Exploring Maya Angelou's 'Equality'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explore Maya Angelou's 'Equality'.
Key learning points
- 'Equality' sees a speaker demand equality so that she can be "free".
- Arguably, the poem presents racial and gender inequality that Angelou experienced as a Black American woman.
- 'Equality' starts with the word "you" and we could argue that the speaker has an accusatory tone at points in the poem.
- Arguably, the speaker's response to the inequality she sees makes it a poem about resilience in the face of inequality.
- Linking quotations together when you explore a poem can make your idea more powerful.
Keywords
Civil rights activist - a person who advocates for social and political equality for those who have been denied equal treatment
Accusatory - suggesting someone has done something wrong
Assertive - confident, self-assured
Oppress - to treat someone, or a group of people, unfairly
Common misconception
Personal opinions in English don't matter. Only analysis is valid.
Being a student of English can often feel like this. But expressing your opinions about your feelings towards a text - those you read in and outside the classroom - is very important and just as much a part of the subject of English as analysis.
Teacher tip
Consider how you will read 'Equality' in Learning Cycle 1. Who will read, when and why? Would watching Angelou perform the poem aid enjoyment? Are there words you need to define, or further questions you wish to ask?
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of 'Equality' published by Penguin Random House in 1990.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of sexual content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a refrain? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Q2.Which of these are examples of commands? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Q3.Match each word to its definition ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Q4.When was Maya Angelou born? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Q5.Match each of these Maya Angelou poems to their focus. ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Q6.Maya Angelou was a poet and a civil activist ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What word does Maya Angelou's poem 'Equality' start with? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Q2.What is the final word of Maya Angelou's 'Equality'? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Q3.When using quotations to explore an idea, what could you do to make your use of quotations powerful? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Q4.Starting with the first, put these Maya Angelou poems in the order they were published. ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Q5.Which of the sentences below use the word accusatory (or its forms) correctly? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Q6.In Maya Angelou's 'Equality', the speaker says that despite the inequality she has faced, she marches " " (Stanza five). ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Exploring Maya Angelou's 'Equality', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Exploring Maya Angelou's 'Equality', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 English lessons from the Single poet study: Maya Angelou unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.