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'.
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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.
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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