Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space

Have students take out The Outsiders with their annotations.

Lesson 5 Homework: Students were instructed to read Chapter 2 of The Outsiders and annotate details that show how two different characters find common ground.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Briefly add new characters (Cherry, Marcia) and descriptive adjectives for each character to the Character Chart you created in the previous lesson.

Then, take turns sharing one of your homework annotations with a partner. Discuss these questions:

• What was the uncommon ground, or difference, between the two characters?

• Why do you think the author includes this difference?

  • The two characters Cherry and Ponyboy come from different social groups based on their social class. Cherry is a wealthy Soc and Ponyboy is a greaser, and members of these groups distrust and are sometimes violent toward each other. I think the author made these characters different to show that people who see each other as enemies can still find things in common.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, you’ll read two nonfiction articles to learn more about how differences, or uncommon ground, can affect the way people view and treat one another. You’ll discuss the author’s purpose in each article and review why the authors use certain vocabulary to communicate ideas. This analysis will help you understand the characters and themes in The Outsiders.

Morphology & Vocabulary

Say these Directions: We’re learning about the words perspective and stereotype today. Let’s explore these words more deeply.

Introduce the Word: Present the word perspective to students and pronounce it.

• Ask: Have you seen the word perspective before? Where?

Identify the Root: Underline the root spec in perspective. Explain that spec comes from Latin specere, meaning “to look at,” “to see,” or “to observe.”

• Ask: Do you know any other words with the root spec? (spectacles, inspect, suspect, specific)

Language Connection: Many Spanish words use the spec root, including perspectiva (perspective), especular (to guess or speculate), and espejo (mirror). Each word refers to something someone sees or the way they see something; a guess, for example, is based on what you see.

Identify Affixes: Circle per- and -tive in perspective. Explain that per- means “through,” as in movement or presence through all parts of something or being able to do something completely (all the way through). The suffix -tive means “of, related to, or having the quality of.”

• Ask: How does per- (through) connect to the idea of seeing or looking at something? (You can look through all parts of it and see it clearly.)

• Ask: How does -tive (of/related to/having the quality of) help you make sense of perspective? (the quality of seeing or observing something)

• Ask: Do you know any other words with the suffix -tive? What qualities do these words describe? (active, creative, inventive)

Language Connection: The prefix per- also means “through” in Spanish; the verb perdurar means “to endure” or “to go through something.” Perfeccionar, related to the English perfect (as a verb), means “to perfect, improve, or finish something completely.” This shared root can help students understand how per- impacts a word’s meaning.

Determine Meaning:

• Ask: Using what we know about per-/spec/-tive, what do you think a person’s perspective is? (their quality of seeing through or observing something; the way they see something)

Repeat the routine with stereotype:

Introduce the Word: Present the word stereotype to students and pronounce it.

• Ask: Have you seen the word stereotype before? Where?

Identify the Root: Underline the root stereo in stereotype. Explain that stereo comes from Greek stereos, meaning “solid” or “firm.” Students may have heard the stand-alone word stereo used with a different meaning—namely, to describe sound equipment that plays through two or more speakers, creating a surrounding or “solid” effect.

Language Connection: Spanish and Portuguese both use the noun estereotipo to mean stereotype—the root is shared with English.

Identify Affixes: Circle -type in stereotype. Explain that -type comes from Greek typos, meaning “physical shape or mark.” Clarify that type can mean a printed letter or a block that prints a letter, such as the type students read on a printed page.

Determine Meaning: Explain that an older meaning of stereotype is a solid image cast from a printed block or “type” that fit a certain mold. The word’s more common meaning—the one students will use—relates to thinking about people or groups of people.

• Ask: How do you think the printed image of a stereotype relates to the use of the word stereotype to describe people? (When you stereotype people, you fit them into a certain “mold” or think they should be a certain way.)

• Ask: Using what we know about stereo-/-type, what do you think a stereotype about people is? (a firm image or idea that someone has about what a person is like)

Build Word Relationships: Write stereotypical next to stereotype. 

• Ask: What is the relationship between stereotypical and stereotype? (A stereotype is a noun—a fixed idea about a person or group; if a statement relies on this idea, it is stereotypical, which is an adjective.)

Tell students that this vocabulary will be further analyzed in this lesson.

Check for Understanding

Allow students to share their work. Once sharing is complete, affirm the connection.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, you will examine how people’s perspectives influence the way they see the world. People’s perspectives may lead them to make inaccurate assumptions. As you read and discuss an article about stereotypes, you will learn more about how to recognize and avoid them. You will also read about an author’s personal experience facing others’ stereotypes. These articles will help you understand how stereotypes and perspective impact characters in The Outsiders.

Part A: Identify Author’s Purpose (RI.7.6) (15 minutes)

Place students in pairs to engage with the “Why Stereotypes Should Be Avoided” opinion article. Read the three opening paragraphs of “Why Stereotypes Should Be Avoided” as a class. Model identifying the author’s purpose.

• Say: I notice that the author defines stereotypes in the first paragraph. In the second paragraph, the author gives an example of a stereotype and then explains it is not true. I think the purpose of this article might be to convince readers that most stereotypes are untrue and harmful. Then the author lists some negative consequences of stereotypes. This gives evidence to support my guess about the author’s purpose.

Say these Directions: Reread the third paragraph in “Why Stereotypes Should Be Avoided” and answer the questions below.

• Ask: What do you think the author wants readers to know about stereotypes?

  • They are harmful and should be avoided.

Work as a class to write a statement that describes the author’s purpose. (Ex. “The author’s purpose is to convince readers to avoid stereotypes.”) Read the rest of the opinion article with your partner while annotating in response to the following questions:

• Ask: According to the author, how can stereotypes harm people?

  • Stereotypes can lead to discrimination against people in certain groups and can give them a negative reputation they do not deserve. They keep people from being seen as the complex individuals they really are. Stereotypes also ignore social factors that may have kept certain groups from succeeding.

• Ask: How does the discussion of positive stereotypes serve the author’s purpose?

  • The author wants to explain that all kinds of stereotypes can be harmful, even those that seem to give a positive image of a group. They give examples that show how positive stereotypes can ignore individual differences and make people judge those in the group that don’t fit the stereotype.

• Ask: What does the author believe about the idea that “all stereotypes are rooted in truth”? Why does the author believe this?

  • The author believes this statement is incorrect. They argue that stereotypes are not rooted in scientific truths about groups of people and don’t describe the way people “naturally” are. Instead, any patterns that conform to stereotypes may be related to social factors. For example, if society prevents a group of people from having job opportunities, this may lead to the unfair stereotype that people in the group can’t perform jobs as well.

Reflection

Part B: Analyze the Effect of Stereotypes (RI.7.4, RI.7.6) (15 minutes)

Combine pairs to form small groups. (A group can have three or five students, as needed.) Distribute the article “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space.” Remind students they examined the impact of stereotypes by reading and discussing an opinion article. Now, they will read a first-person nonfiction narrative in which author and narrator Brent Staples discusses how people’s stereotypes about Black men have personally impacted him. They will examine the author’s purpose and word choice and further discuss stereotypes.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Read the article “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space”aloud in your group. Think about characters in The Outsiders and how stereotypes impact them.

Follow the Think-Pair-Share routine to discuss the answers to the questions below.First, independently annotate the text and form your own ideas. Then, join your partner and discuss your ideas. Listen carefully to your partner’s ideas. Before sharing a new idea, show you understand by repeating it in your own words or asking a question. Think about what your partner said and be open to improving your own ideas based on their input. Be ready to share your responses with the class.

• Ask: Why do you think the author wrote this article?

  • I think the author wrote this article to inform readers about the damaging impact that stereotypes can have. He describes instances when people’s stereotypes about Black men put him and others in danger. He also wants to show readers how stereotypes impact the way he moves through the world.

• Ask: How did the author’s life experiences shape his perspective about racial and gendered stereotypes?

  • As a child, the author experienced the death and imprisonment of many Black men he knew. He became aware that it was often dangerous for a Black man to show “bravado” and “intimidation” because their appearance contributed to people’s stereotypes. These experiences, as well as being stereotyped himself, contributed to his later decision to “take precautions” against stereotypes.

• Ask: Why do you think the author describes the woman in the first paragraph as his “first victim”? What does the word victim suggest?

  • The author uses the word victim to indicate that the woman feared she would be the victim of a crime just because of what she assumed about him when she saw him, and she acted fearful even though he did nothing to threaten her. The word suggests that the woman’s stereotypes made her automatically see herself as a victim.

• Ask: When the author refers to “the language of fear,” what is he describing? Why do you think he uses the word language?

  • “The language of fear” describes the ways people’s actions and body language show that they are afraid of a person, such as by crossing the street and locking their car doors. The word language indicates that these actions are a type of communication he and others can understand, like spoken language.

• Ask: What do the author and Ponyboy from The Outsiders have in common?

  • Both the author and Ponyboy grew up in neighborhoods where gang-related violence was common. The author describes himself as “one of the good boys” who stayed out of trouble compared to others, and Ponyboy also tries to stay out of trouble and get good grades. However, neither the author nor Ponyboy can avoid stereotypes that others have about the groups they are in, although they personally do not fit these stereotypes. They are both bothered by the way people act toward them.

Pulse Check

Remind students that at the beginning of class, they discussed how characters from The Outsiders had both common and uncommon ground. Now, they will apply their knowledge of stereotypes to think more deeply about the characters.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Write a one- to two- sentence clear, concise response to the following question, explaining the stereotypes Ponyboy has about Cherry and why he holds them. Use precise language and specific text evidence, avoiding unnecessary words and repetition.

• Ask: What stereotypes does Ponyboy have about Cherry? Why do you think he has these stereotypes?

  • Ponyboy thinks Cherry is “stuck-up” and snobby. He assumes she enjoys “high-class” and “expensive” activities because she is a Soc. He holds these stereotypes because many Socs look down on him and his friends, so he expects they all see themselves as superior and would not want to get to know him. The text says Cherry and her group would not even want to be seen with people like Ponyboy.

Have students finish reading Chapter 2 if they have not already finished it. Instruct students to take notes in their Homework Journal on the following prompt:

As you read, annotate the text for the following:

• How do characters in Chapter 2 challenge the stereotypes that others have about them?