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Unit Plan
NPR: National Public Radio

Npr: Crafting a Voice for Black Culture

For Students 9th - 10th
NPR's Vertamae Grosvenor interviews Alice Walker about her connection to Zora Neale Hurston. Walker talks about how Hurston inspired her writing, even though the two writers never met. The site also contains audio of Walker reading her...
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Defining and Exploring an Author's Stylistic Choices

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Contains plans for two lessons that teach young scholars how to recognize an author's use of style in literature. These plans use "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston as an example, but the basic ideas can be adapted to...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Their Eyes Were Watching God: Folk Speech, Figurative Language

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
For this lesson plan, young scholars will consider Their Eyes Were Watching God: Folk Speech and Figurative Language. Worksheets and other supporting materials can be found under the Resources tab. This lesson provides students with an...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Spunk

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
A learning module that begins with "Spunk" by Zora Neale Hurston, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Sweat

For Students 11th - 12th
A learning module that begins with "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and...
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Website
African American Literature Book Club

African American Literature Book Club: Dorothy West

For Students 9th - 10th
This biography of Harlem Renaissance writer Dorothy West includes a video [2:42] of West in New York and links to book reviews for all of West's works.
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Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Hurston, Zora Neale

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a very brief encyclopedia entry about Zora Neale Hurston, the talented and prolific writer of the Harlem Renaissance and later.
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Article
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: 300 Women Who Changed History: Zora Neale Hurston

For Students 9th - 10th
Encyclopaedia Britannica provides a biography of Zora Neale Hurston, a famous novelist and first African American graduate of Barnard College.
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Activity
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: Claude Mc Kay

For Students 9th - 10th
A biography and analysis of the life of the famous author, as well as literary criticism as well as online poems, letters and a bibliography. Includes many quotes and his poetry.
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Website
Columbia University

Columbia University: Columbia University & Slavery Post 1865: Students

For Students 9th - 10th
African American students began to matriculate at Columbia in significant numbers by the 1920s, but they remain all but invisible in the university's archival records. This site highlights several early black students that continued on...
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Primary
Digital Public Library of America

Dpla: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

For Students 9th - 10th
This primary source set uses recordings, documents, and photographs to tell the story behind the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God", by Zora Neale Hurston.
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Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Learning About Black Leaders Bingo: Grades 1 and 2: Pbs Kids

For Students 1st - 2nd
Identifying contributions of people, past and present is important. We learn to celebrate individuals and the part they play in our lives. The month of February honors the important role Black people play in the story of our country....
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Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Zora Neale Hurston Video: Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum

For Students K - 1st
Learn about Zora Neale Hurston with this video clip, printable biosketch reader, and support materials. About the Show: "Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum" is a PBS KIDS show based on the popular book series, "Ordinary People Change...
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Lesson Plan
Yale University

Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Zora Neale Hurston

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This detailed site offers lesson plans, rationales, teacher notes and various activities for teaching the novel to junior classes.
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Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Zora Neale Hurston

For Students 9th - 10th
Wikipedia offers a biography on African American author Zora Neale Hurston discusses why her work was prominently ignored compared with her comtemporary Richard Wright.
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Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Alice Walker

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief biography on African American author Alice Walker is provided along with an extensive bibliography.
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Website
Other

Reading Woman: Writers of the Harlem Renaissance

For Students 9th - 10th
In this collection of book reviews, explore key works by writers from the Harlem Renaissance period. Authors include Dorothy West, Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and others.
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Website
Other

Zora Neale Hurston: Women in History

For Students 9th - 10th
The African American novelist Zora Neale Hurston is described with facts, accomplishments, and links to web sites for further research.
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Handout
Other

Wittenberg University: Major Figures of the Harlem Renaissance

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief overview, followed by biographical sketches of people making this time memorable.
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Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Zora Neale Hurston

For Teachers 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart provides opportunity for presenting the life of Zora Neale Hurston. Students read a passage about her life and then ask questions using the Activotes.
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Harlem Renaissance

For Students 5th - 8th
The Harlem Renaissance influenced not only African American culture in the Jazz Age, but all of American culture. Read about some of the shining stars of African American literature and music of the age.
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Zora Neale Hurston

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Brittanica's Guide to Black History features Zora Neale Hurston, an American folklorist and writer associated with the Harlem Renaissance who celebrated the African American culture of the rural South. This...
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Activity
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: "Letter From Spain"

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Modern American Poetry provides a review of the famous poem by Langston Hughes. The information that is provided is somewhat brief, but factual, and worth checking out.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Zora Neal Hurston

For Students 9th - 10th
This well-done work includes information on the author's education, background, career, and gives links to excerpts from her books.