#poetrylessons

I have taught the poetry of Maya Angelou in the classroom time and time again. Click HERE for lesson plan ideas and HERE for the Dream in Color Resource Guide for Middle School Teachers, which features poems and writing exercises from Maya Angelou.

Below: Poetry for Young People: Maya Angelou Twenty-five of her finest poems capture a range of emotions and experiences, from the playful “Harlem Hopscotch” to the prideful “Me and My Work” to the soul-stirring “Still I Rise

Image by Dan Perjovschi

Here's another lesson that Ellen Hagan and I taught in the unit, "My America."

Writing Inaugural Poems

1. Ask students if they are familiar with the word inaugural or inauguration. Ask them if they saw President Obama's inauguration. If students watched it, ask them what they remember about the ceremony. If students are not familiar, give them the definition and ask them to write it in their journals.

2. Read the bios of Elizabeth Alexander and Richard Blanco. Ask students why they think these poets were chosen to give the inaugural poem. Ask them to think about what it means to have a black woman and a gay, Latino man share their poems at an event like this. Bring back points from the discussion in lesson one [who's America is this, how has America changed? etc.]

2. Students watch the inaugural poems by Elizabeth Alexander & Richard Blanco [you can also use Maya Angelou's].

3. Pass out the text of both poems. Ask students to note the themes and style of the poems. What do these poems have in common? Make a list on the board of the similarities [they mention everyday people, they reference the history of the U.S., the landscapes and places in the U.S., etc.]

4. Ask students what they notice about the literary devices the poets used [repetition, sensory details, etc.] Write them on the board.

5. Tell students, "You have just created the rubric for your inaugural poem." Their poem should include the elements listed on the board.

6. Assignment: What if you were invited to give the inaugural poem? What would you say? How would you deliver it? Use the elements on the board to help you draft your poem. *You might want to include a few line starters/phrases to use for repetition:

Praise...

Come...

This is for...

Today is...

7. Later, at the end of the unit, once students have had time to revise their poems and practice them with a partner, record students saying their poems. Use the videos at the next school assembly, open mic, or post them on Facebook. Encourage your students to get their voices out into the world and not just in your classroom.

-Bronx Poetry Project, Student

I co-teach an after school poetry class with poet and educator, Ellen Hagan. Our class meets twice a week for two hours each session. This past school year we collaborated on a unit that explored the questions, “Who is American?” and “What is America?” Our students created performance poems celebrating and critiquing the American Dream.

Over the next few days, I'll be sharing lessons from that unit. Today, we'll look at week one:

Week One The negative response to the interracial and cultural inclusive commercials produced by Cheerios and Coca-Cola ignited a national conversation about who is American. Through the critique of these commercials, discussion, and writing activities students will investigate who gets to "claim" America, and how their own culture fits within American culture.

1. Students watch the Cheerios and Coco-Cola commercials and make a class list of what they notice. Possible prompts: What did you notice? What languages did you hear? What colors of skin did you see?

2. Ask students if they like or dislike the commercials and why. After students share their opinions, share the negative responses that commercials received via Twitter & Facebook:

3. Ask students why they think some people were offended by the commercials. Share with them that people responded negatively to the Cheerios commercial as well [YouTube turned the comments section off because the responses were so offensive].

4. Show Coke commercials from the 50's. Ask students the same questions you asked in number 1. Ask students to compare the commercials. What is different about them? Ask students if any of the commercials represent the America they live in or experience. 

5. Brief discussion about why some people might be for or against the commercials. Help students draw on their prior knowledge of the history of the U.S. [what was going on in the United States in the 50's? Why do you think only white people are in the commercials? Do you think it's "American" for commercials to feature interracial couples? To be in Spanish? To feature people of color? Why or Why not?]

6. Writing Activity Warm Up: American Alphabet. On the board or on chart papers write the alphabet as a vertical list with one letter in its own space. Ask students [as a class] to create an American alphabet: "What are things that are 'American' or represent America that start with the letter A..."The list can include anything that relates to American culture, including famous people, sports, places, etc. Ask students to copy the list in their notebooks as the class completes the alphabet. Example: A: apple pie B: basketball

7. Now that students have practiced creating an American Alphabet, ask them to create their own personal Cultural Alphabet. Show them an example that represents you. My example was: A: ackee fish B: bible C: curry goat

8. After students have completed their cultural alphabet, give them time to write a poem using the prompt, "My America is..." or "My America looks like..." Ask them to take words from their cultural alphabet and from their American Alphabet and use them in the poem.

Check back with me soon for the next lesson in this unit, where students write inaugural poems.

-Bronx Poetry Project, Student

I grew up on Maya Angelou's poetry. In high school I recited Still I Rise, Phenomenal Woman, and Caged Bird at various events. As an educator, I often use them in the classroom to teach repetition, sensory detail. I use them to be a catalyst for discussions about resilience and overcoming. These are powerful examples at how poets talk back to the world, how poetry can give voice to marginalized, oppressed people and give them back their dignity. My students love these poems. I love these poems. In recent years, I have expanded my "Maya Cannon" and added these poems in the classroom. Her work is vast. These poems are just a few of the other ones I use in the classroom, especially when teaching younger grades.