Sarah Sturdivant

Lesson Title: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Introduction

Subject Area and Grade Level: English III Honors; 11th Grade

Central Focus Students will assess Maya’s, the narrator of I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings, point of view and how it shapes her
narrative. Students will assess the discrepancies between
Maya’s older and younger perspectives, as well as the point
of view of other characters. Understanding of point of view
will be demonstrated through Maya’s Memory Book and
evaluated through written portions containing evidences of
how they constructed their narratives.

Content Standard(s) RL.11-12.6 Analyze a case in which grasping perspectives

requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from
what is really meant.

W.11-12.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined

experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen
details, and well-structured event sequences

Learning Objective(s) Students will identify Maya’s dual point of view as a narrator
Based on Content Standard in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Students will write personal narratives from the point of view

as a young child.

Academic Language Identify: Students will recognize that there is duality in Maya’s
Function Objective(s) narration and identify characteristics of younger Maya’s
recollection of events and older Maya’s interpretation of said
events.

Additional Language Discourse: In assigned partners, students will answer

Supports questions about “Symphony” by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
In assigned partners, students will work together to find
instances of Maya’s dual perspectives.
As a whole class, students will share their answers from their
collaborative work.

Syntax: Students will use a character map to understand the

complexities of Maya’s character as well as her relationship
to other characters.

Vocabulary: Narrator bias, multiple perspectives, narrative,

autobiography, theme
 Essential Question(s) for How and why does the author portray the narrator with dual
Students to Explore points of view in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?

21st Century Student Creativity:

Outcomes Students will draw from their own experiences from childhood
to connect with Maya’s perspective.

Prior Knowledge General American history knowledge of race relations in the

South during the early to mid 20th century. This would have
been covered in past American history courses.

Student will need to understand the concept of perspective

and voice. This would have been covered in past ELA
classes.

Formative Assessment Poetry Questions: Students will assess “Sympathy” for

themes that will be reflected in I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings. Students will demonstrate understanding by sharing
answers to the guiding questions in partners and then whole-
class discussion.

Character Map: Students will describe Maya’s characteristics,

dispositions, and point of view as both a child and an adult
narrator. This character map will be used to expand to other
characters and will help understand how Maya’s perspective
frames each character. (RL.11-12.6)

Exit Slip: Students will demonstrate understanding of narrator

bias by using evidences from foreword to predict future events
in the text. Students’ answers will indicate if they understand
the concept of narrator bias and perspective. (RL.11-12.6)

Summative Assessment

Accommodations

Lesson Plan

Materials ● Print out of “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Biography of Dunbar on the back of the handout.
● Brief PowerPoint focused on Maya Angelou’s life and
legacy
● Class set of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
● Print out of first foreword section of I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings
Organizational Structures Lecture: Maya Angelou biography section
Whole-class discussion: Video discussion. POV practice
Individual instruction: Bell ringer, exit slip

Learning Activity Types Making predictions

Directed/Guided reading
Reading discussion

Bell Ringer Journal activity: Who is more honest in telling a story? An

adult or a child? Why? (5 minutes)

Detailed Activities and “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar. (20 minutes)

Procedures ● Brief biography of Dunbar printed on page.
● Students read the poem on their own.
● Answer the question printed on page: Why does the
caged bird sing? Who is the speaker? Why/how does
the speaker know why the caged bird sings?
● Share with assigned partners and move into whole
class discussion answering the questions
● Class question: The last line of this poem was used as
the title for Maya Angelou’s autobiography. Using
context clues, what are some themes that you predict
will come up in this book?

Maya Angelou background information PowerPoint (10

minutes)
 Students share what they know about Maya Angelou
 Students take notes on a brief PowerPoint:
1. Biography information
2. Literary achievements
3. Achievements outside of literature

 Explain the time period she is writing about. What is

going on in this time period historically?

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: Introduction (15 minutes)

● Students read introduction along with Maya Angelou’s
reading
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lrNS7I2Wqg)
● Answer question as whole class throughout video:
1. (4:27) How old do we think Maya is in this
story? What is she like?
2. End of video: What is the “unnecessary insult”?
POV Introduction (15 minutes)
● Class discussion: What is Maya like in this excerpt?
What do we know about her so far? What do we notice
about the narration? What type of narration is it? What
type of narrator is she?
● Begin character map starting with description of Maya
 POV Practice (15 minutes)
● Provide students with a photocopy of the portion just
read and two different colored pencils.
● Students will underline sentences or details that sound
like they are told from the younger and older Maya.
● Demonstrate with examples from first two paragraphs.
● With assigned partners, students will work through the
rest of the passage underlining instances of either of
Maya’s perspectives.
● As a whole class, students will share aloud what they
underlined.

Closure Exit Slip: (10 minutes) Reflect on our bell ringer about honesty
and its relationship to age. Write on a piece of loose leaf
paper and hand to teacher on the way out of the door. How do
you predict this will play out in I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings?

References Maya Angelou. (n.d.). Retrieved October 3, 2018, from

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/maya-angelou

Paul Laurence Dunbar. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/paul-laurence-
dunbar