Description
Use Zora Neale Hurston’s powerful short story “Sweat” to teach feminist literature, highlight influential African American authors, and explore theme and Biblical allusions through meaningful literary analysis. This lesson provides students with multiple entry points into the text while encouraging close reading, discussion, and critical thinking.
“Sweat” offers rich opportunities for analysis as students examine power, gender roles, oppression, resilience, and justice. Through Hurston’s vivid language and use of symbolism, students practice analyzing how historical context and author’s craft shape meaning.
This lesson begins with an anticipation and activating strategy to build engagement and prepare students for the text. Students then explore background information on Zora Neale Hurston and the historical context of rural Southern America in the 1920s, including racism, the legacy of slavery, and the use of African American Vernacular English. Academic vocabulary is introduced and reinforced through a graphic organizer to support comprehension.
As students read the full text of “Sweat,” they complete literary analysis questions and participate in discussion questions designed for cooperative learning. After reading, students deepen their understanding through a theme analysis chart with a constructed response, a Biblical allusions graphic organizer, and a journal prompt that encourages personal connections to the text and characters. Answer keys are included for all activities to support instruction and assessment.
This resource includes a teacher guide and answer keys in PDF format, a PowerPoint presentation with author background and vocabulary, and student materials provided in both editable Word documents and print-ready PDFs.
Perfect for middle school and high school ELA, this “Sweat” lesson supports close reading, historical understanding, and thoughtful literary analysis while amplifying an essential voice in American literature.