meant to spark discussions about stereotypes and conflict. For example, students could say, the Greasers are labelled as violent, which stirs up tension between groups. Students discover that stereotypes often hide the real story and create unfair divides and opportunities.

McDaniel (2024) explains that youth use pop culture as a way to highlight societal issues in order to create change. So, to add more depth to this area, students could look at how movies, news, or social media reels portray different cultural groups or people. For example, they could look at social media reels, a news report or a newspaper and find an example of stereotyping and how it is portrayed to the watcher/ reader, then have them discuss what they found in their groups.

Restorying to Promote Fairness and Understanding

A major part of the activity is restorying The Outsiders (Hinton, 1967) from a marginalized perspective. Therefore, students will rewrite parts of the story to include voices that are often ignored or misunderstood (the marginalized characters). This activity helps them practice empathy and critical thinking. Effectively allowing students to

• Challenge stereotypes by showing different sides of characters

• Highlight the impact of social context on identity and power

• Connect the novel’s themes to real-world issues of fairness and inclusion.

For example, students might write from the point of view of a Greaser who feels misunderstood or a Soc who questions their group’s privilege. This exercise shows how changing the storyteller can alter a story's meaning and impact.

Linking Literature to Real Life

Even though The Outsiders (Hinton, 1967) is set in the U.S., its themes are relatable here in Canada. This interdisciplinary activity will meet both Language Arts and Social Studies Learning Outcomes. See below for how it matches up with these two disciplines for a grade 7 classroom:

English Language Arts Alignment

GO 2 – Comprehend and Respond Personally and Critically

• Examine how perspectives shape meaning

• Respond critically to characters and conflicts

GO 3 – Manage Ideas and Information

• Gather and select textual evidence

GO 4 – Enhance the Clarity and Artistry of Communication

• Communicate ideas effectively for a purpose and audience

Social Studies Alignment

7.1 – Toward Confederation

Citizenship & Identity

• 7.1.1 Appreciate the influence of identity on belonging

• 7.1.2 Examine how individual and collective identities are shaped by social context

7.2 – Following Confederation

Power & Decision Making

• 7.2.1 Understand how power relationships affect individuals and groups

• 7.2.2 Analyze the impact of social structures on people’s opportunities and choices

ties the book to Alberta's Social Studies goals about citizenship, identity, and power. Students look at the story's social groups and compare them to actual communities and historical events.

Suggested Lesson Flow for Interdisciplinary Learning

The activity will take 3 to 4 classes, blending English Language Arts and Social Studies. For example it could look like this:

• Day 1: Explore identity and groups through small group discussions and personal reflection.

• Day 2: Analyze power and stereotypes from the novel The Outsiders (Hinton, 1967) in previous small groups.

• Day 3: Practice restorying by rewriting scenes from different perspectives

• Day 4: Share and discuss restoried texts, with your previous group members connecting to real-world examples. Hand in the work at the end for marking.

This structure supports critical thinking and communication skills aligned with Alberta curriculum goals.

Learning Targets for Students

By the end of the project, students should be able to explain how group identity affects the treatment of individuals, analyze power relationships between groups, restory a text to include marginalized voices and connect ideas from literature to society.

These learning targets will guide students to think deeper about identity, power, fairness and how it connects to how it's reflected in today's society.

References

• Hinton, S. E. (1967). The outsiders. Viking Press.

• McDaniel, D. S. (2024). “Bold of them to assume I want to wait until I’m older to do what I love:” One teens' activism and civic engagement online. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 67(6), 363–375. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1343

• Thomas, E. E., & Stornaiuolo, A. (2016). Restorying the self: Bending toward textual justice. Harvard Educational Review, 86(3), 313–338. https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-86.3.313

• Photo taken from Google Photos