After reading chapters 4 and 5 in S.E. Hinton's class novel, THE OUTSIDERS, students identified and discussed the intense emotions that Ponyboy and Johnny experienced after the Soc attack. Seeing the teenage characters on their own and in need of healthy coping mechanisms, 8th graders created matchbox-sized "instant comfort boxes" for the boys. After citing text evidence from which they were able to infer a negative emotion that Johnny/Ponyboy was struggling with, 8th graders searched for sources of comfort in the novel: specific compliments they had received from other greasers - or maybe even a Soc girl! - that they thought would brighten and lift the spirits of Johnny/Ponyboy if recalled. 8th graders were challenged to sketch the character based on the novel's Ch. 1/2 physical descriptions and use color and object symbolism to represent the negative emotions and compliments!