Caged Bird

In the month of February, our class will read excerpts from the third text in our Core Knowledge sequence, entitled I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou.  It is a heartbreakingly beautiful depiction of her experience growing up in the American South during a period of extreme racism.  Angelou poetically highlights race relations, notions of identity and literacy, as well as sexism in American society.  But because she approaches these topics head on, some of the content found in the book contains very adult themes.  For this reason, students will not read the entirety of the novel.

I consider this to be a special opportunity for our eighth graders.  In her book, Angelou paints a very specific and clear picture of a perspective and experience quite different from most of our own.  It is this very reason that Core Knowledge has included it in its curriculum, and why it is the introduction to our unit on the Civil Rights Movement.  We will be reading selected chapters that highlight the strengths of both the content and style, and will not include the more "difficult" chapters in our studies. 

I will certainly be approaching these subjects with respect and maturity, which I will also expect out of our students. 

Please feel free, as always, to contact me with any questions you may have.