A Socratic seminar wraps-up a study of Zora Neale Hurston' Their Eyes were Watching God. Using the text and their notes, scholars focus on how characters in the novel accept or reject the societal norms of the times.

Concepts

socratic discussion, their eyes were watching god, zora neale hurston

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• For homework the night before the seminar, direct class members to prepare their follow-up questions to the focus question
• Readers should flag passages they would like to discuss in the seminar
• Using notes from the seminar, ask participants to select one character from the novel and craft an essay in which they show how that character accepts or rejects the societal norms of the times

Classroom Considerations

• Pupils should have finished reading Their Eyes Were Watching God
• Presumes class members are familiar with the Socratic Seminar format
• One of five PBS resources devoted to Zora Neale Hurston

Pros

• The lesson includes a detailed procedure
• As a culminating activity, participants use the included questions to evaluate their performance in the seminar

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.3 RL.9-10.5 RL.11-12.2 RL.11-12.3