Curated OER
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: Chapters 20, 21, 22, 23
Students complete chapter analysis activities for the Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this novel analysis lesson, students read and discuss chapters 20, 21, and 22 from the novel. Students then read and listen to the...
Curated OER
I know Why the Caged Bird Sings Quiz
In this online interactive reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 12 multiple choice questions about Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Curated OER
Interpreting Meaning in Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”
Launch a study of Maya Angelou's "I know Why the Caged Bird Sings" with the Youtube video of Alicia Keys singing her "Caged Bird." Groups then read Angelou's poem and discuss the symbols employed. Although the text of the poem is not...
Curated OER
Using Prominent Personalities With Identifiable Social Causes to Stimulate Writing
Students write a friendly letter to a Maya Angelou, describing their response to her poetry and short stories.
Lesson Planet
Black History Month Through Poetry
Black History Month is a great time to discuss African-American poets in your classroom.
Curated OER
Classify By Topic
Students explore and evaluate poetry. In small groups, they read and summarize poems, complete a handout, create and perform a dramatization of a poem, and write a journal entry in response to their performance.
Curated OER
Figurative Language
Students interpret figurative language. In this language lesson, students are read the poem "I Love the Look of Words" by Maya Angelou and are to find examples of hyperbole and personification in the poem. Students then rotate among...
Curated OER
Know Your Poets
In this poets worksheet, students read short poems and then choose the correct poet that wrote it. Students complete 6 multiple choice questions.
Curated OER
Words Have Meaning
Learners interpret and analyze art for meaning and a Maya Angelou poem for meaning. In this art and literature analysis lesson, students analyze Alison Saar's "Lost and Found" and Maya Angelou's poem "Alone." Learners write creative...
Curated OER
Reading Lesson Plan
Tenth graders read the poem "Still I Rise" and discuss the different ways it can be told and read and brought to life. In this poetry lesson plan, 10th graders read aloud and silently, and compare different works of poetry.
Curated OER
Gargoyles, Black Death, and Scary Music
Students research the Dark Ages using books, the Internet, and other media. In this Dark Ages lesson plan, students study poetry, music, art, and the architecture of the Dark Ages.
Curated OER
LIFE DOESN’T FRIGHTEN ME
Students examine gender bias and stereotypes. In this discrimination lesson students participate in class discussions and poetry reading in order to examine the gender stereotypes of fears and develop the understanding that both genders...
Curated OER
CSAP Preparation: "Strike While the Iron is Hot"
Students survey several concepts in literature, science, history, and geography as a preparation for the CSAP standardized testing experience. This nine lesson unit provides exposure to the format and content of the test.
PBS
Primary Source Set: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
What did Jo write her stories with? How did the March sisters dress? A primary source set designed for Louisa May Alcott's Little Women prompts learners to look over images of household items and clothes from the 1860s before engaging in...
Curated OER
Life Doesn't Frighten Me
Students work with younger students to collaborate to create a painting. In this lesson, students read Life Doesn't Frighten Me. High School students write and discuss fears with Kindergarten children, and then create an artwork showing...
Curated OER
Discovering Ourselves in Literature and Life
Students read literature and view other media to discover how print and non-print texts answer the thematic question: Who am I? students compare the ways ideas are presented, and create their own portfolios or personal Web pages...
Curated OER
Picture It: Teaching Descriptive Writing
There are many fun and effective ways to teach students to write descriptively.
Curated OER
Six Trait Writing with Jonathan Swift and Washington Irving
Fourth graders demonstrate and evaluate the six traits of writing. They read and identify good writing and bad writing, utilize a rubric to self-evaluate their own writing, participate in a Reader's Theater, and publish a class book.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: The Poetry of Maya Angelou
This collection uses primary sources to explore the poetry of Maya Angelou.
Poetry Foundation
Poetry Foundation: Maya Angelou (1928 2014)
A look at the life and works of poet and writer Maya Angelou, complete with detailed biography, bibliography, links to poems and articles.
Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: The Poetry of Maya Angelou
This primary source set includes photographs, illustrations, correspondence, interviews, and a sound recording that provides context for thematic elements in the poetry of Maya Angelou as well as her life.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: American Masters Collection: Maya Angelou
This is a collection of one media gallery, eight videos, and one interactive about Maya Angelou and her works especially her autobiography, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"
Other
Scholastic News: Week of 5 26 14: Maya Angelou: Remembering a Life of Brilliance
Poet Maya Angelou, who passed away this week, was also a civil rights activist. Learn about the work she did, and why it was so important to her and many others.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Understanding Poetry of Maya Angelou Through Rap Lyric
By examining the lives and lyrics of popular, positive black female rappers such as Queen Latifah and Lauryn Hill, students can trace a direct line back to the inspirational writer and poet, Maya Angelou. Rap lyrics will help explicate...