Still I Rise Lesson Plan

Objectives

At the finish of the lesson, students volition exist able to:

examine how imagery tin exist used to stand for ideas, themes, and periods of history.
find cultural relevance and text-to-cocky connections to the poem, "Still I Rise."
reverberate on resiliency in their lives, school, and community
determine the origins of their "voice" and consider how they would like to use information technology

Essential Questions

What factors influence the kind of person that an individual becomes?
Why do poets and authors use figurative linguistic communication (such equally metaphors and similes) in their writing?

Enduring Understandings

People are formed by their experiences and surroundings.
Experiences—including struggles and obstacles a person has had to confront—assistance make up one's mind the kind of individual he or she becomes.
Surround (such as family, friends, cultural identity, and gender) too plays an of import role in a person's development.
Writers employ figurative linguistic communication and imagery to make surprising connections, add depth to a literary piece, and to create a deeper, more meaningful feel for the reader.

Materials

"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou (Annotation: Either print it out or have students read online.)
Highlighters
Images from "Still I Rise" (PDF)
Examples of Figurative Language

Vocabulary

adversity [ad-vur-sih-tee] (noun) a country of continued difficulties

figurative [fig-yer-uh-tiv] (describing word) not literal; represented by a figure of speech

imagery [im-ij-ree] (substantive) words that create images in people's minds

literal [lit-er-uhl] (describing word) the actual meaning of a word

Suggested Procedure

1. Tell students that authors often apply imagery to create comparisons between literal and figurative elements, add together depth and understanding to a literary piece, and evoke a more meaningful experience for the reader. Give the class a cursory introduction to Maya Angelou (meet Lesson Overview, in a higher place), and then explain that examining her masterful apply of imagery throughout the poem "Still I Rise" tin can help them empathize and translate the poem's theme and message. Before reading the poem, define or review definitions for the following elements of imagery: personification, metaphor, simile, onomatopoeia and hyperbole. Definitions tin can be found here.

2. Have students read "Withal I Rise" in its entirety. (Note: Either print the poem out or requite the grade access online.) Students working with the printed text can use a highlighter to place examples of imagery in the verse form.

3. Carve up the class into minor groups. Have each grouping select one of the verse form's stanzas to clarify. Using the Images of "All the same I Ascension" activeness canvass, ask students to list each example of imagery in the stanza, the blazon of imagery used, and what they believe the element of imagery represents in the poem's theme. For example, the dominicus—an element of nature that continues to rise despite any other circumstances—in stanza three might represent African Americans' resilience in the face of racism and discrimination or Maya Angelou's resiliency despite a hard childhood. Tell students that when they are finished, they will present their grouping's interpretation of their stanza to the balance of the course. Encourage other groups to add to the interpretation. Once all groups have presented, ask students to combine with some other group and draw conclusions about how the imagery in the poem contributes to the poem's overall message.

4. Explain to students that although nosotros know the writer of "Nonetheless I Rise" is Maya Angelou, the speaker, audience and topic of the poem are less clear. Tell them, "Readers are costless to develop their own interpretations. Your interpretation may be dependent on your own cultural identity, experiences and knowledge, and information technology may be dissimilar than the interpretation of your classmates." Explain that poems are often all-time interpreted past beginning reading them aloud. Ask students to pair upward with a partner and take turns reading the poem aloud while a partner listens. Take them discuss the following questions: "What emotions do y'all hear in your partner's estimation? Did you read the verse form in a similar manner or differently?"

Ask students to annotate the poem with their partner using the post-obit questions:

Who do you remember the speaker/narrator of the poem is? Is it a person? A cultural group? Highlight or underline words or phrases that assist you identify the speaker/narrator.
How does the speaker/narrator seem to feel about herself? Draw a face that represents that emotion (e.g., a smiley face, sad face up or angry face) next to a word phrase that exhibits information technology. Have you always felt that way about yourself? If so, share with your partner what makes you feel that way.
To whom do yous remember the verse form is directed? Highlight or underline words and phrases that back up your answers and share them with your partner.
What message is the author trying to give to the person or group to which she is writing? Have yous always had to requite a similar message to someone? If so, when?
What practice you believe the poem's overall theme is? Examples include hopelessness, strength, resiliency, spirit and anger. Write the theme you take identified at the top of the poem. So describe an pointer to a word or phrase from the poem that supports that theme.
Practise y'all come across this verse form in a historical context? If so, explain that context to your partner.
Finally, consider and share with your partner how your own noesis, experiences and cultural identity influence the way you interpret the poem. Have yous interpreted information technology differently than your partner?

five. Later students have annotated the text, conduct a class discussion. Separate into two groups. Ready the room with two concentric circles of chairs—one large circumvolve of chairs and a second, larger circle of chairs exterior of it. One group will sit down in the inner circle and one group will sit in the outer circle. Have each student bring a re-create of the poem. Ask a question of those students in the inner circle only. Those in the outer circumvolve volition observe the discussion and be prepared to summarize what they have heard. Tell students to take a few minutes to call back about their answer and that they may refer to notes from the previous activity. Go around the circumvolve or use a talking piece, letting each person answer the question. Afterward everyone has had a take a chance to answer, tell students that they can reply to what has been said. If a student disagrees with someone's respond, this is his or her chance to explain. Suggest that students might want to connect to something in their own feel or enhance a related question.

Have the inner circle grouping reply the first ii questions and and then ask the outer circle group to summarize what they heard. Then ask groups to switch and the outer circumvolve grouping should get the inner circumvolve group and answer the third and fourth questions. Follow this procedure for these four questions:

In what fashion(southward) do you personally connect with this verse form?
To what "gifts that my ancestors gave" is the author referring? What gifts were you given from ancestors or people in your cultural group who came before you?
Which groups, either in gild or at your school, are "shot with words," "cut with optics" or "killed with hatefulness?" How is this received? What can be washed to change information technology?
Yous are function of many dissimilar groups, such as your family, your cultural grouping, your religious group and your gender grouping. Share an example of how you lot have faced adversity every bit office of one of these groups and if/how you take risen up against information technology.

Extension Activeness

Invite students to acquire more about Angelou's difficult early life and her subsequent accomplishments. Y'all can share this information: "Maya Angelou is i of the near influential voices of our time. However, she had a turbulent babyhood. Later her parents' divorce, she was sent to live with her grandmother in racially divided Stamps, Arkansas, where she experienced the brutality of racial bigotry. She also absorbed the unshakable faith and values of traditional African-American family, community and culture. After being sent back to live with her mother, she was raped at the age of viii by her mother's friend. She confided the corruption to her blood brother, leading to the rapist'southward abort. Upon getting out of jail, the rapist was killed, many believe past Maya'southward uncles. She believed her voice killed him since she told her brother of the crime. Subsequently she went mute for nearly six years. She was and then sent back to live with her grandmother where a instructor helped her regain her vocalism, her conviction, and her pride. She went on to get an author, actress, announcer, civil rights worker, and instructor, using her voice for positive change."

Inquire students to think about the following questions: "From where does your vocalism come up: your family, your culture, your beliefs, your friends, your experiences? For what would you like to use your voice, now and in the future?" Then invite students to write a letter, verse form, blog, song or journal entry that answers those questions.

Practise Something

Work with your school counselor and other stakeholders to champion and create a "Notwithstanding I Rise" club or group at your school dedicated to helping students find their voices and overcome adversity. The guild could simply be a identify for students to discover resource or it could be a more circuitous, peer-to-peer back up network. (Annotation: Some schools may only authorize clubs that are connected to a national organization, eastward.grand., Immunity International.)

Alignment to Common Core State Standards/ College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards CCSS R.2, R.three, R.4, R.5, R.6, W.4, SL.1, SL.2, SL.3, SL.4, L.4, L.5, L.6

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