Starter quiz
- In the United Kingdom, the country's leader is called the Prime Minister. In America, the country's leader is called the ______ ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- 'President' ✓
- Which of these are examples of commands? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- Today is a new day.
- We look forward.
- Look at each other. ✓
- Say hello to each other. ✓
- Have hope. ✓
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- Match each word to its meaning ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- pulse⇔the beat you feel as your blood is pumped through your veins ✓
- species⇔a group of animals or plants ✓
- destiny⇔events that will happen to a person or thing in the future ✓
- ignorance⇔the state of not knowing something ✓
- Maya Angelou was a poet and a civil ______ activist ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- 'rights' ✓
- Select the dates which indicate when Maya Angelou was born, and when she passed away ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- 1928-1978
- 1978-2014
- 1914-1945
- 1928-2014 ✓
- 1906-1983
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- The ______ laws were laws enforced by American states which separated people based on the colour of their skin (late 19th century to 1965) ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou').
- 'Jim Crow' ✓
Exit quiz
- Maya Angelou wrote a poem called 'On the Pulse of the ______'. ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- 'Morning' ✓
- Which president asked Maya Angelou to write and perform a poem at their inauguration? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- President Obama
- President Clinton ✓
- President Biden
- President Kennedy
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- What is true of Maya Angelou's writing routine? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- She wrote at night when she felt most creative.
- She wrote in a hotel room she rented, rather than her house. ✓
- She used a library of books and the internet to support her.
- She would write with the Bible, a dictionary and a deck of cards beside her. ✓
- She would start writing early in the morning. ✓
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- What words did Angelou use to describe her writing routine? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- "phenomenal"
- "helpful"
- "lonely" ✓
- "marvellous" ✓
- "creative"
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- What is the final word of 'On the Pulse of the Morning'? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- "America"
- "future"
- "pulse"
- "morning" ✓
- "freedom"
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- Which sentence uses the word 'renewal' correctly? ('Single poet study: Maya Angelou')
- I am hoping a change of scene will renewal my energy.
- I renewal so I feel fresh and raring to go.
- Each morning, I feel a sense of renewal after a good night's sleep. ✓
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- In 1993, President Bill Clinton asked Angelou to write, and perform, a poem at his inauguration.
- Perhaps President Clinton asked Angelou because of her importance as an American poet and civil rights activist.
- Angelou wrote on 'On the Pulse of the Morning', a poem focusing on America's past, and its future.
- 'On the Pulse of the Morning' emphasises the idea that Americans should see each other as equals, and practice kindness.
- Angelou followed a strict writing routine: rising early and working with minimal distractions for a full morning.
Common misconception
Every American president has a poem read at their inauguration.
Presidents have choice over some elements of their inauguration. President Clinton was only the second president to have a poem read at his ceremony, and he specifically asked for Angelou to write and perform it.
Keywords
Inauguration - in politics, when a new leader and government is sworn in
Civil rights activist - a person who advocates for social and political equality for those who have been denied equal treatment
Renew - to make new again, to restore
Jim crow laws - laws enforced by American states which separated people based on the colour of their skin (late 19th century to 1965)
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