Lesson 1
Objective
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1. Students will become familiar with folktales written by Zora Neale Hurston in
Mules and Men
.
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2. Students will gain a sense of pride and appreciation of their black heritage.
Material
Hurston, Zora Neale.
Mules and Men
. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1934.
Procedure
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1. Students will read three folktales of their choice from Hurston’s book
Mules and Men
.
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2. Students will write a brief summary of each folktale they have read. This summary will include: a. title of folktale b. main characters in each folktale c. theme of each folktale
Lesson 2
Objective
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1. Students will gain knowledge of Zora Neale Hurston’s life.
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2. Students will gain an appreciation of black culture and folklore of the south, and in particular, of Eatonville, Florida.
Material
Hurston, Zora Neale.
Dust Tracks on a Road
. Philadelphia; J. B. Lippincott, 1942.
Procedure
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1. Students will read Hurston’s autobiography,
Dust Tracks on a Road
. (Allow twenty minutes per day for silent reading of the book. Following the reading period, allow ten minutes per day for class discussion of the book.)
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2. Students will write a book report on
Dust Tracks on a Road
.
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3. Students will form small groups of approximately six students each. Each group will choose a chapter or story from
Dust Tracks on a Road
and produce a short play to be performed for the class.
Lesson 3
Objective
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1. Students will raise their self esteem.
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2. Students will grow in the knowledge of their family history .
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3. Students will create a living family history.
Procedure
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1. Students will interview family members to gain knowledge of their family history.
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2. Students will collect past and present photographs of their family.
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3. Students will make a booklet of their family history which will include:
-
____
a. a family tree
-
____
b. family photographs
-
____
c. a written family history
-
____
d. stories and “sayings” passed down through the generations in their family.
Lesson 4
Objective
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1. Students will gain an appreciation of Zora Neale Hurston’s “Collection of Harlem Slang.”
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2. Students will compare present day slang with that of the past.
Material
Hurston, Zora Neale.
Spunk, The Selected Stories of Zora Neale Hurston
. California: Turtle Island Foundation, 1985.
Procedure
.
-
1. Students will read “Glossary of Harlem Slang” found on page eighty two of
Spunk, the Selected Short Stories of Zora Neale Hurston
.
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2. Students will each choose three words from the glossary. Students will each quiz classmates on the three slang terms that they have chosen.
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3. Students will make a list of twenty five slang words from “Glossary of Harlem Slang”. Students will list slang term, definition, and present day slang term, or terms, that have the same meaning as Harlem slang term.