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Year 8

Maya Angelou's poetic voice

I can comment on Maya Angelou's poetic voice, referencing a number of her poems to support my ideas.

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Year 8

Maya Angelou's poetic voice

I can comment on Maya Angelou's poetic voice, referencing a number of her poems to support my ideas.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. We can explore Angelou's poems as a collection, as well as individually.
  2. Exploring Angelou's poems as a collection allows us to understand her as a poet.
  3. We might make comments on similarities between speakers, ideas and methods across poems.
  4. We can use these comments to consider Angelou's poetic voice as a whole, and suggest the dominant tone across her work.

Keywords

  • Forthright - direct, outspoken

  • Lyrical - expressing emotions in an imaginative or unusual way

  • Methods - the tools a writer uses to create their work; refrain and use of commands are just two examples

  • Defiant - boldly disobedient

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

Common misconception

You shouldn't talk about poems as a group. This will make your comments too general.

You can make clear comments about a poet's work as a whole, as long as these comments are supported by specific examples from specific poems.


To help you plan your year 8 english lesson on: Maya Angelou's poetic voice, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Consider how you will reread the poems in Learning Cycle 1. This should be enjoyable and snappy. At this point, pupils do not need to be reanalysing poems. They are just getting an overview. Learning Cycle 2 will see them look at certain poems in more depth.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You need access to 'Phenomenal Woman', 'Woman Work', 'Still I Rise', 'On Aging', 'Caged Bird', 'Equality', 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me, and 'On the Pulse of the Morning' (Penguin Random House).

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
  • Depiction or discussion of sexual content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision required

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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 method to its definition ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer:commands,orders
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orders

Correct Answer:refrain,repeated line or group of lines in a poem
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repeated line or group of lines in a poem

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

Q2.
Match each word to its definition ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer:oppression,the unjust treatment of a group or individual
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the unjust treatment of a group or individual

Correct Answer:discrimination,treating different categories of people unfairly
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treating different categories of people unfairly

Correct Answer:sexism ,treating people unfairly based on their sex
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treating people unfairly based on their sex

Correct Answer:enslavement,the action of making someone a slave
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the action of making someone a slave

Q3.
Which of these Maya Angelou poems uses an extended metaphor to explore the idea of oppression and injustice? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
'Equality'
'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'
'Woman Work'
Correct answer: 'Caged Bird'
'Still I Rise'
Q4.
Which of these poems did Maya Angelou write and perform at President Clinton's inauguration in 1993? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
'Equality'
'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'
Correct answer: 'On the Pulse of the Morning'
'Caged Bird'
'Still I Rise'
Q5.
Match each Maya Angelou poem to its overall focus ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
Correct Answer:'Woman Work',a lonely Black female speaker lists the chores she must complete
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a lonely Black female speaker lists the chores she must complete

Correct Answer:'Phenomenal Woman',an assertive speaker explains why she is so extraordinary
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an assertive speaker explains why she is so extraordinary

Correct Answer:'Still I Rise',a defiant speaker explains why she can't be oppressed
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a defiant speaker explains why she can't be oppressed

Correct Answer:'Caged Bird',explores the Jim Crow laws through extended metaphor
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explores the Jim Crow laws through extended metaphor

Correct Answer:'Equality',a commanding speaker demands equal treatment
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a commanding speaker demands equal treatment

Q6.
Starting with the first, put these Angelou poems in the order they were first published ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
1 - 'Woman Work', 'Phenomenal Woman', 'Still I Rise', 'On Aging'
2 - 'Caged Bird'
3 - 'Equality'
4 - 'On the Pulse of the Morning'
5 - 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does it mean when we say Maya Angelou was a prolific poet? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
She was an admired poet.
Correct answer: She wrote a lot of poems.
She was asked to speak at a President's inauguration.
She wrote about oppression and discrimination.
She started writing when she was young.
Q2.
Match each word to its definition ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Correct Answer:lyrical ,expressing emotions in an imaginative or unusual way
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expressing emotions in an imaginative or unusual way

Correct Answer:forthright,direct, straightforward
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direct, straightforward

Correct Answer:defiant,boldly disobedient
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boldly disobedient

Correct Answer:prolific,producing in large quantities
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producing in large quantities

Q3.
Why might we make a comment on Maya Angelou's poems as a collection? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
it's the only way you can talk about individual speakers
to understand why she wrote so many poems
Correct answer: to show understanding of her as a poet
so we can analyse her work: you can't analyse individual poems
Correct answer: to start to consider how you could define her poetic voice
Q4.
What might we call a poem which expresses emotions in an imaginative or unusual way? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
lively
lasting
likeable
Correct answer: lyrical
lavish
Q5.
Which of these sentences use the word 'uplifting' (or its forms) accurately? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Often, Angelou's speakers have an uplift tone filled with hope.
'Woman Work' has an uplifting tone because the speaker is lonely and tired.
Correct answer: I'm not sure which Angelou poem I find the most uplifting and optimistic.
After reading a hopeful Angelou poem, I often feel upliftingly.
Q6.
Which of these sentences use the word 'forthright' (or its forms) accurately? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
Correct answer: Often, Angelou's speakers have a forthright, direct tone.
Angelou speaks very forthrightly because she uses metaphors.
Angelou wrote many poems which is why we might describe her as forthright.
Correct answer: One way Angelou creates a forthright tone is by using command words.
Correct answer: Often, Angelou confronts the oppression she has faced in a forthright tone.