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Year 8 - English

Exploring Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise'

Single poet study: Maya Angelou

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils read and discover the work of Maya Angelou. They explore some of Angelou's most famous poems, such as 'Caged Bird' and 'Still I Rise', and practise writing and performing poems inspired by her work. As the unit develops, pupils find their own distinctive poetic voice.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explore Maya Angelou's 'Still you Rise'.

Key Notes

  • 'Still I Rise' was first published in 1978 in a collection of Angelou's poems entitled 'And Still I Rise'.
  • The collection 'And Still I Rise' explores ideas about overcoming adversity, particularly racism and sexism.
  • The poems celebrate the tenacity of the Black community, especially women ('Phenomenal Woman' is also in the collection)
  • Considering your personal preference to a poem is an important aspect of being a student of English.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • resilient: being able to cope, withstand and recover from difficult physical or mental challenges
  • adversity: difficulty, hardship
  • tenacious: to never give up
  • oppress: to treat someone, or a group of people, unfairly
  • figurative language: non-literal words and phrases which develop a writer's meaning

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Personal opinions about texts are not valid. Only analysis is valid.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

'Still I Rise' was first published in 1978 in a collection of Angelou's poems entitled 'And Still I Rise'. The collection 'And Still I Rise' explores ideas about overcoming adversity, particularly racism and sexism.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'resilient'

being able to cope, withstand and recover from difficult physical or mental challenges.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Personal opinions about texts are not valid. Only analysis is valid. Correction: Being a student of English can often feel like this. But expressing your opinions about your feelings towards a text - those you read in and outside the classroom - is very important and just as much a part of the subject of English as analysis.

More Lessons In This Unit

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