Unit 2 Title: Mrs. Flowers by Maya Angelou Suggested Time: 5 days (45 minutes per day) Common Core ELA Standards: RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.3, RL.8.4; W.8.1, W.8.2, W.8.4, W.8.9; SL.8.1; L.8.1, L.8.2 Teacher Instructions Preparing for Teaching Read the Big Ideas and Key Understandings and the Synopsis. Please do not read this to the students. This is a description for teachers about the big ideas and key understanding that students should take away after completing this task. Big Ideas and Key Understandings The beauty and power of spoken and written language has the ability to humanize us and transform lives. Synopsis In Mrs. Flowers, an excerpt from the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the author, Maya Angelou, describes a significant experience with a respected person in her community, Mrs. Flowers, which changes her life. Through their interactions, Maya Angelou learns the power of language (spoken and written) and relationships to transform lives. Read the entire selection, keeping in mind the Big Ideas and Key Understandings. Re-read the text while noting the stopping points for the Text Dependent Questions and teaching Tier II/academic vocabulary. During Teaching
Henderson, I’d prefer Marguerite though. My name was beautiful when she said it. I was liked and what a difference it made. I was respected, not as Mrs. Henderson’s grandchild or Bailey’s sister but for just being Marguerite Johnson. respected, even revered. When Mrs. Flowers took time to pay attention to Marguerite, to single her out, this made Marguerite feel special, noticed, and important. She said that I must always be intolerant of ignorance, but understanding of illiteracy…She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people call mother wit. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations Mrs. Flowers teaches Marguerite and the reader to value different types of knowledge, not just book knowledge or school knowledge. She is encouraged to see the importance of those who may not be school educated, but educated by life experience. It was the best of times it was the worst of times… Her voice slid in and curved down through and over the words. She was nearly singing. I wanted to look at the pages. Were they the same I had read? Or were there notes, music, lined on the pages, as in a hymn book? Her sounds began cascading gently. I knew form listening to a thousand preachers that she was nearing the end of her reading, and I hadn’t really heard, heard to understand, a single word. (p. 133) As Mrs. Flowers began to read aloud, Marguerite finally understood how the spoken word has beauty and power. Marguerite realizes that it takes more than just reading words to infuse meaning; it takes the human voice. Marguerite finally heard the emotions behind the words, the mood and intonation. I have tried often to search behind the sophistication of years for the enchantment I so easily found in those gifts. The essence escapes, but its aura remains. Marguerite, in reflecting on her experience with Mrs. Flowers, finds the reason for the impact of the encounter somewhat inexplicable, but notes that the feelings or “aura” of the experience remains for her years after the encounter. This demonstrates how meaningful the experience of getting to know Mrs. Flowers and spending time