Activity 1

Their Eyes Were Watching God
Activity 1: Creating a Map of Janie's Journey

Introduction

Are you ready for a journey of great depth and beauty? Are you willing to put aside all preconceived ideas of what the journey should be like and where it may take you? If you are, you are ready to travel deep into the heart of Janie Crawford. Janie Crawford, the main character in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, is on the most important journey of her life--the journey of self-discovery.

Although in many ways this journey will be a personal one between you and Janie, some side excursions on the Internet will provide you with valuable information and insights into Janie's world. Each stop along the way is meant to be refreshing and enjoyable, a time of reflection. Have a wonderful trip!

The Task

After you have visited the sites listed below and while you are reading the novel, you will create a map of Janie Crawford's journey through Florida.

The Process: Exploring the Web, Creating a Product
Step 1. Find a map of Florida and on an 81/2 x 11 sheet of paper (or larger if you wish), draw a map of Florida. Include all the major cities and the lake in the south central part of the state.

Step 2. On the map put the name and the number below for each place Janie lived:

West Florida
Eatonville
Jacksonville
The Everglades
West Palm Beach
The Everglades
Eatonville

Go to Mapquest, and type in specific places you have difficulty locating on the first map.

Step 3. On a separate piece of paper make a chart with the following items as titles of each column on top:

place Janie visited
what Janie did there
descriptive words/phrases from the novel used to describe this place
any further information you learned from checking out these sites on the Internet:
Everglades
Eatonville
your conclusions about what Janie learned in this place

How You Will Be Graded
The map will be evaluated on the following:

The neatness, accuracy and visual attractiveness of the map
The accuracy of the information about what Janie did in each place
The inclusion of valid descriptive words/phrases chosen from the novel for each place
The inclusion of valid conclusions about what Janie learned based on evidence from the novel