American Tall Tales/Their Eyes Were Watching God/American Icon
Mr. Dils, English 11
1/4
1/5
1/6
vocabulary #6; find a tall tale, read it, and bring it too class
read Hurston’s “High John de Conquer” (handout)
study for vocabulary quiz; read chapters 1-2 (35 pages) in Seabiscuit
1/9
1/10
1/11
1/12
1/13
read Lester’s “High John the Conquerer” (handout)
vocabulary #7; bring draft of tall tale to class
*finish tall tale
study for quiz; finish chapter 1 of Their Eyes Were Watching God (TEWWG)
TEWWG chapters 2-3; read chapters 3-5 (61 pages) in Seabiscuit
1/16
1/17
1/18
1/19
1/20
no school
TEWWG chapter 4; vocabulary #8
finish TEWWG writing assignment #1
TEWWG chapter 5; study for vocabulary quiz
TEWWG chapter 6; read chapters 6-9 (68 pages) in Seabiscuit
1/23
1/24
1/25
1/26
1/27
TEWWG chapters 7-9
TEWWG chapters 10-11
finish TEWWG writing assignment #2
TEWWG chapters 12-13
[end of quarter] TEWWG chapters 14-16; read chapters 10-13 (65 pages) in Seabiscuit
1/30
1/31
2/1
2/2
2/3
TEWWG chapters 17-18
TEWWG chapter 19
TEWWG chapter 20 (last chapter); vocabulary #1
study for vocabulary quiz #1
bring draft of assignment #3 to class; read chapters 14-17 (57 pages) in Seabiscuit
2/6
2/7
2/8
2/9
2/10
study for TEWWG test
work on draft of assignment #3; vocabulary #2
finish draft of assignment #3
study for vocabulary quiz
decide on your American Icon for research paper; read chapters 18-21 (56 pages) in
Seabiscuit
2/13
2/14
2/15
2/16
2/17
gather sources for Icon paper
gather sources; vocabulary #3
gather sources; study for vocabulary quiz
finish preliminary bibliography
readings/videos on your American Icon; read chapters 22-Epilogue (44 pages) in
Seabiscuit (test on Tuesday Feb. 28)
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Original Tall Tale – DUE THURSDAY, JANUARY 12
Tall-tales have many of the same elements. Consider the following as you craft your “modern” tall tale:
*exaggerated proportions
*fantastic birth
* “hands-on”; labor-oriented
*excellence in a specific area
*regional
*causes natural phenomena
*conflict with modern technology
*colloquial style (“speakerly”)
Your tall tale should be two pages long (double-spaced). Try to put a unique, modern twist on this traditional
story. Do NOT create a supernatural super-hero.
2. TEWWG Writing Assignment #1-- DUE THURSDAY, JANUARY 19 (1-2 pages, double-spaced; formal
voice – no I or you): Answer the following question in a thorough and organized manner. Please work in direct
quotations from the text to support your answer. Is Janie justified in leaving Logan Killicks?
3. TEWWG Writing Assignment #2 – DUE THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 (1-2 pages, double-spaced; formal
voice – no I or you): Reread the paragraph that begins on page 67 and continues on to page 68. At the end of this
paragraph, the narrator writes: “Janie had an inside and an outside now and suddenly she knew how not to
mix them.” Discuss what this passage means and show, with examples from the text, how Janie reconciles
or juggles these two identities.
4. TEWWG Writing Assignments #3 (options – choose 1) – DUE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9
A) write a poem about or in the voice of Logan, Joe, and Tea Cake (3 total poems). You can make
these poems “found poems” (using phrases only from the text), or you can invent something all your
own. Each poem must be at least 12 lines. Try to capture the distinctive personality and problems of
each character. You will be graded on the depth of your awareness and understanding of the
characters as exhibited in your poems; the creativity / originality of your poems; and the degree of
your success with poetry devices (sound, figurative language, tone). Turn in all drafts and versions
of the poems you craft.
B) Make a soundtrack for a film version of Their Eyes Are Watching God. You must use at least 6
songs, and you will write a paragraph on each song discussing: 1) in what scene the song will play;
2) why you have chosen the song (tone, mood, lyrics, etc.). You will be graded on the
appropriateness of the songs, the effectiveness of the mood and feeling of your song choices, and the
thematic connections of the lyrics.
C) Create a poster (24x36) promoting the film version of the novel. In writing (1 page), you will
explain the images, the mood, the font, the arrangement, etc. of your poster and what kinds of ideas
you are trying to “sell” to a film-going audience in order to get them to come see the film. What is
your angle? What kind of film do you want to create in your poster? Consider all of these ideas as
you put together your poster and write about it. You will be graded on the artistic quality of your
poster; the depth and sophistication of the ideas presented in the images in the poster; your ability
to articulate in writing the “strategies” of your poster.
D) Create a 2-3 minute evening news report (video) on the trial of Janie Starks. You will be graded on
the originality of your production, the authenticity of your production, and the depth of
understanding of the text that you exhibit in your new report. You may work with one or two other
people—if you choose this option, you are allowed to turn in your video on Monday, February 13.