Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Greetings from Maya Angelou

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars investigate the life and works of Maya Angelou. They complete a Webquest, read poems, listen to a reading by Maya Angelou, answer discussion questions, and write a poem, short story, or essay based on a newspaper article.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Effects of Slavery

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The emotional and spiritual oppression of slavery in the African-American experience is the focus of this lesson. Middle schoolers analyze various texts by Frederick Douglass and Maya Angelou related to freedom and oppression....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

“And Still I Rise” Proud Black Women

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the experiences of African American women. For this poetry lesson, students use their literary analysis skills to compare the poetry of Maya Angelou to rap music performed by Queen Latifah and Lauryn Hill.
Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

Black Women Writers: What Gets Black Women Heard?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Zora Neal Hurston, Toni Morrison, and Maya Angelou are featured in a guided inquiry unit. High schoolers research the lives and works of these and other Black women writers and craft an argument, using evidence from their research, to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Resilient Poetry

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students read The Seven Resiliencies, a Maya Angelou poem, and complete writing activities to analyze the concept of resiliency. In this poetry lesson, students group in a circle to read the resiliency handout and discuss the text....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Young scholars complete activities for the autobiography of Maya Angelou. In this autobiography lesson, students write a journal entry about their life and discuss the morphology of the word autobiography. Young scholars use active...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Connections: I Know Why Caged Birds Sing

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students discuss equality and fairness by reading a Maya Angelo poem.  In this U.S. history lesson, students read the poem I Know Why Caged Birds Sing, and discuss how the era it was written in affected the words.  Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars read and analyze the novel "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. They discuss the poetry and prose of the book, the importance of role models, complete a worksheet, and write a narrative using figurative...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Poetry Archive

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students investigate the power of title and poetry in a Langston Hughes' poem. In this poetry analysis lesson, students discuss the poem 'I, Too' for its title and content. Students use the variation in English Words and Phrases website...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: Chapters 20, 21, 22, 23

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students complete chapter analysis activities for the Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this novel analysis instructional activity, students read and discuss chapters 20, 21, and 22 from the novel. Students then read and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Six Trait Writing with Jonathan Swift and Washington Irving

For Teachers 4th
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Words Have Meaning

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
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...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

CSAP Preparation: "Strike While the Iron is Hot"

For Teachers 6th
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.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Gargoyles, Black Death, and Scary Music

For Teachers 5th - 8th
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovering Ourselves in Literature and Life

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...