For Mr. Alger's unit on "The Outsiders" with Page County Middle School eighth graders, students had previously learned about social identity, class division, and stereotyping by reading the novel closely and with various written activities and pictures. To make these themes tangible, the class held a Soc vs. Greaser dress-up day for extra credit, where students dressed in the stereotypical clothing of each group. The activity let students better understand how appearances play a major role in the novel while illustrating the distinct differences between the two social classes. Pressed and neat styles signaled status for the Socs, while denim, leather jackets, and greased hair marked the Greasers’ working-class identity. As students watched the final half of the movie in class, we began to move beyond first impressions to recognize each character’s complexity and the novel’s message about looking beneath appearances.
