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Year 8 - English

Performing Maya Angelou's 'Caged Bird'

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 perform Maya Angelou's 'Caged Bird'.

Key Notes

  • When performing a poem, you should make informed decisions about the pace, volume, and tone of your voice.
  • Your pace, volume and tone could be very different at different moments of the poem.
  • Experimenting with different ways of saying a poem can be a good way to decide on how you ultimately want to perform it.
  • You will also want to consider body language and eye contact when performing a poem.
  • When you don't know a poem by heart, you should consider how to maintain a good level of eye contact with your audience.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • triumphant: expressing joy and happiness after a victory or achievement
  • tone: the attitude of emotion of your voice - written or verbal
  • gestures: movement of a part of the body (often hand or head) to signal an idea or meaning
  • experiment: to try something out

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Performing poetry is just about reading it aloud.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

When performing a poem, you should make informed decisions about the pace, volume, and tone of your voice. Your pace, volume and tone could be very different at different moments of the poem.

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

expressing joy and happiness after a victory or achievement.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Performing poetry is just about reading it aloud. Correction: Watching people perform poetry is very popular. The most engaging performers carefully consider how they will say the poem, and how they will engage with their audiences.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 8 English guide library.