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Inaugural Poetry

Subjects

• Language Arts
• Technology

Grades

• 6-8
• 9-12

Brief Description

Students compare and contrast the poems that Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, and Miller Williams wrote and read at past inaugurations.

Objectives

Students compare, contrast, and interpret the poems that Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, and Miller Williams wrote and read at past inaugurations. Students define the word inauguration.

Keywords

inauguration, poetry, poem, poet, Frost, Angelou, Williams

Materials Needed

paper, pens or pencils, computer(s) with Internet access or printouts from the sites listed in the lesson or student-researched library sources

Lesson Plans

You may want to break this activity into two lessons.

Lesson 1

• Discuss the meaning of the word inauguration. Discuss some of the events that usually take place during the inauguration of a president.
• Explain that in recent years, some presidents have asked writers to read their work at the inauguration ceremony. Tell students that they are going to study three inaugural poems from three writers: Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, and Miller Williams.
• Explain that Robert Frost read at John F. Kennedy's inauguration, Maya Angelou read at Bill Clinton's first inauguration, and Miller Williams read at Bill Clinton's second inauguration. Robert Frost read "The Gift Outright," Maya Angelou read "On the Pulse of Morning," and Miller Williams read "Of History and Hope."
• Organize students into pairs or small groups. Have students read the poems and background information about the writers from the following sites. If Internet access is not available to everyone, make printouts from the sites.

  Robert Frost
  The Gift Outright (Inaugural poem: John F. Kennedy)
  Robert Frost (Poetry.org)
  A Tribute to Robert Frost
  
  Maya Angelou
  On the Pulse of Morning (Inaugural poem: Bill Clinton, 1993)
  Voices From the Gaps: Maya Angelou
  
  Miller Williams
  Of History and Hope (inaugural poem: Bill Clinton, 1997)
  Poet Address Inaugural Event (Washington Post)

• Have students in each group work together to list the similarities and differences of the poems.

Lesson 2
Bring the groups together to discuss their lists. Ask: "What images did you think of as you read each poem? What reflections of the writer's background do you see in each poem? In what ways is each poem a reflection of the time of the inauguration for which it was read? Would the poems be appropriate for the 2001 inauguration? Why or why not?"

Variation: Have the students research the poems and background information about the writers using print sources from a library.

Extension 1: Say to students: "Imagine that you have been asked to write and recite a special poem at the inauguration. What would you write about in your poem?" Have students write and read their original inaugural poems.
Extension 2: Say to students: "Suggest a poem that you think would be appropriate to be read at the 2001 inauguration. Who should read the poem? Why?"

Assessment

Evaluate students' participation and their interpretations of the poems discussed.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Lois Lewis