Students brainstorm the kinds of stories they know and where these stories come from. Students return to these questions as they begin reading Hurston's novel.
Their Eyes Were Watching God was published in 1937.
Richard Wright was born in 1908.
Students read an appropriate excerpt from Black Boy, discuss the incident in which Richard gets into trouble, and write found poems.
Caldecott Medal-winner Virginia Lee Burton was born on this day in 1909.
Students discuss similarities in Burton's illustrations and writing style in her many books, in addition to her use of personification.