This lesson focuses on questions of identity as students read and analyze Angelou’s inspirational poem “Still I Rise” and apply its message to their own lives. Students learn how Maya Angelou overcame hardship and discrimination to find her own voice and to influence others to believe in themselves and use their voices for positive change.
Meet New Vocabulary uses a graphic organizer to help students acquire new vocabulary while reading. This strategy is most effective when teaching challenging, domain-specific words (Tier Three).
Educators can use classroom publishing to validate the experiences of all students and to introduce critical literacy. This toolkit provides writing prompts to help you bring out the best in your students’ writing.
Use the resources and suggestions in this toolkit to assist students and family members who may be at risk of ICE detainment or already in an immigrant detention center.
Jasmine Evans is a freelance writer from the San Francisco Bay Area with experience as a college counselor and English teacher. She writes education articles for parents, students, and educators. She’s currently working on her MFA in English & Creative Writing at Mills College with the hopes of writing novels for young adults in the future.
Thom Ronk is a multicultural educator with more than 20 years experience in corporate, government and non-profit educational programs. He has facilitated students’ and teachers’ learning throughout the United States as well as in China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Afghanistan and Turkey. He has extensive experience writing and developing print- and Web-based curriculum materials, and he’s the primary author of Essay Writing for High School Students: A Step-by-Step Guide (Kaplan Publishing, 3rd Edition, 2006). Thom received a master's degree in Secondary Education/TESOL from Temple