Zora Neale Hurston
Lesson plans and teaching resources

|Biography and Background| |Their Eyes Were Watching God| |Other Writing|

Biography and the Harlem Renaissance

A Guide to Harlem Renaissance Materials
The Library of Congress presents a variety of materials on Hurston and other Harlem Renaissance artists.

Heroes of Harlem: Learning About the Harlem Renaissance
In this lesson from the New York Times, students learn about the artists of the Harlem Renaissance. Their research culminates in a Harlem Renaissance Fair celebrating the movement's cultural and artistic contributions to society.

Zora Neale Hurston
An interview with biographer Carla Kaplan.

Zora Neale Hurston
Biography, timeline, and links to other resources. Linger a while on the home page and listen to Ruby Dee read the opening of Their Eyes were watching God.

Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun
Biographical information, including portraits and a letter to Countee Cullen.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Folklore in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes were Watching God
This lesson plan focuses on the way Hurston incorporates, adapts, transforms, and comments on black folklife in Their Eyes Were Watching God. The idea is to understand, both as formal analysts of voice and style and as historians of literature, the crucial role of oral folklore in Hurston's written canon.

Lake Okeechobee Hurricane Pictures
Photos of the Lake Okeechobee area before and after the hurricane of 1928.

Made for TV: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Critical commentary on the 2005 Oprah Winfrey production.

Reading and Writing the Autobiography with a Study of Zora Neale Hurston
Students explore the lives of others in order to see the universality of human experience. Scroll down to find chapter-by-chapter study questions for Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Style: Defining and Exploring an Author's Stylistic Choices
In this activity, students will find examples of specific stylistic devices in sample literary passages then search for additional examples and explore the reasons for the stylistic choices that the author has made. Examples for this lesson plan include passages from Their Eyes were Watching God; however, passages from any literary work can be used for the activities.

Their Eyes were Watching God
Scroll down to find chapter-by-chapter study guide questions, test questions, and key quotations.

Their Eyes Were Watching God
Historical background, author biography, related works, discussion questions, related resources, and a thorough teacher's guide. These materials were prepared as part of the NEA Big Read.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
This SCORE guide presents five activities to help the reader more deeply understand Janie and her journey to self-discovery.

Their Eyes were Watching God Reading Group Guide
Ten discussion questions. Follow the links to biography and an online excerpt.

Their Eyes Were Watching God
Discussion questions.

Unmarked but not unmourned, 1928 Hurricane's victims get memorial 80 years later
This newspaper article discusses the storm and efforts to have the mass grave of the African-American victims memorialized.

Vocabulary words from Their Eyes Were Watching God
A list of 117 words, presented by chapter.

Other Writing

Folktales of Zora Neale Hurston
Five activities.

"The Gilded Six Bits" and "Sweat"
Hypertext of both stories and critical analysis.

The Zora Neale Hurston Plays at the Library of Congress
Ten plays and a timeline of Hurston's life.