The Outsiders
Three Levels of Reading
LEVEL ONE: READINGON THE LINE FOR RECALL QUESTIONS
You find meaning directly in the text. As you read, you are mentally asking yourself questions that can be answered by finding facts in the text such as “Who?” “What?” “Where?” and “When?”
Examples from chapter one:
1) What happened to the Curtis brothers’ parents? 2) Who jumped Ponyboy?
In the space below, generate two level one questions from The Outsiders that can be answered within the text itself.
1.______
2.______
LEVEL TWO: READING BETWEEN THE LINES FOR INTERPRETIVE QUESTIONS
You make interpretations based on the details in the text. As you read, you are asking questions that can be answered by making inferences and assumptions based upon evidence in the text, such as “What does a detail or image represent, suggest, or personify?” You have to figure things out without being told directly.
You create questions that can be answered by interpreting, classifying, comparing, contrasting, and finding patterns. The questions are “interpretive” questions.
Examples from chapter one:
1) How has Darry changed since the death of his parents? 2) How is Pony’s relationship with Soda different from his relationship with Darry?
In the space below, generate two level two questions from The Outsiders that require reading between the lines.
1.______
2.______
LEVEL THREE: READING BEYOND THE LINES FOR UNIVERSAL MEANING QUESTIONS
You move beyond the text to connect to universal meaning. As you read, you are asking mental questions like, “how does this text connect with my life, with life in a larger sense for all human beings, with my ideas about what is right and what is wrong. These questions are intended to create discussions about big ideas.
You create questions that can be answered by connecting literature to your own experiences or to the experiences of all people. These questions begin with ideas in the text but move from the “what?” of the text to the “so what” of big ideas and themes.
Examples for chapter one:
1) How are children affected by the death of their parents? 2) Why are people often more willing to commit violence in a group than they are when they are alone?
In the space below, generate two level three questions from The Outsiders that require you to think about big ideas.
1.______
2.______