Hello, my name is Ms. Grant.

I'm so glad you decided to learn with me.

Today, we're in the Unit Single poet study: Maya Angelou.

And today we are going to be looking at one of Maya Angelou's fantastic poems. It's called "Equality." Now, first things first, we need a copy of this poem.

It's published in 1990 by Penguin Random House.

So I'd like you to pause the video and go get a copy of the poem, "Equality." Pause the video, and I'll see you back here shortly.

Welcome back.

Now you have a copy of the poem, "Equality." We are ready to get started.

We're gonna stand up by reading the poem and thinking, what do I think of it? How do I connect to this poem? And then we're gonna think a little bit more carefully about how the speaker is presented.

I cannot wait to hear all of your fantastic ideas.

I'm gonna be your support and guide as we work through today's lesson together.

Let's get started.

So by the end of today's lesson, you are going to have explore Maya Angelou's "Equality." I'm really looking forward to reading this poem with you for the first time and having, I think, how do we connect to this poem? What do we understand are its main messages? What is the speaker like? What do we like about it? What's confusing about it? So we're gonna have a thorough exploration today of Maya Angelou's "Equality." There are some keywords which are gonna help us unlock our learning that can help us achieve our objective today.

I'm just gonna draw your attention to one of them just now, but of course we'll go through them as they come up in the lesson.

So the one I'd like to draw your attention to is civil rights activists, it's a key phrase really.

And it's a person who advocates for social and political equality for those who have been denied equal treatment.

Now, Maya Angelou was a poet, she was a writer, but being a civil rights activist was a really important part of her life.

She was a Black woman in 20th century America.

She faced oppression in various different ways, and not only was she fighting for herself, but she was fighting for all.

She wanted social and political equality for all who had been denied equal treatment.

And you'll see that in her poems. A lot of her poems are about oppression that people have faced and the resilience that people have in the face of this oppression.

But today, in this poem that we read, she's really calling for equality.

So we can maybe see some of that civil rights activism coming through even more strongly in this particular poem.

Now, if you'd like to pause the video and have a look at the rest of these words, maybe make a note of them, then please do.

But otherwise, they are going to come up in the rest of today's lesson and we will go through them together.

Our lesson outline for today, we're gonna start off by reading "Equality." I'm so pleased we've got a whole learning cycle devoted to the reading of this poem.

Now, reading a poem or any text, always the most important aspect of it.

It's not the analysis, but actually reading it, enjoying it, connecting to it.

And that's where all our brilliant ideas will come from the text.

So we can't get to those maybe more difficult skills, more challenging skills of English and where we're doing that analysis if we don't read the text properly.

So I'm so, so pleased that we can spend a really long time reading this poem of "Equality" together.

And then in the second learning cycle, we're going to evaluate the speaker in "Equality." We gonna think, what do we think this speaker is like? You are going to think, "What do I think the speaker is like? And what evidence can I find to support this idea?" So let's start off with reading "Equality." Now, Maya Angelou's poem "Equality" was first published in 1990.

Izzy considers the title and says, "The poem's title doesn't surprise me." Now, I'd like you to discuss what might have led Izzy to this argument? I'd like you to consider, what you know about Angelou as a poet and a civil rights activist? Why the title might be particularly important to Angelou herself? And the titles of Angelou's other poems, for example, "Still I Rise," "Phenomenal Woman," or "Life Doesn't Frighten Me." Pause the video and discuss this question now.

What might have led Izzy to this argument? Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back.

Such a pleasure to hear you discussing the title and Maya Angelou herself, as well as engaging with this idea of Izzy's argument.

What could have led her to this argument? So what do we know about Maya Angelou as a civil rights activist? Well, we know it's a really important part of her career.

She had a long career during which she wrote many, many poems and autobiographies as well as lots of different texts as well.

She wrote for TV, as she wrote for the stage.

But we know that being a civil rights activist was this sort of constant throughout her career.

So she was fighting for equality throughout her career.

She saw oppression and she thought, "No, this is not right.

And part of my life's work is going to be fighting against oppression.

So the unfair treatment of people, I want there to be equality for all." And the second idea, why might the title be particularly important to Angelou herself? Well, Angelou was a Black American woman in the 20th century and she experienced racism.

She experienced discrimination based on the fact that she was a woman.

And so maybe this idea of equality was important to her because she experienced inequality firsthand in her day-to-day life.

And this final idea, the titles of Angelou's other poems "Still I Rise," "Phenomenal Woman," "Life Doesn't Frighten Me," some people said, well, equality actually seems quite different to these other examples because we've got this kind of idea of the personal in these other titles.

"Still I Rise," we've got pronoun I.

"Phenomenal Woman," so thinking about the speaker in that poem thinks of herself as phenomenal, as amazing.

And "Life Doesn't Frighten Me," again, we've got that personal pronoun, me.

Whereas "Equality" is a more about a concept, an idea of equal treatment.

So in some ways it absolutely is quite different from her other poems. But others saying, "well, I've read these poems, I know what they are about.

And I know that there are examples of the idea of oppression, particularly in 'Still I Rise,' and some more subtle references in 'Phenomenal Woman.

'" So the idea of "Equality" is actually a constant throughout Angelou's work, even though this title might seem a little bit different in some ways to her other poems. I think it's always good to do some comparison in order to understand a poem more deeply.

Sometimes it's hard to know exactly what a poem is about by just looking at it by itself.

But having a contrast, looking at a different poem can sometimes be really helpful.

And you can do that with its titles.

With the titles as well, just as you have done with this title "Equality." And then comparing it to some of the titles of Angelou's other poems. A really nice discussion here.

We can see what led Izzy to this argument that the poem's title doesn't surprise her.

So a check for understanding before we get to reading "Equality," that is the focus of this learning cycle.

So we want to get to it nice and quickly.

We want to enjoy the poem.

True or false? The idea of equality was important to Maya Angelou.

Pause the video and complete this check now.

Well done if you selected True.

Now I would like you to answer why? Why is the idea of equality important to Maya Angelou? Pause a video and consider why the idea of equality was important to Maya Angelou now.

Welcome back.

Some really clear, specific ideas about why the idea of equality was so important to Maya Angelou.

Well done if you talked about the idea of equality was important to Maya Angelou because she was civil rights activist.

So using that key term, the idea that she fought for the equality of those who had been oppressed.

She also faced oppression as a Black woman in 20th century America.

So she faced unfair treatment herself.

And this is why the idea of equality or one of the reasons why the idea of equality was so important to her.

All right, we're gonna move on to our first practise task.

We're gonna read "Equality" twice.

If it were me, I would read it aloud.

Maya Angelou's poetry, they were often performed by Angelou herself, but they have also been performed by many others.

The idea of performance is important to her work.

And so the way in which the poems sound their rhyme, their rhythm, can really, really be heard if you read the poem aloud.

So read through it and definitely read through it twice.

And after reading, I'd like you to discuss these questions.

What do you think the main message of the poem is? What do you think the speaker is like? And why do you think this? What might have motivated Angelou to write this poem? What types of inequality is a speaker frustrated by? And why do you think the poem is called "Equality" rather than "Inequality"? Now those two final questions.

What types of inequality is the speaker frustrated by? Really look carefully at the poem.

It's got a really nice, clear message to this poem, but there are some complex things going on inside it.

And so have a look at the types of inequality that the speaker is frustrated by.

And then this final question, I'll be really interested to hear what you think.

I remember when I first read the poem, I was a little bit surprised by the title.

I had to remind myself that it was indeed "Equality" rather than "Inequality." And so I'll be really interested to hear about some of your ideas about this final question.

But enjoy reading the poem and then have a really nice discussion about these questions.

And I will see you back here shortly.

Pause the video now.

Welcome back.

It was so lovely to hear and see people reading "Equality," really enjoying that poem and engaging with it.

And then beautiful discussions about these questions where I can see you connect to the poem, some of the ideas and start to think about some of the power from within this poem.

I was particularly interested, as I said before about this idea, why do you think the poem is called "Equality" rather than "Inequality?" And lots of people saying, "Well, even though there is an exploration of the oppression that the speaker and others have faced, ultimately is quite a hopeful poem.

And so the idea that it's called equality is because not only that's what the speaker is demanding, but she can see that somewhere where we can get to." So I like that idea, the idea that the title speaks to the hopefulness of the poem, which might be one interpretation.

Some others might say, "Oh, I disagree.

I think the reason it is called equality is because of the demands that the speaker is making and she wants that to be the lasting message with us." So actually it's a bit more about the demands rather than this hopeful tone.

But lots and lots of different interpretations, they've really helped me understand why Angelou picked this title rather than its opposite inequality.

Let's do some feedback about some of the other questions.

So Oak pupils discuss what they think the speaker is like, and Izzy says, "I think the speaker is really accusatory." So suggesting that somebody has done something wrong.

Laura says, "I think the speaker is really assertive.

So confident, powerful.

And Jun says, "I think the speaker is determined." So different ideas in order to present or explore this speaker.

Now I'd like you to discuss who do you agree with most and why? And what words would you use to describe the speaker? Pause a video and discuss these questions now.

Welcome back.

A really lovely discussion there about this speaker.

It's really gonna help us in learning cycle two, where we're gonna explore the speaker in a little bit more detail.

There's a bit of a split about who people agreed with most, whether it was Izzy, Laura, or Jun.

So there is this idea of accusation running through the poem, particularly powerful with this word you.

Where the speaker seems to be really saying, "You do this and I'm angry about it." So absolutely we can see that accusatory tone.

But others saying, we've got this real assertive speaker here who is beating a drum and wants equality, and that requires some self-confidence.

It also says that she is boldly standing before those who oppress her.

So definitely got a confidence speaker there.

And then this determination.

People saying, "Actually, I really agree with Jun, particularly through the refrain, which is repeated where the speaker is demanding equality and knows what that will bring her, will bring her freedom.

Some other words to describe the speaker was, so we had a resilience, so the idea of being strong, even in the face of really intense hardship, hopeful, optimistic.

Others say, "No, I think she's quite pessimistic because of the exploration of all the different types of oppression that have existed within the poem." So lots and lots of different ways in which we could interpret the speaker.

And I want you to keep all those ideas in your head 'cause they're gonna be really useful in learning cycle two.

Now, Oak pupils discuss what they think the speaker is most frustrated by? So they talked about the speaker, how they think she might be presented? And then what is she most frustrated by? And Izzy says, "I think the speaker is most frustrated by unequal treatment of women." And Laura says, "I think the speaker's most frustrated about the inequality the Black community faces." And Jun says, "I think the speaker's most frustrated by those who say inequality doesn't exist." So three really interesting ideas there.

Now, I'd like you to discuss who do you agree with most and why? And refer to specific moments in the poem in your discussion.

Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back.

A really careful and interesting discussion there about who you agree with most and why? And that's one of the reasons why I really love this poem, "Equality," because the exploration of inequality is really, really careful, really subtle.

And so Angelou really packs in a lot into this poem.

And that's why Izzy, Laura and Jun have come up with such different ideas.

None of them is right or wrong.

These are all valid interpretations of the poem.

So Izzy saying, "I think the speakers most frustrated by the unequal treatment of women." So there is a stanza which focuses on these kind of negative stereotypes of what women are like in terms of having multiple different partners.

And Angelou seems very, very angry.

Well, the speaker seems angry about this exploration, or presentation, or ideas about women.

She actually says that, "You're not seeing me properly, you're just seeing me as a shadow." So she feels like she's not being seen properly and this is contributing to her oppression, to her unequal treatment because there are just these sort of very general and often negative ideas circulating about women.

Laura's saying, "No, I think it's about the inequality that Black community facing." And there are lots of references to the oppression, particularly later in the poem about history and the past.

And things that Angelou maybe is referencing here is the idea of enslavement and the idea that this kind of legacy and the negative stereotyping, racism, and discrimination is still impacting those Black citizens in America.

And then Jun, "I think the speaker's most frustrated by those who say inequality doesn't exist." Now, I had to think really carefully about this idea, but lots of you picked up on the fact that in the poem the speaker is saying, "You're not seeing me properly, you're not listening to me properly." And this is perhaps suggesting that the speaker is actually angry with those who say "You're absolutely fine," and are sort of ignoring the demands of the speaker.

So it's not just that they're saying that inequality doesn't exist, but they don't want to engage with the actions that they might need to take in order to address inequality.

So lots of really interesting ideas about this poem.

It's such a rich poem, rich for discussion.

And it was really lovely to hear your initial responses after reading it for the first time.

So we're gonna move on to our second learning cycle now, and we're gonna think about evaluating the speaker in "Equality." And of course all our ideas from learning cycle one are gonna be really helpful.

So Izzy develops her idea into a paragraph.

Now remember she said, "I think the speaker's really accusatory." She's accusing saying that people have done something wrong, accusing, suggesting that there is wrongdoing.

So she says, "I think the speaker's really accusatory.

More specifically, the poem starts with the word you and this was repeated 10 times.

To me, the speaker is saying that the oppression they face is someone's fault.

This makes me consider society's role in the inequality Angelou was talking about.

Angelou develops this later when she uses commands like confess and admit, which suggests wrongdoing.

But I also think the commands make the speaker seem powerful despite facing inequality.

She's resilient and assertive." So confident, self-assured.

A lovely paragraph here.

We've got lots of personal response really based on the ideas that Izzy has seen in the poem.

So we've got a clear idea.

I think the speaker is really accusatory nice and clear.

This is what I think the speaker is like.

Then we've got this personal response.

So Izzy says, "To me, this makes me consider, but I also think." Now, I know in English, often in analytical essays, you're told that you shouldn't use this personal pronoun I, but sometimes it can be really powerful and to explore a poem, and really think about your personal response, that is such an important part of being a student of English.

And when you leave school and you are reading purely for pleasure, then this idea of personal engagement is, of course, so, so important so we're practising it here, thinking about how do I respond personally to a poem.

And then linking quotations together.

So we've got this personal response from Izzy.

We've got this really clear idea, but she has got lots of quotations in her work and crucially she links quotations together.

So this idea of the word you, is then linked to.

Izzy uses the phrase, "Angelou develops this later when," and then links quotations from the poem together.

And it's a really, really nice thing to do.

In any time that you are analysing, any text in English, you're saying, "Here are some quotations that I want to talk about." And then there are some other quotations which I think link to this idea so you're pulling the whole text together.

So this is a lovely paragraph from Izzy.

Now, we're gonna do a quick check before we write a paragraph using Izzy's model to guide us.

So which aspect of Izzy's checklist is missing? She's got clear idea, personal response.

What is the final thing that Izzy did? And what you need to do when you are writing your paragraph? What is missing from that checklist? Pause the video and complete the check now.

Welcome back.

Well done if you said it is linking quotations together.

So a really, really great way to show off your true understanding of a whole text is linking quotations together.

So our final practise task today, I'd like you to write an answer to this question.

What do you think the speaker is like in Maya Angelou's equality? Now we've got our checklist.

You're gonna start off with clear idea, you're gonna have your personal response, and you're gonna link quotations together.

If you wish, you can use one of these ideas.

So we had Laura's idea that the speaker is resilient, Izzy's idea that the speaker is accusatory, and Jun's idea that the speaker is determined.

But you might have your own idea.

You've had such fantastic discussions about this poem quality throughout today's lesson that I cannot wait to see these paragraphs.

Pause the video, give this practise task the time that it deserves so you get all of your brilliant ideas about the poem quality down onto paper or your laptop, whatever it is you are writing on.

Pause the video and I'll see you back here shortly.

Pause the video now.

Welcome back.

Well done for giving that task the time that it deserves.

Of course, it was lovely to hear your beautiful discussions about the poem throughout today's lesson, but remember that writing is also thinking.

So it was lovely to see people start to write down their ideas and say, "Oh, yes, I'm also now thinking about this, and this, and this." So writing doesn't have to be perfect, it shouldn't be when you've got all of your ideas, but writing itself is a thinking activity.

Often when I start writing, I start quite slowly, not quite sure where I'm going and then I start to speed up because the very fact of writing, the idea of writing helps me develop my ideas.

We're gonna do a little bit of feedback now.

So we know that our checklist was have a clearer idea, personal response and link quotations together.

So I'd like you to read through the paragraph that you've written and identify where your answer has met the checklist.

Pause the video and complete this feedback task now.

Welcome back, lovely to see people identifying where they've got that clear idea.

See where they've got that personal response, and of course, linking those quotations together.

But I also really like reading through my work after I've written 'cause I can pick up on any spelling, punctuation and grammar, and mistakes that I can spot.

And I saw people putting in a few full stops here and there, and maybe putting a capital letter for "Equality" if during the rush of all those ideas coming through they had gotten.

Well done for completing that self-assessment, identifying where you've got, where you met the checklist, but also any other errors that you wanted to correct.

In summary, "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.

Thinking quotations together when you explore a poem can make your idea more powerful.

It has been such a pleasure to read through this poem and hear all of your fantastic ideas.

I look forward to seeing you next time.