Title: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
MUST: be able to identify a theme from the poem.
SHOULD: back up themes with evidence from the poem.
COULD: respond to the evidence by comparing and contrasting this poem with one
other poem studied.
Starter:
1. The title of the poem is ‘I Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings’.
A. Why do you think the poet titled their
poem in this way?
B. What does it make you think of?
2. Thought experiment: If you were in a cage,
what would your emotions be?
A. Pick one emotion from the list below and
write a paragraph explaining and
supporting the reason you chose that
emotion.
Dejected/cross/bored/delighted/ neutral/
discouraged
Title: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
MUST: be able to identify a theme from the poem.
SHOULD: back up themes with evidence from the poem.
COULD: respond to the evidence by comparing and contrasting this poem with one
other poem studied.
Read ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings by Maya Angelou
Title: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
MUST: be able to identify a theme from the poem.
SHOULD: back up themes with evidence from the poem.
COULD: respond to the evidence by comparing and contrasting this poem with one
other poem studied.
(In pairs)
Be prepared to back up your ideas with evidence from
the poem:
1. Are there any repeated words that you think
might be significant?
A. What theme may this suggest?
2. What’s the mood and atmosphere of the
poem?
A. What theme may this suggest?
Title: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
MUST: be able to identify a theme from the poem.
SHOULD: back up themes with evidence from the poem.
COULD: respond to the evidence by comparing and contrasting this poem with one
other poem studied.
Task: Read poem a second time. As you read, look out for
common ideas associated with this poem. Highlight words which
support the theme (evidence).
Ideas linked to this poem:
• Freedom (highlight/color in blue)
• Fear (highlight/color in red)
• Oppression (highlight/color in yellow)
Extension: When finished, look for rhyming words. Do you see a
pattern? Try to work out a rhyme scheme.
Title: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
MUST: be able to identify a theme from the poem.
SHOULD: back up themes with evidence from the poem.
COULD: respond to the evidence by comparing and contrasting this poem with one
other poem studied.
Whole class:
Share themes and evidence found. Class discussion about
themes and meanings in poem
Ideas linked to this poem:
• Freedom (highlight/color in blue)
• Fear (highlight/color in red)
• Oppression (highlight/color in yellow)
Did anyone complete the extension? Discuss.
Extension: When finished, look for rhyming words.
Do you see a pattern? Try to work out a rhyme
scheme.
Title: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
MUST: be able to identify a theme from the poem.
SHOULD: back up themes with evidence from the poem.
COULD: respond to the evidence by comparing and contrasting this poem with one
other poem studied.
Extension:
What other poems can we compare this poem to?
• By theme
• By style
• By rhyme scheme
• By rhythm
• By vocabulary
• By voice
Title: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
MUST: be able to identify a theme from the poem.
SHOULD: back up themes with evidence from the poem.
COULD: respond to the evidence by comparing and contrasting this poem with one
other poem studied.
Close:
Did we meet our objectives?
Write down three things you have
learned today.