Maya Lesson Plans

Students complete activities for the autobiography of Maya Angelou. In this autobiography lesson, students write a journal entry about their life and discuss the morphology of the word autobiography. Students use active reading strategies to read Angelou's autobiography and a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Students complete a scavenger hunt activity and discuss literary devices in the texts.

Students read The Seven Resiliencies, a Maya Angelou poem, and complete writing activities to analyze the concept of resiliency. In this poetry lesson, students group in a circle to read the resiliency handout and discuss the text. Students brainstorm examples of people who were resilient in history and read "Still I Rise" by Angelou. Students discuss the two texts together and write a response as a formal paper or journal entry.

Ninth graders explore I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this introductory lesson, 9th graders read Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise." Students write a journal telling what they believe is the message contained in the poem and discuss the poem's tone.

Students interpret and analyze art for meaning and a Maya Angelou poem for meaning. In this art and literature analysis lesson, students analyze Alison Saar's "Lost and Found" and Maya Angelou's poem "Alone." Students write creative prose about the themes of the sculpture and poem. Students create a chair sculpture that incorporates their writings.

Students investigate the power of title and poetry in a Langston Hughes' poem. In this poetry analysis lesson, students discuss the poem 'I, Too' for its title and content. Students use the variation in English Words and Phrases website to analyze the poem. Students listen to a recording of the poem and discuss the poet's choice of language. Students also read the poem 'Still I Rise' by Maya Angelou and product a Venn diagram to represent similarities and differences between the two poems.

Fifth graders analyze the Mayan culture. In this Mayan culture lesson plan, 5th graders study the Mayan culture noting similarities and differences between the Mayan culture and their own. Students examine hieroglyphic writing and the Mayan influence on astronomy.

Students explore the Mayan culture, and our knowledge of it through art, architecture, and the heritage of modern Mayan people. In this art and culture lesson plan, students develop an understanding of Mayan daily life through a study of their art.

Students are introduced to the Mayan Long Count calendar system. They work in groups to calculate the date of their birth and use the calendar to determine important Mayan dates.

Fifth graders investigate the Mayan culture, number system, alphabet, hieroglyphics, history, civilization, artistry, and sports in this series of lessons.

Students, working in groups, research different aspects of the Mayan society of the classical period. They study the rise and fall of the civilization and present the information in multimedia presentations.