Students use an essay by de la Peña as a model for writing their own literacy autobiography.
Author Matt de la Peña was born today.
Author Alice Walker was born on February 9, 1944.
After students read the novel The Color Purple, dialect is discussed and students write a short piece of fiction or poetry using the dialect of their peer group.
Their Eyes Were Watching God was published in 1937.
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.