While every classroom is different, many students find poetry challenging to analyze and understand at first. However, Maya Angelou's lyrical tone and the poem's central inspiring message -- that the speaker and all of us who she speaks for can overcome those who try to oppress us and hold us back -- may be compelling to many students. You should be aware, however, that some students will have more personal and potentially upsetting experiences than others with racial discrimination and gender-based biases; approach the material with deliberation and sensitivity.
These lessons and activities provide many different approaches to the text; select those that best suit the strengths and...
