Lesson Plan #: AELP-LIT0208

Still I Rise: Maya Angelou

An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan

Submitted by: Carolyn Hopkins
Email: elizabethh5@cox.net
School/University/Affiliation: Bethel High School

Date: July 28, 2002

Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12

Subject(s):

Duration: 90 minutes or two 50-minute class sessions

Description: A lesson plan using the famous poem, "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou. I created this lesson plan to expose students to Maya Angelou’s powerful poem, "Still I Rise" as well as to enhance their understanding of the power of poetry. In addition, it informs students on how poetry has its own unique format, language, and poetic devices such as metaphors, similes, and personification and how these poetic conventions can add a tremendous punch to a poet’s message. This lesson conforms to the learning concept of "Thematic Learning." The major theme (Thematic Learning) of this poem is the undeniable and unbreakable strength and spirit of the African American people, past and present; however, students will begin to formulate their own identification with the poem's message by seeing beyond the cultural relevance and finding a connection to their own teenage lives, in spite of race or culture. Many students will respond by saying that in spite of peer pressure, trends, or negative situations that they have been confronted with, they, too, have found ways to rise above the adversities that often plague those to conform to the negative standards and trends set by other teenagers.

Goals:

  1. Students will better understand slavery, oppression, and resiliency.
  2. Students will become familiar with poetic devices such as metaphors, similes, and personification.
Objectives:
  1. Students will annotate the poem, "Still I Rise," for the poet's tone and theme.
  2. Students will be able to identify similes, metaphors, allusions, and personification in the poem, "Still I Rise."
Materials: Procedure:
Pass out a copy of the poem, "Still I Rise" to each student along with a copy of the annotation chart. Explain to students that poetry is best enjoyed and understood when read aloud. To give students a strong understanding of the poem's tone, it is best that the teacher read the poem first with lots of fervor and emotion. Then have a few students read the poem aloud to see if they can mirror the teacher's tone.

Put the following literary terms on the board: personification, metaphor, simile, tone, and allusion. Have students define these terms by looking them up in their literature textbooks. Explain to students that they will be using their annotation charts to look for these poetic devices throughout the poem. Discuss how these devices help the reader understand and enjoy the speaker's message better. They will begin to search for similes, metaphors, personification, allusions (made to slavery), and the speaker's tone and place them in the annotation boxes. After students have completed their charts, they are to summarize what the poem's message or theme appears to be. Students should explain how that determination was made by using their analysis to connect the poetic devices listed in the charts.

Assessment: Provide students with another poem and have them use the same techniques of annotation to identify the poetic terms they defined for Angelou's poem. Students should also write a short summary discussing the poet's message or theme.

Special Comments: Students should be able to understand the speaker’s indomitable spirit to overcome America’s shame of slavery. The teacher can give a brief overview of the slavery institution and then discuss how African Americans overcame oppression in spite of bondage.

Useful Internet Resources:
 * Still I Rise - by Maya Angelou
From the Academy of American Poets
http://www.poets.org/poems/poems.cfm?prmID=1487

* Poetry Project - Analyzing, Understanding, and Writing Poetry
Includes definitions of various poetic devices.
http://www.twinfield.net/teachers/fowler/classroom/resources/poetry_project/