Black History Month is a time to center Black voices in your English class. These three ready-to-use structures put students directly in conversation with works from notable Black poets—Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Langston Hughes—helping them analyze meaning, form, and the ways these works resonate today. Take a look.
This Sequence structure helps students unpack the figurative language in Maya Angelou’s "Still I Rise," as they identify metaphors that show her strength and resilience. Students analyze how each metaphor supports her message and reflect on how it resonates in their own lives today. Use this structure in your classroom!
In this Poll, students vote on the poetic device in Gwendolyn Brooks’s "We Real Cool" they find most effective. Each choice asks them to justify their reasoning, connecting the device to the poem’s tone, rhythm, and meaning while considering how Brooks captures the experiences of Black youth. Use this structure in your classroom!
This Columns structure helps students in upper-level English classes analyze Langston Hughes’ poem “Dinner Guest: Me” through four lenses. Students use text evidence to explore how these elements shape the speaker’s experience of being present yet unseen at a dinner party, reflecting the social and racial divides of society at that time. Use this structure in your classroom!
Encourage your students to dive deeper into these poems and engage with history, identity, and perspective.