National Endowment of the Arts - The Big Read

Their Eyes Were Watching God
Teacher's Guide - Schedule / Lesson Plans

Introduction

Schedule/Lesson Plans

Capstone Project Ideas

Essay Topics

Additional Resources

NCTE Standards

Credits

Back to Reader's Guide

This is a suggested teaching schedule for a 10 class study of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Lesson plans and handouts can be downloaded individually by clicking on the name of the file in the schedule below. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view these files.

The CD Audio Guides are available only for the communities participating in The Big Read. If your community is participating, contact the lead community organization to receive a free Audio Guide. If your community is not participating, encourage a local organization (such as a library, museum, literary center, arts council, or similar non-profit organization) to apply.

Day One

FOCUS: Biography
Day One Lesson Plan [48K PDF]
Activities: Listen to The Big Read CD, Track One. Read Reader’s Guide essays. Write short life story.
Homework: Chapter 1 (pp. 1-7).

Day Two

FOCUS: Arts and Culture
Day Two Lesson Plan [39K PDF]
Activities: Listen to the Big Read CD, Track Two. Listen to music on NEA Jazz in the Schools Web site. Read Reader's Guide essays, and Handout Two [48K PDF] on Harlem Renaissance.
Homework: Chapters 2-3 (pp. 8-25).

Day Three

FOCUS: Narrative and Point of View
Day Three Lesson Plan [43K PDF]
Activities: Compare omniscient narrator and heroine's narration. Explore how audience affects the story. Tell story from the point of view of a secondary character.
Homework: Chapter 4 (pp. 26-33).

Day Four

FOCUS: Characters
Day Four Lesson Plan [35K PDF]
Activities: Explore Janie's relationship to nature. Introduce foil.
Homework: Chapters 5-6 (pp. 34-75).

Day Five

FOCUS: Figurative Language
Day Five Lesson Plan [36K PDF]
Activities: Document figurative language used in the first five chapters. Follow a repeated image.
Homework: Chapters 7-9 (pp. 76-93).

Day Six

FOCUS: Symbols
Day Six Lesson Plan [35K PDF]
Activities: Listen to The Big Read CD, Track Two. Explore symbols of the pear tree, the street lamp, and the mule.
Homework: Chapters 10-12 (pp. 94-115).

Day Seven

FOCUS: Character Development
Day Seven Lesson Plan [43K PDF]
Activities: Listen to The Big Read CD Track One. Map Janie's development as a young woman. Write on freedom and the "maiden language."
Homework: Chapters 13-16 (pp. 116-146).

Day Eight

FOCUS: The Plot Unfolds
Day Eight Lesson Plan [39K PDF]
Activities: Chart a time line of the story. Watch a segment of the film of the novel. Write a new conclusion.
Homework: Chapters 17-20 (pp. 147-193).

Day Nine

FOCUS: Themes of the Novel
Day Nine Lesson Plan [40K PDF]
Activities: Develop an interpretation based on a theme: a woman's voice, race, or religion.
Homework: Afterword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Work on essay.

Day Ten

FOCUS: A Great Novel
Day Ten Lesson Plan [40K PDF]
Activities: Explore the qualities of a great novel and the voice of a generation. Examine qualities that make Hurston’s novel successful. Peer review of paper outlines or drafts.
Homework: Essay due next class period.