Maya Angelou:
Lesson plans and teaching resources

| Biography and Background | | I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings | | Poetry |

Biography and Background

Amazing Grace
An extensive unit for remedial 7th and 8th graders comparing influential adults in the lives of Maya Angelou and James Comer.

Greetings from Maya Angelou
In this lesson high school students explore Angelou's life and writing.

Interview with Maya Angelou
A series of 14 short video clips covering a range of topics.

Maya Angelou
The author's official website.

Maya Angelou
Online literary criticism from the Internet Public Library.

Maya Angelou
Mini biography.

Teaching Maya Angelou With New York Times
Teaching ideas and resources from The Times and elsewhere for appreciating the work of the writer, actress and activist many called the "people’s poet."

World Book Club
Scroll down to a 2005 BBC interview with Angelou, who discusses Caged Bird .

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Click here : These lesson plans are on a separate page.

Poetry

"Alone"
Text of the poem.

"The Last Decision"
Summary, commentary, related texts.

Maya Angelou
These activities will help students

• Examine how imagery can be used to represent ideas, themes and periods of history
• Find cultural relevance and text-to-self connections to the poem, "Still I Rise"
• Reflect on resiliency in their own lives, school and community
• Determine the origins of their "voice" and for what they would like to use it

"Still I Rise"
Text of the poem.

Study and Response to "Still I Rise"
Students read biographical information on Maya Angelou and her poem, "Still I Rise." Students identify support and elaboration in poem, then respond by either writing a letter to the author or his/her own poem in response. Lesson includes support materials.

Suggestions for Pairing Contemporary Music and Canonical Literature
A list of songs that were inspired by reading literature. Organized by the last name of the author (e.g. Chinua Achebe, William Butler Yeats), the list includes song title, performer, year of release, and more. The list includes 5 titles inspired by "Still I Rise," 1 inspired by Caged Bird , and 1 inspired by "Phenomenal Woman."