Teaching the Formalistic approach
The formalistic approach is a wonderful way to allow students to see deeper into the meaning of the text as they learn to understand the many symbols and metaphores of Zora Hurston's book.
Lesson Plan
Objectives
Students should:
Activities
Students should:
- Learn how to apply the Formalisitic approach to the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God
- Understand the importance of each symbol on the novel and be able to support it using the text
- Understand how the setting affects Janie's character
- Understand the dialect used in the novel
Activities
- Before they read the book, give a brief slideshow to inform students what the dialect is going to be like (strong southern dialect, words are pronounced phonetically). Also tell them about the frame story(a story within a story) and the extensive symbolism used.
- As they go through the book, they should have the sheet (at the bottom of page) with certain symbols to look out for (mule, buzzards, lamp lighting, horizon, trees,). When they come across each symbol, write down what they think the meaning of the symbols are.
- After they have read a good amount of the book and have grown accustomed to the the dialect, have the children divide into groups of three to write a dialogues in the southern dialect. Then they should present to the class. This way they will be able to understand any words they were unclear about before. Encourage them to use metaphors or phrases that are used in the book such as "kissin friends" (meaning good friends), and give them extra credit if they do. These dialogues can be anything from being an everyday conversation to a dramatic adventure plot. (A Rubric for grading is at the bottom of this page)
- Students will write an essay analyzing the importance of setting in Their Eyes Were Watching God
- These essays should explore the idea of how Janie's character changes with the setting
- Refer to the setting page for greater detail
- Students should support their essays with information from the text
- Students should write a reflection about what they have learned from the applying the Formalistic approach to the novel
- This should include how their understanding of the novel changed and use one example (symbols, setting, dialect, theme)
Materials
dialogue_rubric.docx | |
File Size: | 14 kb |
File Type: | docx |
lesson_plan_symbol_sheet.docx | |
File Size: | 14 kb |
File Type: | docx |