Personal Reflections on the Poetry of Maya Angelou –
Lesson Plan
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By Katie Gould, PBS NewsHour Extra Teacher Resource Producer
Materials
PBS NewsHour article: “Maya Angelou, Renaissance Woman, Dies at 86”!
Video: Maya Angelou reciting her poem “On the Pulse of Morning”!
Poem: “On the Pulse of Morning”
Warm Up Activity
1) Distribute copies of the PBS NewsHour article “Maya Angelou, Renaissance Woman,
Dies at 86” to the entire class. Teachers may read the text aloud or request students
read the poem independently.
2) Use these questions to start a short discussion after students have read the article:
•What does it mean to be a "renaissance woman"?
•Maya Angelou was a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. How did she use poetry
to deal with it?
•What were some of the challenges she probably faced as a young African
American woman growing up during segregation?!
•How did Maya Angelou share her talents with the world? Do you think her work
changed lives? Why or why not?!
Main Activities
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