1. Starter: 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:
The title of the poem is ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’.
Why do you think the poet titled their poem in this way?
What does it make you think of?
Thought experiment: If you were in a cage, what would your emotions be?
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

2. 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.
Read ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

3. Be prepared to back up your ideas with evidence from the poem:
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:
Are there any repeated words that you think might be significant?
What theme may this suggest?
What’s the mood and atmosphere of the poem?

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. What other poems can we compare this poem to?
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

7. Did we meet our objectives?
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.