Ernest J. Gaines
Lesson plans for A Lesson Before Dying and other books

|Biography and Background| |The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman| |A Lesson Before Dying|

A Conversation with Ernest Gaines
In this 1998 interview Gaines discusses the influence of the South on his writing.

The History of Jim Crow
The resources at this site explore segregation in America from 1870s to 1950s. Check out both the American Literature and Teacher Resources at the bottom of the opening page.

The Power of Words
Ten lessons exploring the impact of language in a multicultural society. Includes a lesson on ethnic stereotypes and ethnic identity.

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
Focusing on a theme of the civil rights struggle, this site includes theme openers, crosscurricular activities, and research activities.

Study Guide for The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
Prereading and background information, a variety of response and analysis questions and diagrams, and questions for related readings. This 22-page guide requires Adobe Reader or equivalent application for access.

A Lesson Before Dying: Teacher Guide
Background, author bio, and an extensive set of questions for discussion and writing. Follow the link at top right to questions designed for a book club.

A Lesson Before Dying
Introduction, day-by-day plans, assignments, chapter-by-chapter study guide questions, and a link to "If We Must Die" by Claude McKay. These materials were prepared by a classroom teacher.

A Lesson Before Dying
These materials from Oprah's book club include an author interview and discussion questions.

A Lesson Before Dying
This six-week unit focuses on "Human Rights issues, the workings of the justice system, and ... death penalty cases" in addition to literary analysis. The site includes activities, homework, suggestions for vocabulary and assessment, and samples of student work.