in politics, when a new leader and government is sworn in

a person who advocates for social and political equality for those who have been denied equal treatment

laws enforced by American states which separated people based on the colour of their skin (late 19th century to 1965)

Exploring Maya Angelou’s ‘On the Pulse of the Morning’

English

An introduction to Maya Angelou's distinctive voice: ‘Life Doesn’t Frighten Me’

Writing a poem inspired by Maya Angelou's 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'

Exploring Maya Angelou’s ‘Phenomenal Woman’

Exploring Maya Angelou's figurative language in ‘Phenomenal Woman’

Exploring Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’

Performing Maya Angelou's ‘Still I Rise’

Exploring Maya Angelou's 'Caged Bird'

Performing Maya Angelou's ‘Caged Bird’

Exploring Maya Angelou's 'Equality'

Exploring Maya Angelou’s use of figurative language

Maya Angelou’s influences: exploring ‘Sympathy’ by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Exploring Maya Angelou's 'Woman Work'

Exploring Maya Angelou's 'On Aging'

Maya Angelou's poetic voice

Analytical paragraphs: Maya Angelou’s poetic voice

Finding my own voice: planning a poem inspired by Maya Angelou

Finding my own voice: writing a poem inspired by Maya Angelou

Refining poems: harmony and dissonance

Finding my own voice: performing a poem

In 'Single Poet Study: Maya Angelou', pupils study a body of work by a single poet, in order to explore what makes her style and voice unique, giving Angelou her identity as a writer. In the second  Power and Conflict Poetry unit, pupils study the identity cluster of poems, including works by Agard, Dharker and Rumens, all of which use poetic voice to explore questions about personal identity.

In 'Poetry about Place and Home', pupils use spoken word poetry to explore their relationship to the city that they live in. In 'Single Poet Study: Maya Angelou', pupils explore how spoken word poetry can be used to express personal and political views. 

In this unit, pupils read and discover the work of Maya Angelou. They explore some of Angelou's most famous poems, such as 'Caged Bird' and 'Still I Rise', and practise writing and performing poems inspired by her work. As the unit develops, pupils find their own distinctive poetic voice.

Single poet study: Maya Angelou

Discriminatory behaviour or images, whether on the grounds of race, gender, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation, or otherwise.

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Historic or outdated representations of people that may portray inequality or injustice.

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of violence or fighting, including threats of violence or the aftermath of violence.

Maya Angelou wrote a poem called 'On the Pulse of the {{ }}'. ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

Which president asked Maya Angelou to write and perform a poem at their inauguration? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

She wrote at night when she felt most creative.

She wrote in a hotel room she rented, rather than her house.

She used a library of books and the internet to support her.

She would write with the Bible, a dictionary and a deck of cards beside her.

She would start writing early in the morning.

What is true of Maya Angelou's writing routine? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

What words did Angelou use to describe her writing routine? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

What is the final word of 'On the Pulse of the Morning'? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

I am hoping a change of scene will renewal my energy.

I renewal so I feel fresh and raring to go.

Each morning, I feel a sense of renewal after a good night's sleep.

Which sentence uses the word 'renewal' correctly? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

In the United Kingdom, the country's leader is called the Prime Minister. In America, the country's leader is called the {{ }} ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').

Which of these are examples of commands? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

the beat you feel as your blood is pumped through your veins

events that will happen to a person or thing in the future

Match each word to its meaning ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').

Maya Angelou was a poet and a civil {{ }} activist ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').

Select the dates which indicate when Maya Angelou was born, and when she passed away ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').

The {{ }} laws were laws enforced by American states which separated people based on the colour of their skin (late 19th century to 1965) ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').

Exploring Maya Angelou’s ‘On the Pulse of the Morning’

Lesson outcome

Content guidance