Title:

Hopewell Valley Central High School, English I, 03/12/15, Periods 3 & 4, Tatiana Dodge

Essential Questions:
1. What is discrimination? Why does it exist? How does it influence injustices?
2. What struggles and obstacles have I, and others who share my culture/gender/socioeconomic status, had to overcome?
3. How do we learn to empathize with others?
Standards:
1. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word
choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place;
how it sets a formal or informal tone).
2. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.10
By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and
poems, in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at
the high end of the range.

Instructional Objectives:
1. Students will be able to explain how imagery can be used to represent ideas and themes.
2. Students will be able to relate the themes of discrimination, personal resolve, hope, and
humanity that are apparent in Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise" to their own personal
experiences.
Sequence of Learning Activities:
1. Before students enter the classroom, place a highlighter and a double-sided copy of "Still
I Rise"/Imagery Organizer & Follow-Up Questions on each desk. Also list the following
elements of imagery, complete with their definitions (leaving enough space for examples)
on the dry-erase board: personification, metaphor, simile, and hyperbole. Lastly, cue up
the YouTube video of Angelou reciting "Still I Rise."
2. Once students have taken their seats and routine housekeeping items have been
addressed, introduce the poet Dr. Maya Angelou. ("Is anyone familiar with the writer
Maya Angelou?" Once students have shared their knowledge, cover any of the following

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that may not have been stated: "Maya Angelou was a famous poet, memoirist, novelist,
educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker and civil rights activist.
Angelou experienced the brutality of racial discrimination as a youth. She became active
with Malcolm X in the civil rights movement and helped him build his Organization of
Afro-American Unity (OAAU). Throughout her life, she overcame hardship and
discrimination to find her own voice and to influence others to believe in themselves and
use their voices for positive change. Today, we are going to listen to, read, and analyze
Maya Angelous famous poem, Still I Rise, and apply its message to our own lives."
Tell the students that they each have a copy of the poem on their desk, and let them know
that they are welcome to read-along with Angelou's recitation or simply listen whichever they prefer.
Watch YouTube video of Maya Angelou reciting "Still I Rise" on overhead projector.
As a class, review the elements of imagery that are listed on the board, and call on
volunteers to voice general examples that can be listed.
Tell students that they will work individually to identify the figurative elements of the
poem. Allow 7-10 minutes for students to work individually. Walk around to answer
student questions and facilitate appropriate use of time.
Once individual work has been completed, call on students to list their text-specific
examples of imagery on the board (including the word/phrase, what type of imagery it is,
and what the imagery represents). As a class, draw conclusions about how the imagery in
the poem contributes to the poems overall message.
After students seem to have a firm understanding of the poem's overall message, have
them work individually to further analyze it and connect it to their own lives by
responding to the Follow-Up Questions listed on their handout.
If time permits, have students share their personal interpretations of the poem with the
whole class, and ask them to mention how their own experiences may have influenced
their interpretation.

Appropriate Use of Technology:

1. Watch YouTube video of Maya Angelou reciting "Still I Rise" on overhead projector.

Evaluation:
1. Collect Imagery Organizer and Follow-Up Questions at the end of class. Use a check
plus, check, or check minus system to evaluate the content of students' work.

Materials:

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20 printed copies of Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise"

20 printed copies of Imagery Organizer & Follow-Up Questions
20 Highlighters
Computer with internet access and connection to overhead projector
Dry erase markers
Students should all have pens for personal responses

Homework:
1. Read chapters of "To Kill a Mockingbird" as assigned by Mrs. Shields.

Reflection:
To be completed after lesson.

Elements of Imagery for Review:

1. Hyperbole: an outrageous exaggeration that emphasizes a point, and can be ridiculous or
funny. (ex.- "you could have knocked me over with a feather")
2. Metaphor: a statement that doesnt make sense literally. It only makes sense when the
similarities between the two things become apparent. (ex.- "time is a thief")
3. Personification: gives human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, or ideas.
(ex.- "the sun greeted me this morning")
4. Simile: compares two things using the words like and as. (ex.- "busy as a bee")