Writing a poem inspired by Maya Angelou's 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'
I can write a poem inspired by Maya Angelou's 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'.
Writing a poem inspired by Maya Angelou's 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'
I can write a poem inspired by Maya Angelou's 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Maya Angelou uses stanzas and a refrain to structure her poem, 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me'.
- 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me' uses monosyllables at points for effect.
- You can use a poet's work to inspire your own creativity.
- You can plan each stanza of a poem by considering its focus and the details, including the methods, you want to include.
- Reading your poem aloud can help you identify areas you would like to improve.
Keywords
Methods - the tools a writer uses to create their work; use of refrain and figurative language are just two examples
Monosyllable - words that have one syllable (one beat) e.g. bad, big, run, fun
Figurative language - non-literal phrases and words which develop a writer's meaning
Refrain - repeated line or group of lines in a poem
Intangible - something that can't be touched e.g. a noise
Common misconception
Angelou's poem is unstructured - the stanzas are uneven and she talks about lots of different things.
Every piece of writing has a structure - even a shopping list. Structure is about the how a text is put together - at its most simple, beginning, middle and end. But we can also look for other structural features. In this case, stanzas and a refrain.
To help you plan your year 8 english lesson on: Writing a poem inspired by Maya Angelou's 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 8 english lesson on: Writing a poem inspired by Maya Angelou's 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me', 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.
Equipment
Pupils will need access to a copy of 'Life Doesn't Frighten Me' by Maya Angelou published by Penguin Random House in 1993 by for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
words that have one syllable (beat) e.g. run, boo, shout
the intentional recurrence of particular words or phrases
non-literal words or phrases which develop a writer's meaning
a verse in a poem
a repeated line or set of lines in a poem