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Year 8

Exploring Maya Angelou's 'Woman Work'

I can explore Maya Angelou's 'Woman Work' with a focus on its structure.

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Year 8

Exploring Maya Angelou's 'Woman Work'

I can explore Maya Angelou's 'Woman Work' with a focus on its structure.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Presenting the experiences of women, particularly Black women, was very important to Angelou.
  2. Many of Angelou's poems explore sexist attitudes, whilst also observing women's resilience despite this discrimination.
  3. 'Woman Work' sees a Black woman explain how she has to complete hard, manual labour for no reward.
  4. When exploring a poem’s structure, a good place to start can be to compare its beginning to its end.
  5. In this way, you can consider any shifts in tone from the beginning to the end of the poem.

Keywords

  • Structure - how something is put together; how it is organised and arranged

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

  • Grace - elegance, dignity, poise, self-possession

  • Analysis - in English, to look at a writer’s work carefully and make a comment on why it was written in that way

  • Tone - the attitude of emotion of your voice - written or verbal

Common misconception

Comparing a poem's beginning and end doesn't count as analysis. It's too simple to be interesting.

At its most basic (and often most powerful), a text's structure is its beginning, middle and end. Commenting on the journey - emotional or physical - that a writer has taken us on is a great way to start exploring structure.

Consider if your pupils might need an additional example (outside of 'Phenomenal Woman') to engage with the idea of a poem's structure more fully in Learning Cycle 2. You could select another Angelou poem ('Still I Rise' or 'Equality' could work well).
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need access to a copy of 'Woman Work' by Maya Angelou published by Penguin Random House in 1978 and 'Phenomenal Woman' by Maya Angelou published by Penguin Random House in 1978.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of sexual content

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each word to its definition ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer:sexism,unjust treatment of someone based on their sex

unjust treatment of someone based on their sex

Correct Answer:racism,unjust treatment on the basis of the colour of your skin

unjust treatment on the basis of the colour of your skin

Correct Answer:oppression,unjust treatment, and the limiting of power, of an individual or group

unjust treatment, and the limiting of power, of an individual or group

Correct Answer:discrimination,unjust treatment of people based on a certain category e.g. ethnicity

unjust treatment of people based on a certain category e.g. ethnicity

Q2.
What is the term for the attitude of emotion of your voice? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
figurative language
refrain
Correct answer: tone
method
assertive
Q3.
How might we describe the speaker's tone in Maya Angelou's 'Phenomenal Woman'? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
pessimistic
oppressive
Correct answer: uplifting
assertive
aggressive
Q4.
In 'Phenomenal Woman', how does the speaker think we should feel if we see her walking around? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
"phenomenal"
Correct answer: "proud"
"bowed"
"pretty"
"cool"
Q5.
Match each poem to its focus ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer:'Phenomenal Woman',an assertive speaker explains why she is so fantastic

an assertive speaker explains why she is so fantastic

Correct Answer:'Still I Rise' ,despite being treated like "dirt", she will overcome oppression

despite being treated like "dirt", she will overcome oppression

Correct Answer:'Caged Bird' ,Angelou uses an extended metaphor to explore freedom and oppression

Angelou uses an extended metaphor to explore freedom and oppression

Correct Answer:'Equality',a speaker demands justice so she can be "free"

a speaker demands justice so she can be "free"

Correct Answer:'Life Doesn’t Frighten Me',a speaker lists many things that she is not scared of and tells us why

a speaker lists many things that she is not scared of and tells us why

Q6.
What was Maya Angelou's third volume of poetry called? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
'Phenomenal Woman'
'Equality'
Correct answer: 'And Still I Rise'
'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'
'Caged Bird'

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Maya Angelou wrote a poem called ' Work'. ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Correct Answer: Woman
Q2.
Match these words to their definitions ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer:structure,how something is put together; how it is organised and arranged

how something is put together; how it is organised and arranged

Correct Answer:tone,the attitude of emotion of your voice - written or verbal

the attitude of emotion of your voice - written or verbal

Correct Answer:analysis,to look at a writer's work carefully and make a comment on it

to look at a writer's work carefully and make a comment on it

Q3.
When exploring the structure of a poem, what might be one of your first steps? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
to consider if the poet has used metaphorical language
to consider if the poet has used first, second or third person
Correct answer: to consider the focus and tone at the beginning compared to the end
to consider things the writer did in their lifetime
to consider how often the speaker uses pronouns
Q4.
Starting with the first, put these Maya Angelou poems in the order they were first published. ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
1 - 'Still I Rise', 'Phenomenal Woman', 'Woman Work'
2 - 'Caged Bird'
3 - 'Equality'
4 - 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'
Q5.
Which sentences use the word resilient correctly? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
most of Angelou's poems are resilient
Correct answer: Angelou often presents resilient speakers who have experienced hardship
the most resilient of Angelou's poems are the ones with refrains
Correct answer: Angelou experienced racism and sexism but remained resilient
Q6.
Which sentences use the word grace correctly? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
I am grace when I need to be – even when I am close to losing my cool.
Correct answer: Despite being made fun of, she walked across the room with grace and dignity.
Correct answer: I tried to accept the result with grace, but I was shaking with anger.
Correct answer: I wanted to enter the room with grace, but I ended up tripping over.