This lesson serves as a pre-reading/activating activity for Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Ideally, it should be delivered before students have gained exposure to the text ( and before they have read a summary). In this activity, students will use VTS protocols on "Portrait of Mnonja" by Mickalene Thomas and "SOB, SOB" by Kerry James Marshall to explore themes related to the text and to anticipate Hurston’s complex characterization of Janie Crawford, the protagonist of the novel.

Students will have a chance to engage with literature and anticipate Huston's style in the second half of the activity by engaging in a "Think-Pair-Share" with an out of context quotation from the novel. The student pairs will combine their literary analysis with their visual analysis to determine which quotations should be collaged with each painting, and they will have the opportunity to share out and justify their opinions.

Learning Targets:

1)Students can use visual art to practice their ability to close-read and unpack

2)Students can synthesize multi-media resources to develop opinions

3)Students can use visual art to anticipate themes and characterization in "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

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