being able to cope, withstand and recover from difficult physical or mental challenge

to treat someone, or a group of people, unfairly

Performing Maya Angelou's ‘Still I Rise’

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’

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 the Pulse of the Morning’

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Historic or outdated representations of people that may portray inequality or injustice.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 or discussion of sex or sexual body parts, including sex education.

Depiction or discussion of sexual content

Physical activity and equipment requiring safe use

Risk assessment required - physical activity

Which of the following are good pieces of advice for someone who wishes to perform a poem? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

What does it mean to project your voice? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

What is the final word of Maya Angelou's poem 'Still I Rise'? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

Yes: she starts the poem with a rhetorical question.

No: the questions are meant to be answered.

No: only the title is a rhetorical question.

Does Angelou use rhetorical questions in 'Still I Rise'? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

How does the speaker describe herself in Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise'? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').

The speaker in Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise' says her oppressors tell lies about her. How does she describe these lies? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

One of Maya Angelou's poems is called 'Still I {{ }}' ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').

What word does Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise' start with? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

Match these words to their definitions ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').

In 'Still I Rise', what are some of the things the speaker compares herself to? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

speaker says she's been treated like "dirt" but she’s still "sassy"

compares herself to "suns"; asks if oppressors want to see her broken

speaker says she is full of laughter, despite being attacked

speaker says she is sexy, "dances" to show her valuable body

speaker compares herself to an "ocean"; direct references to slavery

compares herself to a "dream" and repeats the title over and over

Match the stanzas from Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise' to what they explore ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').

A {{ }} question is a question that is used for dramatic effect, rather than one expecting an answer ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').

Starter Quiz