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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Diction in Maya Angelou's poem, "Remembering"

The class will annotate and discuss Angelou's poem. Then they will select specific words and complete a webbing that asks them to explore the connotations of the word as well as consider the author's purpose in using it.

A lesson plan for grades 9–10 English Language Arts

By Vickie Smith

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • annotate the poem and discuss it
  • complete a webbing about the word that allows them to explore the word’s meaning and effect

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 hour

Materials/resources

An overhead transparency of “Remembering” from The Complete Poems of Maya Angelou, (New York: Random House, 1994).

Student handout of “Remembering.” (I suggest 18 pt font and ample margin space.)

Technology resources

Overhead projector

Pre-activities

No pre-activity is necessary but the instructor could inititiate a brief discussion about the importance of word choice. The instructor could ask the students to give a situation where word choice was critical in getting the response they wanted, or to consider when word choice is critical in a person’s job.

Activities

Modeling

  1. Place a copy of the poem on an overhead transparency. Read the poem aloud. Then tell the students that you will read the poem aloud a second time and mark any words you find significant by using stars, underlining, or highlighting. You will also mark any words or lines you don’t understand with a question mark. Talk through the process of marking these words as you do your second reading aloud to the class.
  2. Select one of the words you marked to make a word web. On an overhead transparency, show students how to complete the word web. Write your selected word in the middle. On one line explain how the word makes the reader feel; on another explain what color the word reminds you of and why; on the third list other words that are similar; on the fourth write why you think the author chose it or why it “works” in the poem.

Guided Practice

  1. Remove the transparency. As you reread the poem a third time, ask students to star, underline, or highlight any words they find significant on their copy of the poem. They should also mark any words or lines they do not understand.
  2. Ask students to share what they marked and how they marked it. The teacher should duplicate their responses on the overhead transparency. The teacher should use follow-up questions when students share what they marked: Does anyone know what that word means? Why did you think that was significant? How did it make you feel? What do you associate with that word? What other word could the author have used instead of that one? How would that have changed the line?
  3. Individually, in pairs, or in small groups, ask students to complete the attached word web. They write their selected word in the middle. On one line they should explain how the word makes them feel; on another they should explain what color the word reminds them of and why; on the third they should list others words that are similar; on the fourth they should write why they think the author chose it or why it “works” in the poem.
  4. Ask for volunteers to share their webs.

Independent Practice

  1. Give students copies of a second poem. Have them annotate the poem and then select one word to complete a word web. Have them share their word web with a partner or small group.

Follow-up activity

Ask the students to choose 5 words in their most recent writing, looking for a more precise word as a replacement. If it is a noun, how can you make nouns more specific? (By adding adjectives, name brands, etc.). If it is a verb, how can you make a verb more specific? (Look for overuse of “to be” verbs; search for verbs repeated often; add verbs that show more action, etc.). If they haven’t used any or many adjectives, they can add those.

Assessment

  • Was the student able to annotate the text and/or share in the class discussion?
  • Did the student complete the mapping activity, giving consideration to the specific tone of word chosen?
  • Did the student independently annotate a different poem and complete a word web for a word from that poem?

Supplemental information

None

Related websites

N/A

Comments

Development of this lesson plan was made possible by a grant from the North Caroliniana Society for the 2002 North Carolina Literary Festival.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 9 — English I

  • Goal 5: The learner will demonstrate understanding of various literary genres, concepts, elements, and terms.
    • Objective 5.01: Read and analyze various literary works by:
      • using effective reading strategies for preparation, engagement, reflection.
      • recognizing and analyzing the characteristics of literary genres, including fiction (e.g., myths, legends, short stories, novels), non-fiction (e.g., essays, biographies, autobiographies, historical documents), poetry (e.g., epics, sonnets, lyric poetry, ballads) and drama (e.g., tragedy, comedy).
      • interpreting literary devices such as allusion, symbolism, figurative language, flashback, dramatic irony, dialogue, diction, and imagery.
      • understanding the importance of tone, mood, diction, and style.
      • explaining and interpreting archetypal characters, themes, settings.
      • explaining how point of view is developed and its effect on literary texts.
      • determining a character's traits from his/her actions, speech, appearance, or what others say about him or her.
      • explaining how the writer creates character, setting, motif, theme, and other elements.
      • making thematic connections among literary texts and media and contemporary issues.
      • understanding the importance of cultural and historical impact on literary texts.
      • producing creative responses that follow the conventions of a specific genre and using appropriate literary devices for that genre.
  • Goal 6: The learner will apply conventions of grammar and language usage.
    • Objective 6.01: Demonstrate an understanding of conventional written and spoken expression that:
      • uses varying sentence types (e.g., simple, compound, complex, compound-complex) purposefully, correctly, and for specific effect.
      • selects verb tense to show an appropriate sense of time.
      • applies parts of speech to clarify and edit language.
      • addresses clarity and style through such strategies as parallelism; appropriate coordination and subordination; variety and details; appropriate and exact words; and conciseness.
      • analyzes the place and role of dialects and standard/nonstandard English.
      • uses vocabulary strategies such as roots and affixes, word maps, and context clues to discern the meanings of words.

Grade 10 — English II

  • Goal 4: The learner will critically interpret and evaluate experiences, literature, language, and ideas.
    • Objective 4.03: Analyze the ideas of others by identifying the ways in which writers:
      • introduce and develop a main idea.
      • choose and incorporate significant, supporting, relevant details.
      • relate the structure/organization to the ideas.
      • use effective word choice as a basis for coherence.
      • achieve a sense of completeness and closure.
  • Goal 6: The learner will apply conventions of grammar and language usage.
    • Objective 6.01: Demonstrate an understanding of conventional written and spoken expression by:
      • employing varying sentence structures (e.g., inversion, introductory phrases) and sentence types (e.g., simple, compound, complex, compound-complex).
      • analyzing authors' choice of words, sentence structure, and use of language.
      • using word recognition strategies to understand vocabulary and exact word choice (Greek, Latin roots and affixes, analogies, idioms, denotation, connotation).
      • examining textual and classroom language for elements such as idioms, denotation, and connotation to apply effectively in own writing/speaking.
      • using correct form/format for essays, business letters, research papers, bibliographies.
      • using language effectively to create mood and tone.