From the first time I read Maya Angelou’s work and heard her speak, I was hooked on her work. If you’ve read any from this list of poems by Maya Angelou then you’re likely familiar with the depth of meaning, the powerful delivery, the historical significance, and her poetic achievements. Maya Angelou’s poetry is both contemporary and classic and always a great addition to your high school English classroom.
As a friend of Angelou’s grandmother told her: “You will never love poetry until you actually feel it come across your tongue, through your teeth, over your lips.”
To that end, here is a list of poems by Maya Angelou for your English classes at any time of the year!
A Starter List of Maya Angelou’s Poems
- “On The Pulse of Morning”: This poem captures the spirit of a nation. It was delivered at the 1993 inauguration of US President Bill Clinton. Watch the delivery by Angelou herself; this will add dimension to a students ‘reading’ of the poem. Click here for the full text of the poem.
- “Harlem Hopscotch”: This poem’s musicality is a definite draw for readers and listeners. The poem speaks to hardships and struggles but so too to joy and resilience. You can also check out this 4-minute video that uses Angelou’s vocals.
- “Still I Rise“: This poem encourages readers to overcome adversity and rise above challenges, no matter what obstacles they face.
- “Human Family”: This poem focuses on how “We are more alike, my friends, / than we are unalike.” It speaks to diversity and difference and celebrates how alike and unalike we are as a human race. Watch the lyric video for the poem/song here.
- “Caged Bird”: This poem deals with themes of racism and the struggle for freedom. Use it to inspire discussions about social justice. It would be a great complement to a novel study or work of nonfiction. Read this post with 6 Ways to Include Poetry in Your Next Novel Study.
- “Phenomenal Woman“: This empowering poem celebrates the strength and beauty of African American women. It’s a great addition to any SEL lessons about self-esteem and self-acceptance.
- “On Aging“: This thought-provoking poem deals with the challenges and rewards of growing older. The poem would work as part of a lesson about the future.
For any of the poems, try out this graphic organizer to help with analysis. Click here to download your free copy of a TP-CASTT and guiding prompts for it.
Want more Maya Angelou?
For an extended list of poems by Maya Angelou in video-form check out the Caged Bird Songs YouTube channel. The channel features about two dozen of Angelou’s poems with a backing beat and display of all of the words. Incorporating these videos into class can heighten students’ understanding of the poems. According to studies, multi-modal inputs–reading and listening– increase student understanding and knowledge retention.
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