1

General Curriculum Outlines (Grade 12)

2- communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly and to respond personally and
critically
7- respond critically to a range of texts, applying their understanding of language, form, and
genre
Specific Curriculum Outcomes (for English 12)
(12:2.1) interact in both leadership and support roles in a range of situations, some of which are
characterized by complexity of purpose, procedure, and subject matter
(12:2.2) adapt language and delivery for a variety of audiences and purposes in informal and
formal contexts, some of which are characterized by complexity of purpose, procedure, and
subject matter
(12:7.2) show the relationships among language, topic, purpose, context, and audience

note the relationship of specific elements of a particular text to elements of other texts
discuss, and evaluate the language, ideas, and other significant characteristics of the text

(12:7.1) critically evaluate the information they access

Teacher Goal- Present two poems to the students that will allow them the opportunity to
critically evaluate the writing, meaning, and impact of the poem they are assigned. Half the class
will be given one poem while the second poem goes to the second half. This assignment should
allow the students to learn about the writing style of the poet in different works, but also evaluate
how the language is used by the poet and how this poem was impacted by the context of its
publication. This context should provide the students the ability to evaluate the ideas behind the
language and how they feel about it in a modern sense.
Context- A grade 12 classroom. The class is 75 minutes long. I will spend 20 minutes providing
the students with a context for the two poems including a very brief biography of Maya Angelou.
The class will then be divided into two halves and will be given 5 minutes to read the poem and
quickly look over the questions. The remaining 40-50 minutes will then be allotted to the class
activity.
Activity A: See attached poems and questions for each one.
Activity B: See alternative poem and some group discussion questions that accompany them.

Activity A: Poem 1
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, Ill rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
Cause I walk like Ive got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still Ill rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Dont you take it awful hard
Cause I laugh like Ive got gold mines
Diggin in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, Ill rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like Ive got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of historys shame

I rise
Up from a past thats rooted in pain
I rise
Im a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak thats wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
-Maya Angelou

Please discuss the following questions in groups of 4-5. Make notes on each questions as after 30
minutes, you will join with 2 readers of the other poem to summarize your findings and make
connections together.
1. On first read of the poem, how do you personally feel about Angelous story? Does any
aspect feel personally connected to your life story? Explain using specific examples from
the poem.
2. Who do you believe was her intended audience? Is the poem only accessible by those
whom she intended to read it? Could it have implications for others, and why do you
believe so?
3. How do you believe Angelous history impacted the poem? Do you see any specific lines
that may reference back to personal triumphs or failures in her life?
4. When Angelou refers to rising, what does that mean? Is this a physical movement or a
metaphor for a greater meaning? Gives examples that prove your opinion.
5. When you read the words on the paper, what feelings do you experience? Have someone
in your group read it out loud. Does your experience change when the words are brought
to life? What changes did you see between the two experiences?
6. Individually, rewrite this poem in your own words. This can be done in any kind of
format- poem, rap song, personal blog, mini essay, etc. Do the same themes and ideas
still remain? Within your group, are there any themes which remain relevant in each one?

Activity A: Poem 2
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
Im not cute or built to suit a fashion
models size
But when I start to tell them,
They think Im telling lies.
I say,
Its in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
Im a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
Thats me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
Its the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
Im a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
Thats me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.
They try so much
But they cant touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still cant see.
I say,
Its in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
Im a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
Thats me.
Now you understand
Just why my heads not bowed.
I dont shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
Its in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
Cause Im a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
Thats me.
-Maya Angelou

Please discuss the following questions in groups of 4-5. Make notes on each questions as after 30
minutes, you will join with 2 readers of the other poem to summarize your findings and make
connections together.
1. On first read of the poem, how do you personally feel about Angelous story? Does any
aspect feel personally connected to your life story? Explain using specific examples from
the poem.
2. Who do you believe was her intended audience? Is the poem only accessible by those
whom she intended to read it? Could it have implications for others, and why do you
believe so?
3. How do you believe Angelous history impacted the poem? Do you see any specific lines
that may reference back to personal triumphs or failures in her life?
4. Angelous consistent referral to a phenomenal woman can be a physical representation of
a human being, but do you believe there could be any other understanding as a metaphor
for something else? Could these words refer to an idea, culture, or other experience of
life?
5. When you read the words on the paper, what feelings do you experience? Have someone
in your group read it out loud. Does your experience change when the words are brought
to life? What changes did you see between the two experiences?
6. Individually, rewrite this poem in your own words. This can be done in any kind of
format- poem, rap song, personal blog, mini essay, etc. Do the same themes and ideas
still remain? Within your group, are there any themes which remain relevant in each one?

Activity B:
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of

dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
-Maya Angelou

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing
trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright
lawn
and he names the sky his own

Please discuss the following questions in groups of 4-5. Make notes on each questions as after 30
minutes, you will join with 4 others from different groups to summarize your findings and make
connections together.
1. This poem is titled I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Seeing as the title of this poem
is also the title of her autobiography, what does that mean for the overall meaning of the
story in the poem?
2. The poem describes two different birds. Which one could be a representation of
Angelou? Provide examples as to why you believe that is so. What does she feel about
the other bird? Is it positive or negative?
3. The freedom that the caged bird craves for, what kind of freedom is it? List any types of
liberty or freedom that the bird may desire. Does it necessarily have to be a physical
freedom from bars? Do any lines support a deeper meaning in the poem?
4. What kind of personal connections can you make to this poem? Does either bird feel like
a representation of your life? In what ways?
5. How could this poem be used in a worldwide context? Is there any relevancy in the
modern world?