Their Eyes Were Watching God Movie Guide | Questions | Worksheet (TV - 2005)

Their Eyes Were Watching God Movie Guide | Questions | Worksheet (TV – 2005) challenges students to think critically about the life of Janie and the relationships she builds throughout the movie. Explore the founding of Eatonville, Florida in the film and compare it to the historical record. Ask students put into their own words what it means to live life as if ‘their eyes are watching God’.

Teacher’s Notes:

• Although this movie is rated for TV, I’d recommend previewing the movie or carefully looking at a parental guide such as IMDb’s, to make sure this movie is appropriate for your students.
• Skip 1:15:00 – 1:16:30 if you want to avoid the prolonged love scene between Janie and Tea Cake
• If the time stamps on this movie guide don’t match up with your version of the movie, I’ve included a short description of where to stop the film for each question.

This resource consists of 11 high-level, short answer and essay questions that will do more than just ask your students to regurgitate information. See the preview file for high resolution sample questions.

This product .zip file includes:

• A PDF with link to a Google Slides version (1 page)
• A student movie guide, PDF print version (4 pages)
• An answer key (4 pages) is included, however, some answers will vary as students are encouraged to construct their own meaning throughout the film and many questions are open-ended.
• A generic movie guide permission slip (1 page)

Here are my tips for using Their Eyes Were Watching God Movie Guide | Questions | Worksheet (TV - 2005) in your classroom:

1. Print one, double-sided movie guide for each student
2. Preview each question on the movie guide as you come to it before resuming the movie
3. Pause at the times designated on the movie guide and help students if necessary
   • Discussion here is great, encourage and allow students to share their ideas and thoughts for any question
   • Discourage students from simply copying answers
   • If needed, and if time allows, feel free to rewind and show important parts of the movie for additional analysis
4. After completing the short answers on the movie guide, allow 5-10 minutes for each essay question at the end
5. On average, completing this movie guide will require about 30-45 minutes in addition to the length of the movie