the tools a writer uses to create their work; use of refrain and figurative language are just two examples

words that have one syllable (one beat) e.g. bad, big, run, fun

non-literal phrases and words which develop a writer's meaning

repeated line or group of lines in a poem

something that can't be touched e.g. a noise

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

English

An introduction to Maya Angelou's distinctive voice: ‘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 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

In 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me', which of these is the refrain? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').

Which of these words are monosyllabic? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

words that have one syllable (beat) e.g. run, boo, shout

the intentional recurrence of particular words or phrases

non-literal words or phrases which develop a writer's meaning

a repeated line or set of lines in a poem

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

Which of these things are intangible? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

The smell of vomit pervaded her nostrils when she entered the room.

The clothes on the floor were minimal, pervading the room.

As they saw their opponents, the footballers had a feeling of pervading doom.

The heat pervaded the whole city: there was no escape.

Which of these sentences use the word pervade (or its forms) correctly? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').

A {{ }} is a repeated line or group of lines in a poem. ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

What type of text is Maya Angelou's 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me'? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

Which of these is a synonym for the word shake? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

Which of these things does the speaker in Maya Angelou's 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me' not mention?

The speaker says she is not scared of things like shadows and noises.

The speaker says she is not scared of certain characters from stories.

The speaker explains how she frightens away scary things.

The speaker explains how people at school don't frighten her.

The speaker explains she doesn't scream when she sees scary animals.

The speaker says she has magical powers to help her.

The speaker repeats that she is not scared of life.

Starting with the first, put what is said in Maya Angelou's 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me' in chronological order. ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

In Maya Angelou's 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me', what does the speaker admit are able to scare her? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

How many times does Maya Angelou repeat the title 'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me' in the poem itself? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')

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

Lesson outcome