Their Eyes Were Watching God

Lesson Plan 1 [Monday]

Objectives:

Students will be able to understand the constructs of race, gender, and

social class, and how they interact with each other.
Students will be able to read either aloud or internally the novel with
increased comfort and comprehension of the dialect used by the
characters.
Students will receive the unit project and will be able to ask questions and
get some ideas rolling.

Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in
which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose,
and audience.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2. Determine two or more themes or central
ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text,
including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex
account; provide an objective summary of the text.
Procedure:
Time

Activity

Materials
Needed

25
Min

Lead discussion on Race, Gender, and Social Class Theme

Notebooks,
Triangle, introduce how these characteristics affect language. White Board

10
Min

Introduce Unit project, Ask Questions

Project Prompt

20
Min

Read Ch 1 of Zora Neale Hurstons Their Eyes Were

Watching God aloud

Texts

5 Min Exit Slip

sheets of
On a half sheet of paper, write your name and one question paper
or comment for the teacher about your understanding of what
we discussed today or whats coming up in this class.
Informal Assessment: interactive class discussion, exit slip
Homework: Read Ch 2-6 by Wednesday.
Think about potential news stories you would like to use, or different
aspects for the unit project. We will be in the computer lab tomorrow.

Their Eyes Were Watching God Unit Project

For Zora Neale Hurstons novel, we will be focusing on tying current events to
Their Eyes Were Watching God using the three relating concepts in our theme triangle.

Race
Social Class

Gender

Develop an arguable claim about the intersection of two of these concepts. In thinking
about the themes above, consider the following. How do they relate? How dont they?
What roles have these themes play historically? Today? You will need to find two
articles (either news or academic) from reputable sources within the past calendar year
that support your claim. Then, using quotes and examples from Their Eyes Were
Watching God, you will create a five to six paragraph blog post or a five to six minute
podcast explaining your argument, incorporating your two articles and supportive
examples from the book.
For Example: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33618443 (Sandra
Bland: Dashcam Arrest Video Released). This video shows the arrest of a black woman
who was arrested for a minor traffic violation. This video, along with her highly
controversial and debated suicide, opened a large discussion about the treatment of
black women by police and the automatic stereotyping of black women as angry or
belligerent. This falls at the intersection of race and gender.
Timeline:
Monday, December 7th: Prompt distributed
Tuesday December 8th: Computer lab instructional day: We will learn how to use
VoiceThread, look up scholarly articles, and cite sources.
Wednesday, December 16th: Have all of Their Eyes Were Watching God read
Thursday, December 17th and Friday, December 18: Individual Meetings with
teacher to discuss your claim and what sources you are planning to use.
Wednesday, December 23rd: Project due by 8:00 AM to VoiceThread.
ENJOY BREAK.

Arguable Claim

1 pt

3 pt

5 pt

Students post
lacks any
argument, or it
makes a
completely
baseless claim.

Students post
makes a decent
argument that may
need more
development or
support.

Students post makes

an excellent argument
that is well supported
and clearly explained.

News Articles
(2)

Students post
either lacks two
articles, cites
unreliable or false
sources, or articles
that have no
connection to the
argument made.

Students post
includes articles that
are semi-reliable or
only partially related
the the claim made
by the student.

Students post include

reliable sources that
make great and well
explained connections
to the argument.

Novel
Connections
(2)

Students post
makes no
connection or
unrelated
connections
between the claim
being made and
the supporting
articles to TEWWG.

Students post
makes some
connections
between the claim
being made and the
supporting articles to
TEWWG. May need
more explanation or
elaboration.

Students post makes

excellent connections
between the claim
being made and the
supporting articles to
TEWWG. Post
includes many well
explained and well
integrated examples.

VoiceThread

Students post is
difficult to find,
unnamed, or
incorrectly
incorporated onto
the VoiceThread
Class slide

Students post has

trouble presenting
the information on
the VoiceThread
Class Slide

Students post is
correctly posted and
well presented on the
VoiceThread Class
Slide

Citations

No citations to
news articles or
novel.

Incorrect or unclear
citations to news
articles or novel.

Correct and clear

citations to news
articles and novel.

Students post has

few or no
grammatical errors
OR the vocal
presentation is
eloquent and clear.

TOTAL GRADE

Grammar/Clarity Students post is

not written with
proper grammar
and form OR the
vocal presentation
is difficult to
understand or very
poorly articulated

/28

Lesson Plan 2 [Tuesday]

Objectives:
Students will be able to find scholarly and current event articles
Students will be able to analyze the relationship and intersection between this
units key themes: social class, gender, and race

Students will be able to use citations effectively, find scholarly resources, and use
the website voicethread.
Standards:

CC. 11. RL. 11- 12. 1.- Key ideas and details, Cite strong and thorough textual
evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

CC. 11. RL. 11- 12.4.- Craft and Structure, Determine the meaning of words and
phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings;
analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words
with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh.

CC. 11. RL. 11-12.5- Craft and Structure, Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness
of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including
whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
Procedures:

Tim
e

Activity

Materials

5
Min

Students will be heading down to the computer lab after

a brief introduction
o After class starts students will be informed that
they will be going to the computer lab today.
o The objective of this will be to find two scholarly
articles that involve a modern conflict.
o Students have the option to pick two of the three
types of conflicts. Including: race, gender, or
social class.

Notebook
and Pencil

10
Min

Students will learn about trustworthy sources and why

others dont make the cut.
o Students will only be able to use the most trusted
sites when finding research online. These sites
include: BBC, USA Today, PBS, and CNN.
o We will explain why sites like Fox News and
Buzzfeed are not always trustworthy sites for
reference. Basically certain sites and companies
have political affiliations and as a result certain
sites have varying degrees of bias which should
be told are not worth using.
o Students will be recommended to use this graph
when deciding what information is worth putting
into their project.

Computer,
Notebook,
and pencil

5
Min

Students will be informed about multiple citation

resources

Computer,
Notebook,

students will be shown citationmachine.com,

easybib.com, and Purdue Owls website which
provides information on style and formatting of a
citation.
Students will be asked to keep everything in MLA
Format for consistency.

and Pencil

10
Min

Students will also be introduced to VoiceThread

o Students will be able to leave voice messages,
post documents, create slides, and even make
calls through this website. It is an valuable tool
and an integral part of their project.
o We will spend time introducing this website to the
students and allow them to ask questions if
needed.

Computer,
Notebook,
and Pencil

10
Min

Students will spend the rest of the period finding

research.
o Using the last 30 mins of class students will be
free to find two articles connected to race, gender,
or social class.
o We ask that they find two out of the three types.
Also the two articles must be different, in terms of
the 3 types. For example a student can have one
article on race and another on gender, but he
cannot have two on race. We want students to
delve deeply into two distinct ideas to expand
their understanding of modern culture and the
interaction of the themes (race, gender, social
class) historically, as well as its implications both
in past and present times.

Computer,
Notebook,
and Pencil

Informal Assessment: Exit Slip

Homework: Students will provide an exit slip before the end of class or sent from home
if they have a computer at home. The email will inform the teacher that the students
understood the information discussed. It gives them an opportunity to ask questions if
needed. Students will read Chapters 2-6 for Wednesday.
Lesson Plan 3 [Wednesday]
Objectives:
Students will be able to collaborate with other students to analyze a text and
articulate discussion questions
Students will be able to engage in critical thought and discussion

Students will be able to reflect on textual themes and relate them to their own
lives and modern times
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2 Determine two or more themes or central
ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text,
including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex
account; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to
support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from
the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Procedure:

Tim
e
20

Activity

Materials
needed

Ask students to gather in small groups of 3-4 and

articulate 2-3 discussion questions based on chapters 26 of Their Eyes Were Watching God. These questions
should revolve around the novels central themes that
weve discussed in class (race, gender, social class)
Pass out worksheet on what makes a good discussion
question, describing that they should be open ended
and encourage discussion/debate
Have students login to their padlet accounts and post
their groups discussion questions. Project the website
onto the screen for the whole class to see.

30

Guide class discussion, allowing students to articulate

and present their own ideas on each groups questions.

10

Exit slip
o Ask students to recount an important moment in
which a theme was shown within the text, why
that theme is important, and its relevance in our
world today. (Allow students to think back and
write about their article/progress thus far in the
unit.)

Laptop, Their
Eyes Were
Watching
God,

Paper, pencil

Informal Assessments: interactive class discussion, exit slip

Homework: Read Chapters 7-9 by Thursday
What Makes a Good Discussion Question?
To prepare any facet of the academic process, be it class discussion, leading class, or
composing a paper, you need to be able to formulate for yourself some good critical
questions. Critical, in this sense, of course, does not mean mean-spirited but
analytical.

Since there are many types of questions which produce a variety of answers, it would
be helpful to go over the difference between a critical question and a simple
question:
1. A simple question...

can be answered with a yes or no (this is not helpful when trying to elicit
further questions, discussion, or analysis).
contain the answers within themselves.
can only be answered by a fact, or a series of facts

2. There are also questions which are concerned with morals or values, in the nature of
how do you feel about this text? While these types of questions often produce
interesting discussion (and students therefore tend to like them very much) they have
nothing to do with a critical analysis of the text itself, which very often was not written
with students in mind as the ideal audience.
3. A critical question...

leads to more questions

provokes discussion
concerns itself with audience and authorial intent
derives from a critical or careful reading of the text
addresses or ties in wider issues or hermeneutical strategies
moves you out of your own frame of reference (what does this mean in our
context? to your authors (what was the author trying to convey when he/she
wrote this? how would the audience have responded?)

https://www.bowdoin.edu/writing-guides/what%20makes%20a%20good
%20question.pdf

Lesson Plan 4 [Thursday]

Objectives:
Students will be able to collaborate with group members to analyze a text, its
themes, and the intersection of race, gender, and social class in the lives of the
texts characters
Students will be able to think critically and creatively in their writing
Students will be able to reflect thoughtfully
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.2.A

Introduce a topic and organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each
new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include
formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful
to aiding comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.2.B

Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts,
extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples
appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.
Procedures:
Tim
e

Activity

10
Min

Students will gather in the computer laboratory, as

discussed in the previous class period. There will be
a reminder taped to the door for those who have
forgotten.
Ask students not to login to their computers because
they will be moving around shortly.
When the bell rings, introduce the short newspaper
project
o Go along the rows and have students count
down from 1-4, grouping themselves
accordingly. (Asking all of the 1s to sit
together, 2s to sit together, etc.)
o Once situated, explain the prompt/assignment
to the four groups (with roughly 5 students in
each). Hand out hard copies of the prompt
and the grading rubric.
Summary: Students are to to adopt the
perspective and identity of one of five
characters in Eatonville and create a
newspaper authored by that character
accordingly. They are to highlight the
role of social class, race, and gender
all the while, describing how they affect
the character (and thus the
voice/articles). 1-2 pages of reflection
and critical analysis (of how the

Materials
Computers,
Newspaper
Project Sheet,
Their Eyes Were
Watching God

themes above relate/interact) should

be included at the end of the
newspaper. Their characters will be
assigned randomly.
Move from group to group and allow one student
from each to pick a folded piece of paper from a hat,
their groups character thus chosen.

45
Min

Students will be given the remainder of the period to

coordinate with their groups and work on their
newspapers.
o Explain to students that if they finish early,
they may work on their other project.
o Ask students to send their newspapers to me
via email once completed so that I can print
multiple copies for the class the following day.
o If student does not finish and has no access
to a computer at home, offer to accommodate
them during their lunch period, after school,
or before school the following day.

Computer,
Notebook, and
Pencil

5
Min

Have students take out a half sheet of paper and

Paper and Pencil
complete their exit slips. They should include any
questions they may have about the assignment or
the text, as well as any problems they may be
encountering. It should also provide one point about
the intersection of social class, race, and gender and
how that affects their groups character.

Informal: Group discussions/interactions, exit slip

Formal: Newspaper Project
Homework: Read Chapters 7-9
Eatonville Newspaper Project
Race
Social Class

Gender

Weve encountered and discussed social class, race, and gender and their
interactions on numerous occasions while reading Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Youve begun thinking critically and historically about these in your discussions and
research for the Unit Project. Were going to further our discussion, research, and
analytical thinking on these themes now by adopting the identity and perspective of one
of five characters in the text, creating a newspaper authored by that character
accordingly.
In groups of 4 or 5, you will work to create an Eatonville Newspaper. (You may
rename it if you see fit or are feeling creative.) The paper must be at least 6 pages long,
including at least 4 articles and a 1-2 page reflection / critical analysis on the
intersection of race, social-class, and gender, accordingly. Referring back to the novel
for support and textual examples, newspapers should capture the characters and
communitys experiences while also displaying the role of race, social class, and gender
in their experiences.
*Although creativity is always encouraged, every article should be based on or
supported by the text.
Prompts:
Jody:
Write a newspaper from Jodys perspective, capturing his identity, experiences,
beliefs, and voice. The newspaper should promote Eatonville in some way. In
writing this newspaper, consider the following. What did Eatonville represent to
Jody? What does his past and his present ambition tell us about him? What role
does Jodys race play in his climbing social class? Whats special about
Eatonville? How does Jody defy historical conventions and traditions for African
Americans at the time? How can you tell Jody cares about appearances and
wealth? Why? What role does gender play in his success?
Janie:
Write a newspaper from Janies perspective, capturing her identity, experiences,
beliefs, and voice. In writing this newspaper, consider the following. In thinking
about the interaction between social class and gender, consider Janie and Jodys
experiences. Although from similar climbing social classes, how does their
gender make them and their experiences differ? How has gender affected Janies
decisions? What does wealth mean to Janie? How is Janie able to climb up the
social ladder? What role does she play in the community?
Nanny:
Write a newspaper from Nannys perspective, capturing her identity, experiences,
beliefs, and voice. In writing this newspaper, consider the following. How does
African American history play a role in Nannys beliefs, ideology, and Janies
upbringing? How do Nannys beliefs on social-class, race, and gender differ from
Janies? Why? What are Nannys views on marriage? Gender roles?
Regular Eatonville Community Member:
Write a newspaper from the perspective of one of the community members in
Eatonville, (you may specify a character or create one to embody some of the
communitys feelings/beliefs.) In writing this newspaper, consider the following.
How does the community view Jody and Janie? Why? How do they feel about
Eatonville and its rapid growth? How do they feel about Jody? What does Jody

represent to them? What role does social-class play in their interactions with
Jody? Race? Gender?
Lesson Plan 5 [Friday]
Objectives:
Students will be able to collaborate in groups to produce writing in the
voice/perspective of a literary character
Students will be able to analyze the relationship between social class, race, and
gender and its implications on an individual and global level
Students will be able to think critically and make real world connections to the
texts themes (listed above)
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and
research.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Time
5
Min

Activity

Materials

Students will be in the computer laboratory, as

Computers,
explained the day prior. A note will also be taped to the Printers
classroom door to remind those who forget.
Ask students to meet in their Newspaper Project
groups and discuss what work is left to be done among
themselves. Encourage students to coordinate,
communicate, and collaborate effectively so that they
can finish early and have time to complete their Unit
Projects if they have not done so already. Remind
students that they can talk to you at any point with
questions or problems.
Students will be informed that if they finish early, they
can feel free to bring their assignments up for feedback
if theyd like that before turning it in for a grade.

50
Min

Students will be given the remainder of the period to

finish their Newspaper Projects and Unit Projects.

Computer,
Notebook, and
pencil

5
Min

Exit Slip: Ask students to write about what they

struggled with the most in completing these two
assignments. Ask them to write about the role that
social class, race, and gender play in their own lives.

Notebook,
Pencils

Informal: Interaction/discussion between groups, optional informal feedback before

turning assignments in for grades, exit slip
Formal: Newspaper Project, Unit Project, Peer / Self Assessment form
Homework: Complete Newspaper Project and continue working on Unit Projects. Read
Chapters 10-13 by Monday in preparation for discussion.

Newspaper
Project

Rubric
Content and
Understanding

Student produced
quality articles
showing a
comprehensive grasp
of social class, race,
gender, their
intersection, and their
role in the lives of their
assigned character

Student failed to
show a
comprehensive grasp
of race, gender,
social class, their
relationship or their
role in the lives of
their assigned
character

Student failed to
show
understanding of
concepts entirely
or failed to
complete
assignment

Critical
Thinking

1-2 page reflection

assesses the
intersection of race,
social class, and
gender and shows a
deep understanding of
the concepts and
relevance in the text

1-2 page reflection

shows thought but
does not properly or
fully display an
understanding of the
concepts and their
role in the text

Reflection lacks
thought or mention
of the themes and
their role in the
text. Reflection is
unsatisfactory or
missing

Planning

Used class time

effectively;
demonstrated clear
focus and intent.

Adequate use of
class time;
occasionally caught
off-task or distracted

Limited to no use
of class time;
failure to stay on
task or plan

Articles are written

with proper grammar
and form.

Newspaper lacks
proper grammar
and form.

Grammar

/18