ALEX Learning Activity

In this learning activity, students will read excerpts of Zora Neale Hurston's Barracoon and complete graphic organizers. Students will analyze the text through the lens of American Identity and show comprehension of the text and the author's purpose through their writing. 

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

1. Students will be able to summarize a text. 

2. Students will be able to identify specific details that reveal the theme of a text. 

3. Students will be able to analyze a particular point of view reflected in American literature. 

1. The instructor will divide the class into two large groups, Group 1 and Group 2.

2. The instructor will review slides 1-6 of the Barracoon Powerpoint with the students. 

3. During the review of slides 1-6, students will actively discuss the information with the instructor and answer questions. 

4. On slide 7 of the Barracoon Powerpoint, students will begin completing the activity by answering the Pre-Reading Questions on Group 1 Handout or Group 2 Handout. 

5. Students will begin reading either Group 1 Excerpt or Group 2 Excerpt. The reading should be done aloud by the students. This works well if they are in a circle and take turns reading. 

6. Once a group has finished reading their excerpt, the students will complete the rest of their handout. 

7. After both groups are completed, each student will partner with one student from the opposite group to complete the partner questions on their handouts. 

The instructor can collect completed handouts and grade for accuracy using the Barracoon Handout KEY. 

Other options include students writing a paragraph on their findings, writing a poem about the character's experiences using the evidence from their handouts, or creating a poster comparing and contrasting the character's experiences. 

1. Instructors should make sufficient copies of each handout and excerpt for students to complete. 

2. It is ideal to already have the classroom set up into two large circular groups. Seats may be assigned to even out reading levels. 

The instructor may assign low-level readers to one group and work solely with that group while reading. 

Although this activity is designed to fit with early American literature, it can also be used as an introductory activity to other novel studies of Hurston's work, such as Their Eyes Were Watching God. 

Some classes may need a lengthier review of dialect and how it can enhance language and purpose. In addition, an understanding of the slave trade and the author's tone is beneficial to students' success.