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Year 8 - English

Refining poems: harmony and dissonance

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 refine a poem by paying close attention to its harmony and dissonance.

Key Notes

  • Poets pay close attention to how their poems sound, as well as what the words express.
  • You might like a poem for its harmonious sound before you understand its meanings.
  • Angelou created harmonious sounds in her poems, often relying on rhythm, rhyme, repetition and refrain.
  • When writing your own poems, reading your work aloud lets you to hear what sounds harmonious, and edit dissonant sounds.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • harmony: in music, a combination of sounds that sound nice
  • rhythm: the beat, flow, or pattern of a piece of music or writing
  • syllable: the number of beats in a word; for example, "rise" has one syllable, "history" has three syllables
  • dissonance: in music, a combination of sounds that don't sound nice.
  • rhyme: repetition of similar sounds in two or more words.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • A poem with a good rhythm always rhymes.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Poets pay close attention to how their poems sound, as well as what the words express. You might like a poem for its harmonious sound before you understand its meanings.

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

in music, a combination of sounds that sound nice.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: A poem with a good rhythm always rhymes. Correction: Rhythm is about the flow, beat and sound of a poem. Rhyme can sometimes develop rhythm, but it is not necessary.

More Lessons In This Unit

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