American Social Movements & Poetry

Resource guide. By Valerie Ambriz-Villela & Carlos Brown. In collaboration with Shira Engel.

Maya Angelou was an acclaimed poet, writer, and civil rights activist. The sample lesson plan in this resource guide focuses on one of her famous poems, “Still I Rise.”

These resources are intended for middle school writing and humanities courses. They focus on the intersection between poetry and social change, given that they were originally curated for a humanities unit on American social movements and spoken word poetry. Resources in this folder include links to premade lesson plans, classroom activity ideas, strategies for teaching anti-racist poetry, and mentor poems. 

A sample lesson plan is also included specific to one unit plan, but the activities included are still valuable for educators teaching lessons on poetry and identity. Activities include a free write, cluster map, see/think/wonder chart, and using a form poem to write personal poetry.