Author Study: Maya Angelou

These sites are about author, poet, performer, and activist Dr. Maya Angelou, who wrote “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and was the second poet in U.S. history to compose and read a poem for a presidential inauguration. Find out about her life and works, read some of her poetry, and listen to interviews.

Grades

• 4,
• 5,
• 6,
• 7,
• 8

Links

• Maya Angelou's Official Site

  This is the official website of Maya Angelou, a poet, educator, historian, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director. It contains information about Maya Angelou's life, a bibliography, books, and interviews.

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• Poet Hero: Maya Angelou

  Read these essays by students about why they consider Maya Angelou to be a hero. NOTE: THis site contains a guestbook and contains links to external sites.

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• Maya Angelou

  This site contains an index of audio, video, and text files. There is a biography, a timeline of her life, how she got her name, interviews, poems, a map of Arkansas showing where Maya Angelou grew up, and more. NOTE: This site contains links to external sites.

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• Maya Angelou Interview

  In this 1987 interview with Don Swaim Maya Angelou talks about autobiography, memory, and how poetry cured her muteness.

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• NPR: Maya Angelou

  Maya Angelou talks with Travis Smiley about the Roots, the 1977 miniseries for which she was nominated for an Emmy award. NOTE: This site contains ads.

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• BBC: Woman's Hour

  Read this article or listen to the interview in which Maya Angelou talks about her book "Hallelujah - The Welcome Table" and more.

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• BBC: Dr Angelou Live on BBC Breakfast

  Dr. Angelou talks about her sixth autobiography, "A Song Flung up to Heaven." Read the article or watch the video of this interview.

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• BBC: Angelou's Rainbow of Poetry

  This is a news article about a lecture Dr. Angelou gave at the 2002 Hay Literature Festival in Wales.

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• American Poets: Maya Angelou

  Read a biography of Maya Angelou and read two of her poems, "Alone" and "Still I Rise."

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• On the Pulse of Morning

  Students can read the full text and discuss the inaugural poem in this class activity.

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• Vocabulary from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

  Here are 150 words from the book, arranged by chapter. NOTE: This site contains ads.

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• Lesson Plans

  An eleven-page pdf file has fifteen lessons for use with the book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." These lessons use the PBS home video "Maya Angleou" and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" abridged audiotapes, read by the author.

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• Stamps, Arkansas

  Archival photographs of (white) Stamps, Arkansas from 1900 to 1942, where Maya Angelou spent most of her childhood.

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• FactMonster: Maya Angelou

  This encyclopedia entry contains factual information about Maya Angelou. NOTE: This site contains ads.

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• Inaugural Poem

  Read an inaugural poem by Maya Angelou.

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Education Standards

• DE
  • 2.4bI/T.1
  • 2.4bI/T.1
  • 2.4bI/T.1
  • 2.4bI/T.1
  • 2.4f.1
  • 2.4f.1
  • 2.4f.1
  • 2.4f.1
  • 2.5d.1.b
  • 2.5e.1
  • 2.5e.1
  • 2.5e.1
  • 2.5e.1
  • 2.5e.3
  • 3.3b2.1.b
  • 4.1b.1
  • 4.2c.1
• OK
  • A.4.2.a
  • A.4.2.c
  • A.4.2.c
  • A.4.2.c
• AU
  • RS2.5.3
  • RS2.7.1
• AL
  • 4.2
  • 6
  • 7.2
• MO
  • R.2.C.e
  • R.2.C.e
  • R.3.A
  • R.3.C.a
  • R.3.C.a
  • R.3.C.h
  • R.3.C.h
  • R.3.C.h
  • R.3.C.i
• ME
  • A2.a
  • A3.c
  • A4.b
  • A4.d
• NV
  • 3.6.2.1
  • 3.6.7.1
  • 3.6.7.4
  • 3.7.2.1
  • 3.7.7.1
  • 3.8.7.2
  • 3.8.7.3
  • 4.6.4.1
  • 4.6.4.3
  • 4.7.4.1
  • 4.8.4.1

Request State Standards

Created: May 16, 2006 at 10:56 | Updated: October 09, 2012 at 15:31